When it came time to select flooring for our kitchen, there really wasn’t much of a question of what my choice would be. I knew, without even looking at other options, that I wanted hardwood floors. But, I didn’t want to discount all of the other options available, so I did a bit of browsing for ideas that might tempt me away from my gut instinct. I considered slate in an irregular pattern to coordinate with the foyer, but I felt like that would be a lot of slate in such a large room. It might overwhelm the space. I had a fleeting thought about brick, but again, I thought it might be a bit too much and I questioned how well it would flow with the rest of the house.
In the end, wood was still the clear winner. It’s what I’ve always loved in kitchens and it’s what we had in our last house.
The only real downside, that I’m aware of, with wood floors in a kitchen is the possibility of water damage. The possibility that something could maybe, possibly one day be damaged just isn’t enough of a deterrent for me to avoid it entirely. I wouldn’t pick it for a basement that is prone to moisture or flooding, but there isn’t usually sitting water in a kitchen unless something goes wrong and also goes unnoticed.
So, wood it is! We went with 2 1/4″ red oak, which is what is in the rest of the house. All of the homes we’ve lived in have had a patchwork of mismatched flooring added over the years and, I have to say, I am excited about having continuity through the entire house. The only flooring that isn’t 2 1/4″ red oak is in the foyer and bathrooms. I like it when a house flows nicely and, to me, mismatched flooring (without an intentional reason why it should be different) can feel disjointed and sometimes jarring.
The flooring was delivered last week and, after a few days of acclimation, the installation began…
I thought they might install the cabinets first, perhaps on plywood to make them sit at the same height as the floor, but our contractor prefers to put the wood floor under the cabinets for a cleaner look where the two meet. It’s also easier to lay the floor without having to cut around base cabinets.
It took them a while to get from the dining room to the doorway to the hall because they wanted to make sure the new boards lined up with the old boards. After two tries, they got it about as close as they could, and it looks great. I’m not picky about perfection. I just want it to aesthetically look good and it does.
They finished laying the floor on Monday and are now working on the finishing…
There’s a way to go, but it’s starting to look like a real room!
Don’t worry, the cats have sniffed, inspected, and walked all over the floor and it passes inspection.
We have been shutting them in our room during the day so they don’t escape through an open door, get down in the basement, or just get into trouble and they’ve gotten used to that routine. We leave the windows open for entertainment and they have food, water, their litter, and plenty of inviting places to sleep. I’ll give them treats when it’s time to go in and they get excited when Jeff gets home from work because that means it’s time to come out.
Sebastian has been with my parents, but he’ll be coming home on Friday. He gets really anxious with all of the noise and he also thinks everyone who walks through the door is there to see him and give him pets. It’s just better for him to be out of the way while all of the commotion is happening.
So, I just learned today that the kitchen window has been delayed and won’t arrive until the end of the month. It’s a bummer, but our contractor is going to continue the work and will circle back to the window when it arrives. We are getting new dining room and garage windows installed tomorrow, though, and I can’t wait to see them! The garage window especially looks sad at the moment.
For the finish on the new kitchen floor, we’re going with a Golden Oak stain and satin water-based polyurethane, which is the same combination we had put on the floors that were installed in October. It’ll look rich and warm against the green and white cabinets.
Once the floors are done, things should progress quickly and we’re scheduled to have the cabinets and appliances installed next week…
23 Responses
We’ve had hardwood floors in our kitchen for 35 years & have never regretted it. So warm & easy on your back.
So glad to hear!
Years ago that’s all that was available, so it must be good right? We have character grade Hickory in our whole living space including the kitchen. We’ve been here for 17 years now and not one water incident. I absolutely love hardwoods♥️
We have the same flooring. Oak 21/4” in our kitchen, great room, entry way for 30 years and I have never ever regretted that decision. My house colors went from Mediterranean warm yellows to cool blue and now green and blue. The oak floors have a cool pecan stain with satin poly have looked good in all three color schemes and survived two labs and two boys just fine
Exactly what we had in Colorado. It seems to be rare here in North Texas to see hardwoods that you install and stain – but I prefer it. Of course when it comes time to re sand and stain it’s a lot of work , but the floors should last a hundred years !
When we built our home in 2003, we put redwood flooring throughout the house. I might suggest that you put a rug in front of the sink. We definitely have a pale wear pattern there.
