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Laminate Flooring in Kitchen – What is the Best Product

Dear Bob and Betsy,
I’m thinking about using laminate in kitchen. I’m getting ready to remodel my living room and kitchen. I’m using laminate flooring in my living room so I want to keep it consistent throughout my home. Can you tell me what the best laminate flooring for a kitchen would be?
– Jennifer A.

Dear Jennifer,

Congratulations on your home remodel! Laminate flooring in your kitchen is a great choice, but there are special considerations you should consider when purchasing laminate flooring for a kitchen!

The Best Laminate Flooring In Kitchen

Keep in mind, laminate flooring is not waterproof. There are special laminates that have properties that can help with kitchen accidents. When deciding on the best laminate flooring for your kitchen, there are a few things you should consider.

  • Wax Edges: Having a laminate flooring that has wax edges can help keep moisture from seeping into your laminate flooring for longer. This is the perfect laminate to have in areas where spills can happen. If you miss a spot, you have a little bit longer to clean up the mess!
  • Durability: Choose a laminate flooring that will last for many years. Choose a laminate flooring with an AC rating of AC3 or higher for the best durability for your home. Choose a higher AC Rating for homes that get more traffic!
  • Color: If you want your laminate flooring to match the rest of your home. It is up to you whether you want the same exact color as the rest of your home, or if you want to separate your kitchen area with a different color. White and light colored flooring is very popular in kitchens because it gives the look of a clean space. Order several free samples to see what flooring looks best with your existing floor!
  • Shape: If you want to replicate the look of the rest of your home, we recommend using planks for your kitchen’s laminate flooring. However, if you’re planning to diversify the look of your kitchen just a little bit, you might want to use a square shape to resemble tile flooring.
  • Finish: Like photographs, laminate flooring is available in glossy or various matte, wood textures. Choose whichever finish you like better. Both finishes are extremely durable.

Be Sure To Clean Regularly

Cleaning laminate flooring is a breeze. If you spill something, you must wipe it up immediately. Chances are you would do that anyway. Then, all you need to do is sweep or dust it on a regular basis and it will stay clean and scratch free. Laminate flooring is a perfect choice for your kitchen because of its strength. It is stain and scratch resistant, so you can keep your laminate flooring for years to come. Installed with an underlayment, it blocks out moisture and muffles the sound making it more comfortable for you to walk and move around on.

If you have anymore questions about which laminate flooring is perfect for your kitchen, call or start a quick chat with our team to discuss your needs.

Learn More:

*This post was updated from 2014 to give you a better reading experience!

6 comments

  1. Hi Wenda, thanks for your question. High heat can damage your vinyl flooring. Is your oven on legs or does it sit directly on the vinyl? The manufacturer guide should say how much heat a floor can withstand. I would exercise caution with the self-cleaning function, as I can imagine the outside of the oven will get fairly hot.

  2. Will the heat from a self clean oven damage vinyl plank flooring underneath?

  3. Hi Sandi! We’re sorry to hear about your buckled floors. It seems like the new refrigerator position caused some tension between the laminate planks. There are many homes that have refrigerators, pool tables and pianos on their laminate with no issues. Round disks under the fridge could be a great idea to disperse the weight. In your situation, we would recommend increasing the expansion gap around the edges of the room – just remove the base moldings and cut the laminate edges. Be careful to not cut too much, as your moldings will not cover the gap. This will allow the laminate to have more room to expand and contract. If that doesn’t work, you may need to remove the damaged boards and replace them with new ones. Hope this helps! Best of luck.

  4. We recently purchased a new refrigerator. It is bigger than the one we had and heavier. We put laminate tile flooring in our kitchen about 10 years ago. We love everything about it. After our new refrigerator came the flooring buckled right across the room. The worse part are the areas that the feet/wheels where the fridge sit. Yes of course it is in the middle of the room. We had to remove the quarter round on either side of the space where the fridge set so that it would fit. I have searched around but no where can I find where weight can cause issues with the laminate flooring. Are we better off selecting a different type of flooring?

  5. Hi Samuel, thanks for your question. Once the top layer of the laminate is damaged, it can be really hard to get it back to normal. We would recommend trying this: clean the area with a 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water mixture. Let the area dry and then apply a laminate floor specific polish to the floor per the manufacturer instructions. Bona is a good brand of polish. This may help restore some of the shine.

  6. I have laminate on my kitchen floor. There is an area, about four foot square, where she tried too clean with
    a harsh abrasive. This has left a dull area in that spot.
    How can I bring back the shine?
    Thank you..
    Samuel Jones
    [email protected]

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