Your kitchen flooring gets stepped, splashed, and spilled on more times a day than any other surface in the house. From morning coffee to nightly meal prep (and all the snacking, cooking, and baking in between), it’s buzzing with activity. That’s why the kitchen flooring material you choose when planning your remodel is so important—just as important as your kitchen cabinets and countertops. It should work with your kitchen’s overall aesthetic, and be durable enough to stand up to all the daily wear and tear. You want to pick something that lines up with your cleaning and maintenance expectations, too.
Read on to get grounded in kitchen flooring installation and materials choices. We’ll break down the details of each option, so you can take every step with confidence.
Pro Tip: Before getting started, consider your home’s age. Asbestos tiles were once a popular flooring material, particularly in kitchens and basements. They can still be found in older houses, potentially buried under a few layers of newer flooring. If you’ve got any suspicious older tiles (asbestos ones are typically eight-inch squares), have them tested before doing anything else to ensure they’re safely removed and disposed of.
Installation Methods: Fixed vs Floating Flooring
If you’re completely redoing your kitchen layout, removing your cabinets, and taking up your existing floor, you can choose any material you like since you’ll have a blank slate to work with. If you’re planning to paint or refinish your existing cabinets or install a new floor over your current one, you’ll want a floating floor. Wondering what the differences are between fixed and floating floors? Let’s break it all down.
Fixed flooring is installed by securing the top floor material to the subfloor with nails, glue, or staples. (The exact method depends on your flooring material of choice.) Materials like tile and hardwood as well as some types of cork and linoleum get glued or nailed down to a concrete or wood subfloor (or in some cases to a dampproof membrane, aka DPM).
- Installing fixed flooring is an advanced DIY project, requiring specialized tools like a nail gun and technical expertise. It’s not for most weekend warriors.
- Fixed floors should be installed prior to cabinetry. This might cost more (because you’re covering more square feet with flooring, including under where the cabinets will go), but in the long run it’s the easiest route. Your flooring installer won’t have to work around your cabinets, and you won’t have to worry about your new cabinets potentially getting damaged. It’s a win-win.
Floating flooring simply sits (or “floats,” thus the name) on top of the subfloor, much like a flat, heavy rug. Installing it involves fitting together individual planks, boards, or tiles by gluing or snapping them together and into place. Common floating flooring materials include luxury vinyl plank (aka LVP), engineered wood, and laminate.
- Floating flooring has gained popularity in recent years because it’s a fast and relatively simple DIY solution.
- Floating floors should be installed after your cabinets but before your appliances.
PRO TIP: Floating flooring expands and contracts as the temperature and humidity change. That’s why kitchen cabinets should never be placed on top of floating floors.
7 Best Flooring Materials
With so many options to choose from, it’s important to dig deeper than appearances to make sure you’re installing a floor that looks great and suits the way you want to live. Learn how seven popular flooring materials—wood, tile, LVP, linoleum, laminate, cork, and concrete—break down in terms of installation type and difficulty, maintenance, sustainability, and cost.
Most Popular: Wood
One of the most coveted options on the market today, wood or hardwood floors are adored for the natural warmth, beauty, and value they bring to a kitchen. However, they’re also difficult to install compared with other materials, and can be high maintenance. Consider your budget and lifestyle before picking them.
Fixed or floating: Fixed; can be purchased prefinished or unfinished
Installation: Hardwood flooring’s considered the most difficult flooring to install. Each plank has to be carefully fitted to the next and nailed down. It’s a job that requires specialty carpentry tools (a flooring nailer, a pneumatic nailer) and skills. Most people should hire a pro.
Maintenance: Properly sealed hardwood flooring’s fairly easy to clean. You just need to sweep and periodically clean it with hardwood-safe floor cleaner. However, hardwoods don’t handle water damage as well as other flooring types. They also can get scratched and gauged easily.
Eco Factor: For a more sustainable option, consider reclaimed hardwood; it also can be less expensive than new planks. If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home, consider prefinished hardwood planks, or have them finished before they’re delivered and installed. Less toxic types of stains and sealants are also available; check with your flooring pro.
Cost: Varies depending on the type and quality of the wood. Solid hardwood planks range from $5 to $10 per square foot for species like oak, maple, and cherry. By comparison, engineered wood flooring ranges from $3 to $13 per square foot.
