flooring for whole first floor of house

[momofmine]

Hi all,
I am exploring eco-friendly options because we need to replace the floor in our house. I think it would look really nice if we could have the same floor everywhere in the whole first floor, just everything would flow into everything else. So we'd need something that would look nice for a living room and family room, but also be okay for a kitchen.

Any suggestions?

I am not sure what is okay for kitchens, because it will get wet, you want to be able to wash it, etc.

I was reading about cork flooring but then I read that actually the flooring is made from the by-products of the bottle cork industry, that they basically chop all the little leftover pieces up and then mash them back together with adhesive. That seems like that would be a lot of adhesive, and I can't see how that would be eco-friendly or good for our health, (maybe it gives off stuff?)

I like the idea of hardwood floors because it seems like, while it might be more expensive up front, it seems like that is the most long-term option over time. Because if they are really quality floors, you can refinish them if they get worn out over time. Or, I wonder if there is a certain type of hardwood that looks better as it gets roughed up and ages, and that can be taken care of in a way that will maintain them. Does anyone know?

Can you put hardwood in a kitchen and actually wash it? I cook a LOT and there is always food on the floor in my kitchen.

I would love any ideas or links you have found helpful. It seems like everything I can find on the internet is by companies wanting to sell you the products.

Thanks!

[alegna]

How about bamboo? We're about to put bamboo in a chunk of our downstairs including the kitchen. It's not *ideal* for a kitchen, but for a lot of reasons it's our best choice.

-Angela

[homemademom]

Where do you live? In my part of the country, people have tile throughout their house and just use throw rugs to warm up the living room/family room. If you're in a cold area, that might not be ideal though (they do have under-tile warming systems, but they're pricey). There are a lot of pretty stone tiles that look nice. I always thought it would be ugly, but that's because I was imagining small, glossy tiles instead of the stone or faux-stone varieties.

[momofmine]

Yes, I was thinking about bamboo too. What would you think is not good about it being in a kitchen? Is it more vulnerable to deteriorating if it gets wet?

I love tile, I think it's so beautiful! I hadn't really considered tile because we live in a 4 season climate with very cold winters and snow. Plus, I have rowdy boys who, while they are older now, have a tendency to be rambunctious in the house. Tile has always seemed so hard to me. But maybe it's not that different than wood?

What about reclaimed wood?

Is hardwood not an environmental option because it takes so long to produce the wood from trees? I mean, it seems to me like if we get hardwood with the intention of lasting a long, long time, like the life of the house, then that's okay. It is a 100 yr old house already and has old, unsealed pine floors with large cracks between the planks, with carpet on top of that now.

[sunnysandiegan]

We have floating cork flooring throughout our first floor: foyer, living room, laundry room, powder room, storage closet, small room, and kitchen. It is awesome!

Also, you may want to read up more on cork flooring. Our cork is not made like you described.

[momofmine]

Thanks! Can you tell me what kind you have then?

This is where I read that about the cork flooring:

http://www.greenfloors.com/HP_CF_Index.htm

[SleeplessMommy]

i would go with bamboo. it should be really sturdy. reclaimed hardwood will be much more pricey, but maybe you love it?

[annekevdbroek]

I personally love hardwood - it lasts *forever* by house standards. I mean, a wood floor can easily be a hundred or more years old. I mean the solid hardwood, not that nasty laminate stuff. Yes, you can have it in a kitchen and it is easy to keep clean. It is also warmer than tile, easier to stand on, and significantly more forgiving on things that are dropped. I had hardwood in the kitchen of our last house and loved it.

I know nothing about bamboo flooring so I can't comment.

[Ola_]

I love our hardwood, and yes, you can definitely put it in the kitchen. We put hardwood in our whole "middle" level which includes the kitchen, dining room, and entryway - it works very well. The wood we got is hickory, which is north american I believe (we were avoiding any that might come from amazon rainforests). It also handles wear really well - check out the Janka hardness scale for woods, it's neat to compare the different ones.

[momofmine]

Originally Posted by annekevdbroek

I had hardwood in the kitchen of our last house and loved it.

Thanks, I think I am also leaning that way now. Do you have any idea what kind of hardwood it was, or what kind would be durable in a kitchen and whole first level? There are so many choices.

How did you care for the floor?

[momofmine]

Originally Posted by Ola_

I love our hardwood, and yes, you can definitely put it in the kitchen. We put hardwood in our whole "middle" level which includes the kitchen, dining room, and entryway - it works very well. The wood we got is hickory, which is north american I believe (we were avoiding any that might come from amazon rainforests). It also handles wear really well - check out the Janka hardness scale for woods, it's neat to compare the different ones.

Thanks!

[gmvh]

We have wood floors throughout our primary living level, including the kitchen. To visually differentiate the kitchen area and to protect the floor right under the edge of the cabinets, we have slate tile as an 18" border against the cabinets. I don't know if that makes sense but it ties in nicely because we have a slate backsplash.

[momofmine]

Oooh, that sounds beautiful! What is used as the transition between the tile and the wood?

[kittywitty]

My dad loves bamboo and installs it every chance he gets. So long as I never have another pine floor again and I wanted wood floors-that's what I would get. I hate pine floors.

[redvlagrl]

I want to install Marmoleum in our kitchen. V eco friendly and nice underfoot much like cork.

Some cork floors are more eco friendly than others. My parents have always had cork which is probably why I don't want it, LOL. It does chip sometimes if you drop something sharp.

We have hardwood throughout our 1925 home, but awful cermaic int he kitchen which I will replace with marmoleum

[gmvh]

Originally Posted by momofmine

Oooh, that sounds beautiful! What is used as the transition between the tile and the wood?

We laid the tile first and then ran one width of wood along it to create a border, mitering the corners of the wood to completely "encase" or frame the slate. The rest of the wood floor runs up to that border. Does that make sense?

I found a photo. It's not great but you can see the tile poking out under the edge of the fridge.

[beanma]

We have marmoleum (natural linoleum) in our kitchen and foyer. Love it. It wasn't too hard to install (DIY). Great colors, too!

[redvlagrl]

How much did you pay for the marmoleum?

[Irishmommy]

I'd go with hardwood throughout. Bamboo is good, but we found it not as sturdy, it scratched way easier than hardwood or pergo.

[AmandasMom]

Even though others here don't like it, I love our laminate floors. My MIL has hardwood and they show every little scratch. On the other hand our laminate doesn't show a thing.