OVERVIEW on Kitchen Flooring: The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home, and the right choice for kitchen floors is key to the style of the space as well as the maintenance time and your ongoing comfort as you cook for yourself, your family, and friends. Now more than ever, you can choose from a diverse range of kitchen flooring materials. For each aspect of home design and remodeling you can also strive to make choices that are 1) Functional, 2) Stylish, 3) Cost-Effective, and 4) Environmentally Sustainable. These are the four key guiding principles in the GREENandSAVE strategy. You will find that in certain cases, one or two of the criteria take precedent over others. However, as you review the home improvement options that are right for your home, you may be surprised to learn that reaching all four is more achievable than you thought.
Selection Tips: In choosing a kitchen floor material make sure to think through its durability, maintenance needs, and its integration with your kitchen countertops, cabinets, appliances, and the paint color for your walls and ceiling. Your kitchen floor will then work well with your overall kitchen design and ongoing use. The best kitchen flooring solution for an active family is often one that is low-maintenance, while higher maintenance floors work better for quieter lifestyles. To find the right kitchen floor for your home, review the different options in this article section that will give you perspective on the advantages and the disadvantages of each flooring material. From green flooring like cork and bamboo to traditional hardwood, stone, and tile, you have a lot of great options to choose from. Make sure to also consider the advantages of radiant flooring to generate heat that rises up through almost any surface material. Stone or tile has a thermal advantage of storing the radiant heat more than other surfaces. Since gourmet kitchens are increasingly popular and many cooking enthusiasts spend quite a bit of time on their feet, you may want to consider the hardness of the surface. If you love to cook and also want the comfort and energy saving advantages of a radiant floor with a stone or tile finish, you can buy professional chef cushioned mats or area rug underlayment for a few key work areas. Now, you have helped your feet also enjoy the kitchen floor experience.
DETAILS on Bamboo Kitchen Flooring Maintenance:
You invested your valuable time deciding which variation of bamboo flooring would best compliment your décor. Then you invested your hard-earned money purchasing your carefully-made choice and preparing for its installation. Now, the job is finished and you’re standing there admiring your (or perhaps a professional installer’s) beautiful work. You can’t wait to move the furniture in and invite everyone you know over to share your excitement. But before you do, there are a few things you need to know to protect your investment and keep it looking as great as it does now.
Flooring manufacturers usually include care and maintenance recommendations with their products. However, if you didn’t find such information with your flooring, the next best thing to do is contact the manufacturer. After all, there is no one better qualified to tell you how to care for your bamboo floor than the people who designed it, tested it, and manufactured it. The manufacturer is always your number one resource for product information.
You’ll probably find a customer service phone number or a website listed on the installation instructions, or maybe printed on the carton. But if not, don’t panic. We have done some research and compiled a generic list of common sense recommendations – and here they are:
- Carry, do not drag or push furniture across the floor
- Put felt or rubber pads under each furniture leg
- Lay mats or throw rugs with non-abrasive backing at each doorway
- Also, it would be a good idea to verify with the mat or rug manufacturer that the backing will not chemically react with your floor’s finish
- Place an area rug in high-traffic areas
- Again, verify that the backing is non-abrasive and will not chemically react with the floor’s finish
- Do not walk on the floor with spike high heels or athletic cleats
- Keep any pets’ claws closely trimmed
- Place a drip pan under potted plants, but allow airflow underneath it
- Install curtains, blinds, or window tint to prevent UV faded areas
- Immediately clean food and liquid spills with a slightly dampened cloth, then dry the floor with a soft cloth or towel
- Regularly clean the floor with a dust mop, soft bristled broom, soft bristled vacuum cleaner, or a wood floor mop kit
- If possible, obtain the manufacturer’s mopping recommendations
- Use only wood floor cleaning products specially formulated for urethane finishes
- If these products are not available, you can mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar with one quart of water as a substitute
- Use a thoroughly wrung soft cloth or sponge, work in small areas at a time, and dry each area with a soft cloth or towel before continuing
- Do not use wax, oil soap, common household cleaners, or any abrasive cleaners
- Restore shine, if required, with an electric buffer and soft, dry pad
- It is highly recommended to seek professional assistance with this type of equipment
- Remember: always follow the recommendations of your flooring manufacturer first. Their advice along with some common sense will save you time consuming and costly repairs, and let you enjoy your beautiful new bamboo floor for many years to come.
GREEN Considerations:
When it comes to cleaning your kitchen floors look for products that have ingredients that are not hazardous to humans or the earth. Many cleaners are now produced without phosphates, chorine, borates, phenol, ammonia, formaldehyde and nitrates Also look for cleaners that have low or zero volatile organic compounds, the chemicals that produce noxious toxins and air-pollution. Make your home the safest place in the world without sacrificing cleanliness. Finally, help save the environment by looking for concentrated cleaners so that we collectively reduce the shipping and transportation cost of moving heavier products that are pre-hydrated (just add water!). Overall, this new generation of concentrated, toxic-free, and biodegradable cleaning agents save the environment, you family's health, and your money.
Click here to see the range of top choices for environmentally friendly cleaners.