Most Variety: Tile
Durable, water and stain resistant, tile also comes in a million different colors and patterns, so you can find style that coordinate beautifully with your countertops and backsplash. However, different types of tile offer different benefits and maintenance requirements. For instance, porcelain and ceramic tile don’t need to be sealed, while natural stone and cement do.
Fixed or floating: Both types are available, but steer clear of floating tile
Installation: Tiling is considered an intermediate DIY project, but it’s not something most homeowners should attempt. The exact method will vary depending on the type of tile you choose, but regardless you or your installer will need to make sure your subfloor’s clean, dry, and flat, fixing any cracks or uneven areas so the tile won’t buckle. If your subfloor’s plywood, you’ll also need a foundation of water-resistant cement backer board.
Maintenance: Sweep or vacuum and mop regularly to remove any dirt, and—here’s the one extra thing about tile—keep the grout clean. That entails spraying it with a grout cleaner, letting that sit for a few minutes, then scrubbing with a small brush.
Pro Tip: The bigger the tiles you use, the less grout you’ll have to maintain. Keep in mind that the shape of the tile matters, too. Hex or penny tile results in more grout lines than square or rectangular tile.
Eco Factor: Porcelain and ceramic tiles are environmentally friendly choices. You can also look for tiles made of post-industrial recycled content, such as Ann Sacks’ Crackle Collection by Kohler WasteLab, or scour donations centers like Goodwill. It’s not uncommon to find boxes of tile from a long-ago project that someone has given away.
Cost: It varies wildly based on the manufacturer, and whether it’s a custom color or design, but a 2023 Home Advisor report cited these average costs per square foot—they’re helpful for getting a ballpark sense of the expense:
Porcelain: $3–$10
Ceramic: $0.50–$7
Cement: $3–$5
Stone: $5–$10
Porcelain Wood Tile: $3–$12
Slate: $5–$15
Best on a Budget: LVP (aka Luxury Vinyl Plank)
LVP flooring combines the handsome good looks of hardwoods with the durability and water resistance of vinyl. It’s gaining popularity since it’s an easy DIY and it’s a really durable choice for high-traffic areas.
Fixed or floating?: You can buy a snap-together floating option to go on top of your current floor or a glue-down fixed option.
Installation: LVP’s one of the easiest flooring options to install, so it’s a doable project for most homeowners.
Maintenance: Sweep or vacuum regularly; LVP is prone to dents and scratches, so it’s important to remove debris. For deeper cleaning, mop with warm water and a mild cleanser. The only thing about vinyl is that it’s not made to withstand steam, so avoid using a steam cleaner or super hot water and/or harsh chemicals.
Eco Factor: LVP’s made of highly processed materials and isn’t considered sustainable.
Cost: Definitely more budget friendly than other options, averaging between $1.50 to $7 per square foot
Most Durable: Linoleum
First patented in the 1800s, linoleum’s incredibly durable and available in a wide variety of designs. It comes in three formats:
- Sheet linoleum: It means just that, large sheets cut to size. This is still the most popular way to go for wet areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. Because there won’t be seams unless it’s a very wide room, there’s much less chance of water getting through.
- Linoleum tile: You get the benefits of linoleum with the look and feel of tile.
- Linoleum Planks: Less common than sheet linoleum (and not to be confused with LVP), linoleum planks are the easiest format to install.
Fixed or floating?: You can get either. As we mentioned above, most linoleum comes in sheets, which get fixed to the subfloor with adhesive.
Installation: While it’s considered an easy to moderate job (especially compared with tile or hardwood), you have to get the subfloor perfectly smooth for linoleum or you’ll see bumps. That’s why hiring a pro may be best.
Pro Tip: If properly cleaned and maintained, linoleum can last for more than 30 years, even in high traffic areas.
Maintenance: Mop with cool water and a pH-neutral cleaner. Avoid using cleaners with harsh chemicals or ammonia, as those can harm the integrity of the linoleum. Linoleum’s also prone to scratches, so it’s smart to add soft pads to furniture feet to prevent damage.
Eco Factor: True linoleum’s made of organic materials, including wood flour, rosins, ground limestone, and linseed oil, so it’s an eco-friendly option.
