We live in a 55 year old ranch home. The front room and three bedrooms have original oak floor. The bathroom, utiliy room, kitchen L and kitchen cooking area are tiled. We want to update. Are wood floors still hot decoratoring for kitchens? Or should we carpet?

I have never heard of anyone putting down carpet in the kitchen.

don't carpet in the kitchen.....I'd put hardwood thru out and have the floor guys match the old stuff

Wood floors add value to your home. Many go with hardwood throughout, including kitchens. In bathrooms, tile is still favored due to moisture issues. Many still prefer tile in kitchens. Those that look like natural stone are popular on floor and in backsplash area. The look is natural!

Ditto what twelvepole said. Wood floors def. add value, but not carpet. Personally, I love the look and warmth of wood and would never even entertain the thought of carpet in the kitchen.

Sounds like you got the same set-up I do: an older house where the HW floors have always been covered with carpet.

You don't have to install HW floors: you HAVE them (and original HW floors are always better than putting down fake floors over them.)

You can get them refinished, or just try and clean them up and see what happens. You'd be amazed at what good shape floors that were never walked on can be in!

Carpet in a kitchen

Wood floors with painted canvas florcloths are the perfect solution to kitchen spaces. Floorcloths are easy to clean, durable and will protect your wood floor while adding color and design. Put one under a kitshen table and a coordinating runner under the sink and you're good to go!

Depends...the look of wood kitchen floors is lovely but one flood from a dishwasher or a burst pipe could ruin a wood floor. High quality porcelain or stone tiles are just as up-to-date for today's kitchens and add value to your home.

Go with the wood. You can't arrange your life around fear of a flooding dishwasher or broken pipe. Tile or stone in a kitchen tend to create lots of noise, and carpet will doom you to a non-stop cleaning effort in a kitchen. I would also consider vinyl or one of the new linoleum-like products out there (such as Marmoleum).

It is apparent that all types of flooring have their pros and cons. If you go with wood and want to match the existing flooring, a knowledgeable flooring designer and skilled installer are key.

Yes, tile can be cold, but you don't have to rearrange your life flooring worrying about chilly tootsies -- just put on socks

IMO, if you want an upscale look you want, stay away from vinyl or Marmoleum. They are practical, but not for everyone's taste. If you are going for a trendy or period retro mid-century look,it's OK.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Boricua,

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Yes, tile can be cold, but you don't have to rearrange your life flooring worrying about chilly tootsies

I've heard that they make these things now that go on your feet, they're called "slippers". Probably just a fad, but hey, it can't hurt to run out and buy a pair. Rumor has it that lots of stores are selling htem and you can get some for a really good price.

I have wood in my kitchen and it's great. I have scatter rugs infront of the sink and stove. Just make sure that it is sealed well. Had carpet in my kitchen once and once was enough. Just imagine dropping an egg on it.

I just redid (kitchen, dining and hallway) and used a laminate. I love it...the kind I chose doesn't have the fake shiney look. It has a hand scraped texture and looks like a wood floor in an old farm house, nice wide slats. Biggest reason I chose laminate was cost. If you already have a wood floor, ofcourse I would redoit. Carpet was one of those things popular back in the 70's...been there, did that.
julie

SAVE YOUR EXISTING HARDWOOD FLOORS! .... ANYWHERE and everywhere they are. What a plus to your home. I have hardwood floors in my kitchen and love them, 14 years and counting and they look as good as the day they were installed. Personally I would save any existing flooring that was in perfect condition to retain the original flavor of the home, but that's just me! GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

We just took up an existing tile floor in the kitchen and we'll soon be removing carpeting in the foyer, living and dining rooms. We're replacing all with Burce hardwood flooring. I can't wait. I didn't hate my tile floor in the kitchen, but the grout was hard to keep clean in my opinion. All the people I've talked to that have wood say it's wonderful. My daughter has hardwood and bought a battery powered sweeper (Swivel Sweeper) that picks up crumbs and dust perfectly.

Please wood floors. I want to rip out my new tile and do wood. But I don't see it happening since we've been there for only 2 years.

I've been a floorlayer for 35 yrs I like wood floors much better....get a area rug..........

Actually, carpeting in kitchens used to be fairly common. My parents bought a home in the mid-1970s that had carpeting throughout the house, including the kitchen. They soon took it out and replaced it with vinyl. Personally, I would much rather have high quality vinyl than either tile or hardwood. Wood floors look good at first but tend to be rather high maintenance unless you want dents and water stains near the sink. I truly dislike tile and it's not just because it makes a cold surface. I hate how objects that accidentally get dropped on it tend to shatter while on other types of surfaces, they might not break at all. Also, the grout is a catch-all for dirt and spills and can be a real pain to keep clean. I still have nightmares about the white grout in my kitchen and bathrooms in my previous house.

The trick is not to use white grout.

The grout in my tile floors matches the tile, and it's an epoxy so it's sealed. Haven't had it be a problem at all, and in my house, that's saying something.