The kitchen is a functional area and is often referred to as the heart of the home. For this reason, it’s important you put some thought into the practicalities of your design. The design includes your shell and core, kitchen layout, worktop choices and finally, your floor material. As house renovation specialists, we have seen it all when it comes to floor material. Natural wood, engineered wood, reclaimed wood, porcelain tile, tiles, slates, stone, polished concrete and resin. There are a huge variety of floor materials to choose from. Like any product, these all come with a wide range of pros and cons. There is no perfect material. It comes down to what suits you. 

Here at Home Tales, we encourage you think about some of the finishing touches from an early stage. The final touches help to shape your shell and core design (your walls, windows and external doors). For example, you might want an architectural rooflight to fit perfectly over your dining table. If this is the case, we need to know about it from an early stage as this is relevant to the planning permission stage of our design process. When it comes to floor material, you don’t need to commit to a decision early on. The floor material is one of the last items to be installed on your build. Depending on the product you choose for your floor, there might be a lead time in getting the product to site. Typical lead times are 2 – 6 weeks, so it’s worth considering this when your build is on-going to ensure there are no delays. 

Wood 

Wood is a wonderful material, particularly for a period property. Wood would have been the main material that was used for flooring when these properties were built in the Edwardian and Victorian eras. If you want to keep that traditional appearance, then there is no alternative option. Wood comes in a variety of colours, grains, patterns, shades, and depth. The downside of wood is it stains and scratches easily, so it can be a pain to maintain, particularly if you have young kids or enjoy hosting dinner parties. It’s also not that effective at distributing heat from underfloor heating.  

Porcelain tile 

We have seen a rise in the popularity of porcelain tile during the past decade. It’s tough, versatile and comes in pretty much any pattern or colour. You can even get it to look like a wood floor. Would you believe this is porcelain tile? Get the visual benefits of wood but none of the maintenance or hassle. Pretty cool. 

Porcelain is nice and tough, so it doesn’t scratch or mark easily. It works wonderfully with underfloor heating, holding and distributing the heat effectively. The downside is, as a tiled floor, so it’s cold to touch when the underfloor heating is off. It’s also very hard so it’s unforgiving to falls or drops. 

If you opt for a patterned tile, it’s super handy at hiding marks in-between washes. One of our clients told us recently that her floor hides her cats pawprints very well. In comparison to a material like resin (which shows all marks), it means it’s much easier to maintain day to day. 

Tiles 

Tiles some in a huge array of patterns and colours and work wonderfully if you want to add a pop into a room. For this reason, they tend to work better with small kitchens, utility rooms or WCs. These tiles are from Fired Earth. 

Resin floors 

Resin floors have become popular in recent years, popping up in more and more of our projects across London. The resin is poured onto your floor, leaving a perfectly smooth finish. It comes in a huge variety of colours and works very well with underfloor heating. It’s soft and warm to touch, and the natural elasticity prevents it from cracking, unlike the rigid finish of concrete or cement.  

Photo credit: Chasingspace

Polished concrete floor

The industrial-chic look is quickly becoming one of the popular design trends. Exposed steel, crittal style doors and windows, brass finishes on your kitchen and concrete floors are just some of the ways you can get this look. Concrete floors are made from a special concrete, it’s not as simple as just pouring screed. They are versatile and can last a very long time, especially if they are done well and maintained correctly. 

We have summarised a small selection of the most popular choices when it comes to floor materials for your kitchen extension. Remember – there are a huge array of possibilities. During the design phase, we would be happy to talk you through the pros and cons of the options you are considering. We also have some fabulous recommendations of suppliers we have worked in the past that we would be happy to share with you. You might find it useful to read of our more generalised blog articles, which discusses general things to consider for your kitchen extension. If you are considering a kitchen extension and want to learn more about our services, call us today on 0207 043 2378 or email us at hello@hometales.co.uk. You can also book a free consultation instantly via our live online booking page.