Commercial Kitchen Flooring Types, Advantages and Disadvantages

The kitchen floors need to have some important characteristics, such as the following:

• Acid and strong detergent resistance.

• The kitchen floor surface has to be made of a non-slip material, because this room is a space where fumes and humidity are handled.

• The kitchen floor should have a variety of different colours and designs that are related to the style, the colour combination and the design of the kitchen furniture and equipment.

• Kitchen floors have to match the surrounding walls, worktops and the splash guard above the countertop.

• The floor for the kitchen must come together in a coherent overall design.

In this topic I will be showing you in detail the properties, advantages and disadvantages of the different kitchen floors, so that you can consider these when choosing the type of floor, before planning the renovation or construction of the kitchen.

Vinyl Kitchen Floors

Advantages of vinyl flooring for the kitchen:

• Fast setup and installation: it is done on an existing floor or floors of wood, ceramic or brick, clean and dry.

• Kitchen vinyl flooring has a self-bonding underside surface that facilitates installation.

• It comes in a variety of designs: artificial stone, wood, marble, etc.

• The vinyl floor finishes are: plain, bumpy or self-sliding, as needed.

• Lateral fitting systems between the plates, to avoid solids or liquids to slip in between the plate joints, collecting dirt.

• Available in various sizes: slabs, plates, sheets or rolls for bigger areas, simplifying the application by adjusting to the space to be covered.

• The film has a superior protective coating, that prevents possible stains that may frequently appear in the kitchen, this coating keeps them always glossy, facilitating the cleaning.

• The vinyl is a very flexible material

• Vinyl flooring for the kitchen is non-thermal.

• There are some vinyls with soundproofing properties.

Disadvantages of vinyl flooring for the kitchens :

• A close heating source can cause structural damage.

• Vinyl can be discolored by prolonged exposure to the sun.

• You cannot lay hot objects on them.

• Vinyl surfaces can be affected by sharp objects or scratches.

• Being a very thin material, it can reproduce any defects of the base on which it is being installed

Porcelain floor for the kitchen

Advantages of porcelain tile on kitchen floors:

• High quality porcelain, supports higher compression pressures than traditional ceramics.

• Toughness.

• It can withstand continuous heavy movement as in a kitchen

• The porcelain has a low porosity and minimal water absorption.

• High endurance.

• High resistance to abrasion.

• Stain resistant.

• Versatility

• Kitchen porcelain tile has very low maintenance requirements.

• Lasting without the need to repair or change pieces.

• The porcelain tile has excellent aesthetic characteristics.

Disadvantages of the porcelain floor for the kitchen:

• Glossy porcelain in the kitchen is susceptible to being scratched more than polished.

• Kitchen porcelain tile requires cleaning on a daily basis.

• Gloss finish, polished porcelain tile is slippery when wet.

• You will need a skilled professional to properly install it.

• The thickness is uneven and can make the surface uneven.

• It’s expensive.

Wooden floors in the kitchen

Advantage of wood in kitchen floors:

• The wood is a material for floors which gives an impression of both quality and beauty to any room in which it is placed.

• With appropriate treatment, wood flooring is very durable.

Advantages of laminate flooring:

• It has the esthetic values of the wood combined with the benefit of the laminate.

• It is easily cleaned.

Disadvantages of wood in kitchen floors:

• It is a very porous and easily stained by grease in the kitchen, it is not moisture resistant.

• Needs to be maintained regularly

Stone floors for the kitchen

Advantages of stone on kitchen floors:

• A durable product

• Various combinations of styles, country style, country style, Mediterranean style

• Great variety of patterns and colors.

• The stone floor is not easily damaged or ruined.

Disadvantages of stone on the kitchen floor

• It requires thorough cleaning, considering the material’s texture.

• Natural stone is very expensive.

• Professional installation which increases the cost of the material.

Kitchen tile floors

The ceramic tile is a glazed surface piece that can be obtained with either monochromatic or polychromatic designs, with a very wide range of patterns.

Advantages of the tile as a floor for the kitchen:

• Humidity resistant.

• The tile is very versatile with different sizes and designs.

• Easy to install.

• Easy to clean and maintain.

• Tiles are available at good prices on the market.

Disadvantages of tile floors in the kitchen:

• Be careful when selecting the model, as it may wear out over time from high kitchen traffic.

Textured ceramic kitchen floor

Ceramic floor tiles are a widely used and flexible material in all home environments, including kitchens. The wide variety of flooring models available makes it one of the most popular materials for customers. The sizes of each unit for the kitchen floor will be selected in accordance with the space to be coated and that do not have much waste of material.

Recommendations when choosing a ceramic kitchen floor:

• Buy an extra box of the tile material because when you repair anything in the kitchen, in the future, you may not always get the same color or tone of what you already have installed.

• Choose an anti-slip ceramic in spaces such as the kitchen that tend to be damp.

Advantages of the ceramic floor in the kitchen:

• Easy to clean

• Easy to polish

• Variety of patterns, designs and formats.

• Ceramic is inexpensive when compared to other flooring materials for the kitchen.

Concrete floors in the kitchen

This type of material, also known as architectural concrete or clean construction concrete, is the exposed material after demanding without any additional coating. This is fire resistant, mouldable, durable, resistant to compression when alone and to tension also when steel-reinforced and converted into reinforced concrete.

The exposed concrete is:

• durable

• resistant

• very neutral

• easy to maintain

• can be combined with different accessories, colours and textures

Rubber floor in the kitchen

In the case of kitchens, the priority is on properties such as anti-slip, stain resistance and, of course, durability. Such requirements are not only required; they are usually also contemplated by the standards of gastronomic shops in each place.

Rubber floors are some of the most commonly used in the kitchen of restaurants. These floors comply with and exceed the basic standards for restaurant floors:

• Simple installation: this is perhaps the most important advantage of rubber flooring. In contrast to tiles or wooden floors, no building work is required. It is usually split into rolls or tiles and can be directly installed on the previous floor.

• They have a remarkable lifespan.

• They are resistant to all the most typical conditions of a busy kitchen: water, splashes, heat, and cleaning chemicals.
They are very easy to clean.

• No joints to accumulate dirt, the surface is perfectly smooth.

• Ability to function as a noise and shock isolator.

• They are anti-slip, which makes them a very safe option.

• Non-inflammable. Fireproof in some cases.

Conclusion

Don’t be desperate to select one of the different types of flooring for your kitchen. While the requirements are very important, (for you and your clients’ sake); the quantity of different styles and materials is very high.

It is preferable to look at the right aspects, even if the floor design is not perfect. It is a matter of providing those who have chosen your space with a minimal amount of comfort, as well as a safe and well-kept environment; that will be your maximum satisfaction.