Yay — work is progressing! I love how your cats must inspect everything…! In our new house here in the midwest, we continued the engineered floors already in the kitchen/breakfast nook. We used them in the family room, living room and hallway. We get SO many compliments, but I really think it’s because of the continuity. Wise decision on your part to do the same. When we re-did our home in So Cal, our cats were still kittens, so we used a baby gate to keep them apart from the workers. But, for the rest of his life, our boy Archie made a dive for under the bed any time the doorbell rang. He never got over his fear of strangers in the house. I am so thrilled to see the new floors. And the end of the month is only 3 weeks away! The time WILL fly by!!
We put hardwood floors in our kitchen (to match the rest of the house). We lived with it for 30 yrs with no problems and I believe it’s still in there 8 years later. Much softer than slate underfoot.
Your floors look gorgeous already and I can’t get over how huge your space looks now!
Very nice! I love real hardwood floors. Even in older homes I think we should try to save them if there’s any way possible. We are having our patio cleaned and sealed this Friday. Right now there are 6 dogs out here, one of them my FIL’s 140 pound hound. The contractor told me to keep the dogs off the patio for 8 hours. Then saw the 140 pound hound, who’s feet match his size. He suggested 36 hours to make sure everything cures correctly. My dogs are used to the chaos with work we’ve had done on the house and property. But the hound is used to a quiet existence at their little home in town. I’m hoping he won’t be bald from the stress when he goes home!
I love real hardwood floors.
Your floors are looking Beautiful, I can’t wait to see your finished kitchen.
Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.
The floors already look absolutely gorgeous! I’ve enjoyed watching the process from afar and am truly glad I don’t have to live through it. (Already did that!) Living vicariously and so excited to watch it all come together. I’m sure you are too!
Wood is timeless and classic! We are building a home and will be having wood floors installed in the kitchen and throughout except for the mudroom/laundry/pantry/bathrooms/and some bedrooms. I can’t wait! I’ve had wood before in other homes and LOVE the look. Could you tell me ( perhaps again) where you purchased your ILVE range? We would like to get a the Nostalgie 36″ duel fuel for our nee kitchen. I’ seeing a few places the black and brass is out of stock. Thank you! The chaos has a purpose! Hang in there! Your kitchen is going to be gorgeous!
I actually ordered it directly from them, but I think Appliance Connection has the greatest variety of Ilve products in stock.
Wonderful! Thank you!
My childhood house in France was old and the floors were all made of wood. But they did not flow! Long before my time, the house had been surrounded with vineyards and built by a country solicitor. At that time (about 1880) one needed hardier wood for the kitchen (think squished grapes, pig blood (for boudin), splashing water from the dry sink…) and the entrance hall (think wild boar hunting bigles and clients’ muddy feet) and the stair case and corridors. More tender wood would be used in reception rooms and bedrooms where steps were light and slow. The room thresholds were a charming encounter of two lifestyles and I always found this meeting of different wood families and sizes incredibly lovely! But we might get splinters if we walked barefoot, they were never waxed as it would trigger asthma attacks for my grandfather and there were no secrets between floors since the ceiling of a room was made of the planks for the floor of the bedroom above!
Beautiful flooring – you are making great progress on the kitchen project:-)
Your hardwood floors look lovely, Marian! I know you will enjoy having one more major job done. It won’t be long until you are in your new kitchen and just loving it!
Hardwood was definitely the right choice! It’s looking beautiful. I had tile floors once and I hated it- my feet were always sore because it’s so much harder of a surface and there isn’t resilience like wood. And then any dish that dropped smashed- unlike wood which has more “give”. Of course I am a klutz so that might not have been a problem for you 😉
Wow, everyone I know has had a hardwood/water disaster in life, so even though my house is full of hardwood, all water areas (bathrooms, laundry, kitchen) are ceramic tile (and vinyl in the past). Being someone who splashes water around the kitchen constantly, I would not want to have hardwood. But, I agree with everyone here, it looks fantastic!
It looks gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous wood. Love it.
That is beautiful. Wood just isn’t an option for me between the dog and her water and my shaky husband. I have seen several homes with absolutely beautiful brick floors. I would
love to see more beautiful brickwork in homes. Exciting to see your kitchen coming to life.
I had the same red oak 2 1/2″ floors in our home for 35 years. We loved them. They were refinished twice during that time. The second time was due to a pin hole in the hose that ran to the ice maker. We didn’t see it until the floors started to buckle around the ‘fridge. But they were successfully sanded down and refinished and looked like new.
I’m so excited to see your kitchen when it’s finished. Thank you for sharing.
Karen B.