How to Avoid Problems with Wood Floors in the Kitchen

These days, people often have wood floors fitted in the kitchen. Doing so may come with a couple of surprises, however, that you should be aware of before you make your decision.

The first and most important consideration is the selection of a quality supplier of engineered flooring. “Engineered” is a very general term that many suppliers apply to their flooring, but that doesn’t mean it’s of good quality.

Kitchen Flooring Installation Methods

There are two ways of installing floors in the kitchen:

1. Install the flooring before installation of the kitchen units
2. Install the kitchen units prior to installing the flooring

Both methods have their pros and cons. If you choose to install the kitchen units first, you may save some money as flooring won’t have to be laid in the area covered by the kitchen units. The downside, however, is that you won’t be able to relocate your kitchen units in the future without refitting the floor.

Following the second method, by first installing the flooring you’ll be able to rearrange your kitchen units down the road. The colour of the floor underneath the kitchen units, however, may be slightly different due to its non-exposure to UV light. Fortunately, it only takes a couple of months for darker areas to fade and blend-in.

Know Your Risks

Because there is a higher risk of damaging wooden floors in the kitchen area, we always advise applying an extra coat of oil after the floor has been fitted to seal the gaps between the floorboards and prevent water ingress.

Make sure you get your plumbing work done professionally as well. Damage from leaking pipes may require the entire floor to be replaced which can be costly. Even if a small leak only requires you to replace a couple of boards, it can be difficult to get an exact match due to the nature of wood and the natural colour variations within it. Most of the time, problems arising from water damage are covered by your home’s content insurance.