Kitchen Floor

qw

If the rest of the apartment is hardwood, you can consider extending it into the kitchen. It enhances the flow overall by having uniform flooring, and it is easier on the feet and back than tile (slightly). You do have to be somewhat conscious of not spilling liquids all over the floor all the time, but on the other hand dropped items are less likely to shatter or crack/chip tiles. Otherwise, go for something in keeping with general style of apartment that will have lasting appeal. No strong colors or taste-specific choices. Simple black and white checker board of 6-12" squares laid straight or on diagonal; can use stone or ceramic. Personally I would avoid putty colored blah suburban looking Home Depot tiles that just end up looking kind of cheap and boring. Material costs will be minimal since the space really isn't that large. The costs are in the labor. So get the material you really want--it won't cost much more than the cheap stuff in the scheme of things.

Linoleum tiles (REAL linoleum, not vinyl).

And it's important to keep the size of the tiles proportionate to the scale of the kitchen; most New York-sized kitchens actually look best with eight-inch squares. Six-inch tiles are so small that in all but the tiniest of kitchens look out of place (more appropriate for a bathroom), and unless you have a very large kitchen, the 12-inch tiles (which unfortunately are the easiest size to find, since manufacturers cater to the entire country, not just space-challenged New Yorkers) will actually make the kitchen look smaller (akin to a little girl playing dress-up in Mommy's heels).

I have seen black seamless marble and it's gorgeous. Tiny kitchen, with 12 inch tiles, but because there is no grout, the large tiles blend into each other. I have also seen navy blue ceramic with navy blue grout.

Again, the key is to make grout disappear. All grout will turn dark grey soon or later, so just blend it into the tiles, in a dark color, right at the start.

On my last place, I went with a high quality Italian porcelain tile in the kitchen/foyer area, and it was perfect. I considered extending the solid hardwoods from the living room into that area, but ultimately decided against it. The hardwood was only medium hardness, and I didn't want to chance destroying it via spills, drops, cooking splatter, etc. The kitchen/foyer area is pretty high traffic, so the porcelain turned out great. It's super strong and very easy to clean. Just make sure to seal the grout, so it stays looking good. When I think back to all the spills and drops that happened and how they had virtually no effect on the porcelain floor, I'm glad I went with it. Hardwood would certainly look nice. I don't have experience with linoleum, but I can't imagine it's anything I'd ever use. I'm sure marble would look great too, but I'd be too concerned about strength and maintenance.

"I have seen black seamless marble and it's gorgeous."

Until someone slips on a puddle of water that's invisible in that black seamless marble and they crack open their skull.

Then it's not so "gorgeous".

"I don't have experience with linoleum, but I can't imagine it's anything I'd ever use."

Why not?

It's the best of all worlds: Virtually zero maintenance (aside from regular cleaning), lasts at least 40 years, is 100% natural and bio-degradable with no toxic chemicals, and is just soft enough to give you enough of a cushion that a jar of peanut butter (or a child's skull) won't shatter on impact.

Porcelain is perfect for the kitchen floor

Porcelain is an excellent choice. they make long tiles that look like wood. I put them down in a commercial space and everyone looks at it and says that they can't believe how stupid I am to put down expensive wood in such a high traffic area. I'm amazed at how good it looks. Check out NEMO tile down on E19th street. You will see the selection on the floor to get a feeling. Nothing wears like porcelain but as little hard on the feet if you have to stand on it all day.

In our renovation we used an Italian porcelain with a gorgeous grained pattern reminiscent of wood. fabulously easy to clean and looks phenomenal. if you do a lot of cooking, you can always buy a chef's mat to put in the area where you stand and prep the most. In our home down south, we have wood and it too is gorgeous but after a few years, the high traffic areas really show the use. i wouldn't use wood again ever.

I have wood kitchen floors (going w/ KW's theory of extending the living room/dining room flow). So far, so good after 5 years of use. I wipe up ASAP after a spill, and we're a shoeless household.

We used cork tiles, with a stain similar to the color of our hardwood floors (so there's a texture difference, but not a jarring contrast). I love the way it looks and feels. We've had it for a year now and it has held up well.