A hard wood floor is a fine addition to a kitchen. But you need to know a few things before proceeding. The pre-finished floors have a few drawbacks. Most have a thin veneer of hardwood on the surface. This veneer can be damaged by falling pots and pans. So the pre-finished floor must be made of solid wood not a veneer style. If repairs are ever needed they are difficult to re-finish.
Once you find the pre-finished floor that is solid, you must purchase one that does not have a Micro-Edge system. This Micro-Edge is a trade mark of one flooring suppler but what is meant by this is the edges where the boards come together are at a slight angle. This sort of gives the floor a V grove between the boards. While this is good for the installers as the edges often come dented and with the edge already at a angle they have less waste. But for a kitchen the grooves between the boards end up filling with dirt and grease that comes with a kitchen.
Your best bet is to have a wood floor installed that is un-finished and then sand stain and seal the floor with polyurethane to protect it. The floor material must be placed within the room for at least four or five days before its set down to allow it to expand or contract with the humidity of the room and house. Be sure that the basement is dry and that your not experiencing any humidity issues down there as any moisture that comes up from the basement will effect the new floor by cupping it and causing it to swell and bow. Once the floor is properly set down. Nails should be placed at every floor joist as well. As they will hold better then just in the plywood sub-floor. (helps stop squeaks).
Stay away from the laminate floors. Although they say they can be used in kitchens any excessive water on the floor can get between the seams and cause them to swell on the edges. Also laminate floors are cold on the feet which is why I assume you do not want tile.
Posts: 1039 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 31 January 2006