Cost: $4 to $10 per square foot
On Trend: Marmoleum
This specific type of linoleum has gained a major following in recent years. According to its creator, Forbo, it’s made of 97 percent natural raw materials—70 percent of which are rapidly renewable—along with a 43 percent recycled content. It’s also free of VOCs and harmful chemicals. Installation involves either clicking individual tiles into place or gluing down a sheet. In addition to its 1920s style, Marmoleum fans love the colorful design options (checkerboard patterns are popular) and the fact that it’s ultra durable and easy to care for, like linoleum.
Best for DIYs: Laminate
Made of pressed or engineered wood, laminate flooring’s a great option for homeowners who love the look and feel of traditional hardwood but want easier maintenance.
Fixed or floating?: Floating
Installation: Laminate doesn’t need to be glued or affixed to the subfloor, making installation very straightforward and doable for most DIYers. It can probably go on top of your existing floor; you’ll just need to add a layer of padded insulation, called underlayment, on top of your existing floor first.
Maintenance: While easy to maintain, laminate’s prone to water damage and scratches, so avoid wet mopping or using abrasive cleaners. Otherwise, regular sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping with a microfiber mop or damp cloth and mild cleaner will keep laminate floors in good shape.
Eco Factor: Laminate’s eco-friendly for a number of reasons. On the front end, the composite used to manufacture it’s made of recycled content; on the back end, laminate planks are completely recyclable, which means they can be repurposed rather than dumped in a landfill. To make sure you’re purchasing the most sustainable version, look for laminate that comes from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) sustained forests; it’ll have the FSC or PEFC seal.
Cost: Between $1 to $5 per square foot, with higher quality options running at the higher end
Most Sustainable: Cork
Cork flooring comes from the bark of cork oak trees. Fun fact: Leftover materials from wine cork production often get used to make it.
Fixed or floating?: Either. You can buy floating flooring or tiles that need to be glued down.
Installation: The floating version of cork’s easy to install; after a quick tutorial, most people can DIY it in a day.
Maintenance: They’re durable, but caring for cork floors calls for a gentle touch. Too much water or harsh chemicals can ruin their naturally warm finish. To clean them, just sweep regularly; for deeper cleaning or stains, apply a damp cloth with a mild cleaning solution.
Eco Factor: If you’re looking for a sustainable flooring option, cork’s absolutely a prime choice. It’s a renewable resource; if the bark’s harvested properly, it doesn’t hurt the tree. Cork’s also naturally antimicrobial and has excellent insulation properties, meaning less heat loss and more warmth underfoot.
Cost: On average, $4 to $8 per square foot
Most Modern: Concrete
Many homeowners love the smooth, polished look of concrete floors, which can be stained and resurfaced in a variety of finishes, from colors to high shine. It’s also low maintenance and pet friendly.
Fixed or floating?: Definitely fixed
Installation: Time and labor intensive to install, concrete floors take between two days and two weeks to complete. Most projects involve a three phased approach: preparing the surface, doing a decorative treatment to create the finish, and applying a topcoat or sealant.
Maintenance: Concrete’s very durable, but it takes regular maintenance to keep it looking shiny and new. You’ll need to surface clean daily with a dry dust mop or damp mop to keep dirt from settling in, and deep clean on occasion with a pH-neutral cleaner. Applying a film-forming sealant and a coat of wax every few years protects the shine and minimizes the likelihood of cracks.
Eco Factor: Made of natural composite materials, concrete’s definitely an eco-friendly option. Concrete floors also contribute to better energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
Cost: It’s a wide range, and there’s something for every budget. Basic concrete ranges from $2 to $6 per square foot, midrange styles range from $7 to $14, and luxury options run $15 to $30.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that hardwoods rank highest in most people’s estimation when it comes to kitchen flooring choices. But it’s definitely not the only stylish option, and it might not the best choice for your routine. For instance, if you cook a lot and spend hours standing at the stove or counter, marmoleum might be kinder to your back. If you’re looking to save, laminate has a similar look at a lower price point. And if you live in a hot climate, concrete or tile could help keep your home cool. Consider where and how you live carefully to pick the best kitchen flooring.