The kitchen floor is more susceptible to various damage than floors in other rooms. Spilled water, oil, or hot soup, a dropped heavy pot, or a sharp knife can all lead to floor covering damage. To prevent this, you need to choose the right flooring finish. Natural wood is beautiful but not very practical, and many people have grown tired of ceramic tiles.
We suggest which floor panels to choose for the kitchen. Modern laminate or vinyl floor panels are an excellent alternative to the solutions known so far. Such panels work best for home use, although they also beautify the floors of public places.
Elegant floor panels for the kitchen
Floor panels are mainly associated with furniture for the living room or bedroom, or perhaps the hallway. However, modern waterproof floor panels will also work perfectly as a covering for the kitchen floor. Currently, there are many different floor panels available that vary not only in color and size but also in the material from which they are made. The most commonly chosen floor panels for kitchens include:
- laminate panels,
- vinyl panels,
- cork panels,
- wooden panels.
With ease, you can find high-quality floor panels that will fit your preferences and the style in which your kitchen is decorated. Floor panels made from modern materials are available in a wide variety of colors - besides natural shades of wood, you will also find panels for the kitchen that mimic ceramic tiles or even raw concrete. Choosing floor panels should not pose a major problem for you.
Which floor panels to choose for underfloor heating?
When choosing floor panels for the kitchen, it is important to pay attention to several aspects, one of which is underfloor heating. Contrary to what many people think, there are no contraindications for installing floor panels on underfloor heating. For this reason, vinyl or laminate floor panels are better than classic solutions like wooden panels or ceramic tiles.
You can use both laminate and vinyl panels with underfloor heating; manufacturers usually indicate this information on the packaging of the panels. If you do not choose products dedicated to this type of heating, the only thing you should remember is the thickness of the floor panels. The denser they are, the better they allow heat to pass through, so the optimal thickness should not exceed 8 mm. Unless you go for vinyl panels - these generally work well with underfloor heating in any variant.
What to remember when choosing panels for the kitchen?
Each package of floor panels contains markings informing about the most important features characterizing a given type of panels. When purchasing kitchen floor panels, you should take into account characteristics such as the abrasion class of the floor panels and their usability class. These determine the panels' resistance to mechanical damage. In terms of thickness, the thicker they are, the more durable and stable they are; laminate and vinyl panels with thicknesses from 6 to 12 mm are available on the market. It is also worth knowing the other basic parameters.
Regarding the abrasion class, we have a scale described from AC1 to AC5. Those with the lowest number are suitable for residential areas with low traffic, such as a bedroom or a dressing room. The higher the abrasion class, the more resistant the panels are to wear, and in the kitchen, vinyl panels with an abrasion class defined as AC4 work perfectly.
The usability class also describes the level of traffic for which the laminate floor panels and others are designed. Usability classes are indicated by two digits: 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, and 33. The digit 2 at the beginning indicates that these are panels for residential use, while the digit 3 indicates that they are intended for public places. The second digit in each of the mentioned numbers corresponds to the intensity of use of the room.
Which kitchen panels will work best? Which to choose?
A wooden floor looks beautiful but requires special care. A good alternative to wood can be laminate flooring or panels made from vinyl. A panel pattern effectively mimicking real wood will bring a cozy atmosphere to the kitchen, while vinyl or laminate floor panels are incredibly easy to keep clean.
Laminate panels
Kitchen, bathroom, and other laminate floor panels ensure that the room finished with their help looks truly elegant. A wide range of colors makes it easy to find panels that match individual preferences.
Well-installed quality panels will surely serve you for many years, becoming a true decoration of your home. When choosing them, pay attention to the descriptions on the panel packaging, as not all are suitable for installation over underfloor heating and regarding their resistance to water. Poorly chosen ones can be damaged by moisture.
Vinyl panels
The best panels for the kitchen are those made of solid vinyl. Their most important feature is water resistance; the top layer of the panels prevents water absorption, which practically means that even a puddle of water cannot damage the panels. Resistance to moisture makes them the best choice not only for the kitchen but also for the bathroom.
The best floor panels
It is difficult to indicate the best kitchen panels, as much depends on the taste of their future owners. However, when choosing them, it is worth paying attention to whether they are completely waterproof and what abrasion class they are marked with. Kitchen panels should be marked with a high abrasion class because only those perform well in frequently used rooms and must also be resistant to mechanical damage. This way, you won’t be afraid that something will happen to them in the event of spilling a glass of water or dropping a heavy object on the floor.
Not sure which panels will work best for your kitchen? Ask the specialists at Mexen.