Is it OK to put Hardwood Floors in a Kitchen?

The modern home furnishings and decorations market is saturated with products, and this includes flooring choices.

You can choose carpet vinyl, tiles, engineered wood, hardwood, and several other choices.

However, it has to be said that there is something for French oak floors or any other type of hardwood floor.

In general, they are hard-wearing, which offsets the increased cost of purchasing and installing them.

Of course, wood contracts and expands according to temperature and moisture levels, this is why a hardwood floor is not usually a good idea for your bathroom. The steam from your sink, shower, bath, and water dripping from your body is likely to cause an issue to your hardwood floor.

But, the kitchen is a semi-moist room. It is usually larger and better equipped to handle the moisture from cooking and sinks. You may question how a hardwood floor in a kitchen will handle spillages. But, in reality, how often do you drop liquid onto your floor?

The simple truth is that providing you mop the mess up quickly, the kitchen hardwood floor will be fine.

In short, it is OK to put hardwood floors in your kitchen.

The Precautions

To ensure your hardwood kitchen floor gives you years of service and stays looking good, it’s worth taking a few precautions when using it.

Sweep & Damp Mop

It is important to keep your floor as clean as possible, this will prevent anything from staying on it and staining it.

To do this sweep the floor regularly and use a damp mop to clean it. Vacuuming is not recommended unless you have the hardwood floor attachment. Normal attachments are likely to scratch the floor.

Use A Wood Cleaner

It is also a good idea to use a dedicated hardwood cleaning when damp mopping the floor. This will help to clean and protect the floor while retaining its waterproof moisture layer.

The important thing with using a wood cleaner is not to use it too often, you’re likely to cause more damage to the floor if you use it excessively.

Polish Occasionally

Hardwood likes polish, it adds a protective coat and gives your floor a delightful shine. However, this should be done once, or twice, a year and no more. Again, doing this too often will damage the finish off the floor and make it more vulnerable to spills.

Clean Spills Quickly

It should go without saying that any spills need to be cleaned up completely. You’ll probably do this regardless of what floor you have. The longer a spill stays on the hardwood floor the more likely it is you’ll have a stain outline after you’ve cleaned it.

The only way to get rid of this sort of damage is to sand the floor, removing the damaged topcoat and re-varnish or seal it. If you choose or need to do this you’ll probably have to do the whole floor, if you don’t there could be a difference in the finish colors.