Open kitchens help stir demand for hardwood floors
Wood is warmer, more forgiving and a comfier alternative to tile
You can’t help but be surprised by the hexagonal, lavender ceramic floor tiles in the foyer of designer Katie Ridder and her architect husband, Peter Pennoyer’s, house in New York’s Dutchess County.
But that’s not the case in their kitchen. “I only like wood floors in kitchens,” Ridder says. “They are soft underfoot, the upkeep is easy … I really don’t think there are any drawbacks.”
Chalk up the current popularity of wood floors in kitchens to the design crush of the moment: the modern farmhouse style. Or the overwhelming belief that wood floors are more forgiving, warmer and more comfortable to stand on.
Washington architect Donald Lococo, of Donald Lococo Architects, says the preference for wood kitchen floors is also due in part to today’s more open house plans and the esthetic of a seamless floor.
Debbie Gartner, a Westchester, N.Y., flooring expert and founder of the Flooring Girl, says her clients feel wood floors are a better investment. “Tile is taste-specific and easily dates itself,” Gartner says. “Hardwood floors, while often more expensive to install, have lasting power and in the long run will be a better return on your investment.”
To best preserve the life of wood flooring, Gartner advises first and foremost to always remove shoes when in the house. “My clients often blame their pets for scratches on their wood floors, but it’s people who do more damage.” The biggest culprit: dirt and pebbles that get caught in shoes and then get dragged over the wood. Gartner also recommends putting felt pads under furniture legs and avoid furniture on wheels; dirt can get caught in the wheels and then scratch your floor. Like any flooring, wood should be cleaned regularly. Gartner uses Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner, which is a fastdrying, water-based spray-andmop formula, and a microfibre mop. And never use wax, oils or any product that promises to restore the sheen of your floors. “Such products quickly degrade your floor’s finish, so you will need to sand and refinish them sooner than would typically be necessary,” Gartner says.
In kitchens, Lococo says, the highest-traffic area is in front of the sink, so consider a protective mat that will also make standing more comfortable.
For a short-term, nick-andscratch solution, Gartner recommends using Minwax’s Wood Finish Stain Markers to camouflage the damage; buy two similar colours as most woods have colour variations within the grain.
Eventually, your wood floor will require a more drastic fix. Lococo says his clients typically rescreen — buff off the polyurethane layer — before refinishing them.
As for the type of polyurethane, Lococo and Gartner agree oil-based lasts longer (about 10 years); water-based polyurethane finishes usually need to be redone after five or six years.
In terms of of finish — satin or semigloss — satin will show fewer dirt smudges, scratches and imperfections.