Should I put hardwoods in the kitchen?

Although a classic flooring choice, hardwood is often considered in areas throughout the house where perhaps other choices are more practical.  Remember that form should always follows function, so use caution when considering wood flooring in high moisture areas such as the kitchen and bathroom.  That being said, one of the great things about hardwood flooring is the range of choices.  Sometimes this can lead to confusion and indecision. To avoid this from happening to you, set up priorities and guidelines to help you select the proper hardwood for your application.  Here are some tips:

1.  By hardness. If you are installing a hardwood floor in a busy office area or commercial space, then it makes sense to choose a harder variety of hardwood. (And remember to higher a professional installation company.)  However, if your traffic is more moderate and residential, then a middle of the road wood that is more easily cut and handled like a red oak makes good most sense. And how do you judge hardness, exactly? Ask you flooring professional to explain the different types of hardwoods and constructions of -- and if you really want to show off just how smart you are --  check out the Janka hardness test. 

excess expansion and contraction of maple
wood in kitchen of old farmhouse

2.  By stability. Some types of woods tend to expand and contract more than others.  For example, a hard maple floor tends to be a little less stable than a red oak, which is a softer wood. This is a question of how stable a species is when exposed to its environment. It’s important to consider these factors which affect expansion and contraction for the living area and humidity levels in the site you’ve chosen. 

3.  By grain patterns. Some species have prominent grain patterns, like oak and ash.  Others, like birch and maple, have less distinct patterns but are beautiful. Some love the intricacies of grain patterns, while others find them too busy and distracting. The choice is really all about your particular taste.

The grain and color of these wide oak planks
make it a good choice if you want to bring nature indoors.



4.  By natural color. Every type of hardwood offers its own color range, from light, pale yellow to the darkest darks  and everywhere in between. So, when shopping for hardwood flooring with color in mind, it’s best to make your choice based on a range of color, rather than holding to a single color. And remember, real hardwoods can be stained a myriad of color, but go cautiously with the popular dark stains that may cover up all the natural grain.

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