The Top 3 Kitchen Flooring Options Are…
When renovating a kitchen, choosing the right flooring is just as important as updating cabinets, benchtops, or splashbacks. Flooring not only enhances the aesthetics of your kitchen but also impacts its functionality. With so many options available—ranging from laminates and cork to hardwood and porcelain tiles—it’s crucial to know which flooring type best suits your needs.
Among the many choices, the most popular kitchen flooring options in Australia are hardwood, ceramic or porcelain tiles, and engineered wood. These flooring options offer a mix of style, durability, and practicality, making them ideal for kitchens. In this article, we’ll explore each option to help you decide which is right for your home.
Kitchen Flooring Trends: What the Stats Say
How do we know these are the top three flooring options? That is easy; we turn to Houzz. According to Houzz’s Australia Kitchen Trends Study, 66% of kitchen renovators chose to update their flooring during their kitchen renovation. Of those, the majority upgraded to one of the top three flooring types—32% chose hardwood, 18% selected ceramic or porcelain tiles, and 14% opted for engineered wood.
With these insights, it’s clear that Australian homeowners prioritise durability, aesthetics, and ease of maintenance when choosing kitchen flooring. Now, let’s dive deeper into each option.
Hardwood Flooring: A Sophisticated Yet Maintenance-Heavy Choice
Wood is often considered to be not a good choice for use on kitchen floors. After all, kitchens are messy, and hardwood is an expensive flooring option. However, this is not true at all. As a matter of fact, hardwood works great on kitchen floors, and it is also the most popular flooring choice.
Hardwood flooring is all about sophisticated and refined looks. Not only is it modern and attractive, but it also offers a natural look and a warm texture. Hardwood can bring the ‘wow factor’ to an otherwise ordinary-looking kitchen.
While hardwood certainly offers attractive looks, it does require a good amount of maintenance. It also tends to expand and contract with changing temperatures and excessive moisture. As kitchens are prone to changing temperatures and high moisture, hardwood floors must be sealed for use on kitchen floors.
Sealing and Maintaining Hardwood Floors in Kitchens
If you want hardwood flooring in Perth for your kitchen, do so. But just ensure it is well sealed to withstand expansions and contractions. Also, make sure to choose flooring that is not pre-finished but rather finished on-site. The advantage of on-site finishing is that there will be a layer of sealant covering the gap between boards – this will prevent moisture from seeping into the gaps and will consequently prevent expansions and contractions.
Remember, with hardwood flooring for kitchens, you will always need to maintain it. While hardwood is durable and resilient, without proper finishing or sealing, it will create problems for you. Also, remember that hardwood is the most expensive flooring option of the top three types of kitchen flooring. For a low-maintenance option that looks just like hardwood, consider our hybrid flooring or timber-look tiles.
Ceramic or Porcelain Tiles: Durability and Style
Ceramic and porcelain floor tiles are the second most popular kitchen flooring choice with homeowners in Australia. These floor tiles are a durable, long-lasting option that withstand heavy foot traffic, spills, and stains. Ceramic tiles are made from clay fired at high temperatures, while porcelain tiles are made from a mixture of fine clays and minerals fired at even higher temperatures. Porcelain tiles are slightly more durable and water-resistant than ceramic tiles, making them a better choice for kitchen floors.
Advantages and Drawbacks of Tiled Flooring
Ceramic or porcelain floor tiles are an excellent choice for kitchen floors and, in my opinion, the best choice. They are extremely durable and hardwearing, water resistant, and require little maintenance. Moreover, ceramic and porcelain tiles are available in various designs, styles, colours, and finishes. In fact, several ceramic and porcelain tiles are also designed to mimic the look of natural substances such as marble or hardwood, giving you the best of both worlds.
Another big reason people choose ceramic or porcelain tiles for their kitchen floors is affordability. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are far more affordable than natural stone, hardwood, or even engineered wood. As such, tiles are a very cost-effective and practical choice for use in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as other areas of a home.
While porcelain and ceramic floor tiles offer several advantages, they suffer a few drawbacks. Tile surfaces are prone to cracking if heavy objects are dropped on them. Tiles also reflect sound, so using them in your kitchen will create a noisier environment. And the tile surfaces may also become slippery when wet.
If you’re interested in a tiled kitchen floor, read our post Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tiles: Which is the Better Option?, to determine which option is best for your needs and budget.
Tile Flooring at Ross’s Discount Home Centre
If you’d like to choose ceramic or porcelain tiles for kitchen flooring in Perth, look no further than us at Ross’s Discount Home Centre. We’re Perth’s largest retailer of ceramic and porcelain tiles. We offer a full range of floor tiles ideal for kitchen floors.
Our tiles are available in a plethora of designs, finish options, and colours, allowing you to create the kitchen of your dreams. We even offer wall tiles that complement our floor tiles. If you want to create a kitchen splashback or feature wall, you’ll find everything you need at our store.
Go ahead and take a look at our collection of ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles. If you’d like to see the tiles in person, please feel free to pay us a visit in Guildford. Our tiles are in stock and ready to dispatch. By choosing us, you can start with your kitchen renovation immediately.
Engineered Wood: The Look of Hardwood Without the Issues
Finally, the third most popular choice for kitchen flooring in Australia is engineered wood, such as our popular hybrid flooring range. The study shows that engineered wood is obviously a good flooring choice for kitchens, but why? Well, the fact that it is designed to offer the classic look and feel of hardwood but without many of the drawbacks that hardwood offers is one of the main reasons.
Why Engineered Wood is a Great Kitchen Flooring Option
Engineered wood is made out of several different layers, including a veneer, plywood, high-density fibreboard, and sometimes even hardwood. The use of multiple layers makes this flooring option stable, while the veneer adds authenticity and beauty to it.
And unlike hardwood, engineered wood faces no expansion or contraction problems with changing temperatures or excess humidity. It also requires little to no maintenance, and it will not warp, swell, or lose its shape.
There’s also an environmental benefit to choosing engineered wood over hardwood. Hardwood trees grow very slowly compared to the trees used to make engineered wood. By choosing engineered wood flooring, you’re actually helping the environment.
Another point worth mentioning is that engineered wood flooring is easy to install. If you go with engineered wood and have some experience with DIY projects, you won’t need to hire professionals for installation.
The Drawbacks of Engineered Wood Flooring
While these advantages may make you think that engineered wood is the ideal flooring choice, there are some problems with it. While engineered wood is certainly cheaper than hardwood, it is still far more expensive than tiles, laminates, and other flooring options.
Also, for engineered wood to be of good quality, the core layers must be made from high-quality wood, preferably hardwood. This can increase the cost of flooring significantly. If the veneer on engineered wood is too thin, the flooring will fade prematurely and lose its charm. Veneer also prevents refinishing and sanding opportunities.
Whether you should choose engineered wood for kitchen flooring in Perth completely depends on your preferences and your budget. High-quality engineered wood does look as good as hardwood, but it is also more expensive. If budget is a constraint for you and you really want a natural look in your space, consider timber-look tiles over both hardwood and engineered wood. Our timber-look tiles here at Ross’s Discount Home Centre are far cheaper than engineered wood and they completely replicate the look of natural hardwood. They make the perfect choice for use in your kitchen flooring in Perth.
Conclusion: Making the Right Flooring Choice for Your Kitchen
There may be several types of flooring that are suitable for use in kitchens. However, the top 3 kitchen flooring options here in Australia are hardwood, ceramic or porcelain tiles, and engineered wood.
Hardwood is by far the most popular choice for kitchen floors. But, it is also one of the most expensive flooring types, and it requires heavy maintenance. Ceramic or porcelain tiles, on the other hand, are a much more practical choice. They are affordable, and they require low maintenance. They are also available in an endless choice of colours and designs, which allow you to design your kitchen just the way you want. Engineered wood is the third most popular choice for kitchen floors with Australian homeowners. This option is designed to offer the look of hardwood minus the maintenance requirements. However, like hardwood, high-quality engineered wood is also quite expensive. And like hardwood, engineered wood is also prone to be affected by fluctuating temperatures.
At the end of the day, the type of flooring you choose will depend on your budget and your preferences. If you’re a practical person who values your hard-earned money, go with ceramic or porcelain tiles. This option will offer you the best value for your money and will guarantee you’re left with an attractive kitchen.
If you agree and haven’t yet bought tiles for your kitchen, then we can help. Ross’s Discount Home Centre has the biggest collection of ceramic and porcelain tiles in Perth, all available at very affordable prices. Simply drop by our showroom in Guildford or shop online to get your tiles today!
