Real wooden floorboards and their laminate cousins will add warmth, texture and style to your kitchen space - and with endless colours and tones on the market, you can easily choose a style that suits your kitchen units, whatever budget you're working to.
Pairing wood flooring with natural wood cabinetry or worktops often poses a dilemma: how much is too much? The trick is to think of the kitchen having three main surfaces: the units, the worktop and the flooring - wood is fine for one or two, three is usually overkill. And you don't want to be too matchy matchy.
1/16 Ecora solid oak
A good-quality, solid-wood floor can last for decades as long as it is looked after properly, and wear and tear over time will only add to its charm. Choose oak for a classic, country look.
Flooring
Solid Rustic Oak flooring, from £46.50sq m, Ecora
2/16 UK Flooring Direct Harvest Oak laminate
For a classic kitchen on a budget, choose an oak-look laminate such as this design from UK Flooring Direct. Formed of compressed fibreboard planks and covered by a photographic image of wood and a protective overlay, laminate is also easier to clean and maintain than real timber.
Flooring
Harvest Oak V Groove laminate, from £13.50sq m, UK Flooring Direct
3/16 Kährs engineered ash
Comprising several layers of timber that are joined together, engineered wood is more durable in a kitchen than solid wood and is less likely to expand and contract as humidity fluctuates. A two-tone striped design running from end-to-end will accentuate the length of the room.
Flooring
Ash Sandvig flooring, from £74sq m, the Sand Collection by Kährs
4/16 Avenue Floors wood-lookvinyl
Practical, durable, waterproof and resistant to damage and scratching, vinyl is available in a range of styles and prices to suit any budget and
is easy to fit yourself. Add a unique touch to your kitchen with an interesting printed design.
Flooring
Memphis vinyl flooring, £19.99sq m, the Natural Woods range, Avenue Floors
5/16 Porcelanosa wood-look ceramic tiles
Ceramic tiles are hygienic, fire-resistant and have thermal-insulation qualities, making them a good choice for kitchens. A pale colour will enhance a spacious, light-filled kitchen.
Flooring
Par-ker floor tiles, from £105sq m, Porcelanosa
6/16 Ikea pine-effect laminate
Choose a laminate that comes with a long warranty to ensure high quality; this antique pine-effect Ikea design is guaranteed for ten years and would work well in a large, open-plan space.
Flooring
Tundra laminate flooring, £6.99sq m, Ikea
7/16 Junckers solid beech boards
Nearly all problems experienced with solid wood flooring are due to improper installation, so be sure to use a specialist fitter. Use pale beech in modern kitchens for a smart and sophisticated scheme.
Flooring
Beech Harmony solid hardwood floor, from £42sq m, Junckers
8/16 Urbane Living engineered oak
Available in many species, shades and colours, engineered wood also comes in a choice of finishes. Here, high quality European oak has been fired to change its colour to a deep black with a slight reddish undertone, providing a striking look against clean white kitchen units.
Flooring
Dark Thermo Engineered Oak Flooring, £152.12sq m, Urbane Living
9/16 Harvey Maria Natural Oak vinyl
For a luxury, high-end floor that retains the practicality of vinyl, try this natural oak design from Harvey Maria. The detailed graining and texture means that the floor looks and feels like real oak, but will not need the regular maintenance - perfect for adding warmth to a contemporary white kitchen.
Flooring
Natural Oak vinyl flooring, from £29.90sq m, Harvey Maria
10/16 Quick-Step Varnished Oak laminate
Available in a variety of grades, thicknesses and wood imitations, laminate click-fit boards are easy to install yourself, just ensure that the sub-floor is even and acclimatise the boards in the kitchen prior to fitting. This ship deck design evokes a nautical feel and adds character to a simple space.
Flooring
Quick-Step Lagune Natural Varnished Oak Shipdeck flooring, £37.50sq m, Topps Tiles.
Liked this? Take a look at our guide to pale kitchen flooring. Keep up to date with all our tips, tricks, advice and ideas over on the Beautiful Kitchens homepage. You can also join in the fun on our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.
11/16 Woodstock American walnut kitchen with oak wood flooring
Contrasting tones add depth to the scheme like the American Walnut units with oak flooring here.
Kitchen
Woodstock
Floor
For similar try Broadleaf
12/16 Wood and patterned tile floor
If you are worried about wood in wet areas of the kitchen, consider mixing wood with tiles. This can be highly effective, and can be a real design feature if you take a creative approach. Here, tiles highlight the island, but you may want to have wood for the dining area and tiles in the working part of the kitchen. Think about how the two surfaces meet. It can be a functional join or you can add interest with a curved or diagonal boundary.
Kitchen
Lewis Alderson & Co
Similar wood floor
Broadleaf
Patterned tiles
Mosaic del Sur
13/16 Smallbone painted kitchen with dark wood flooring
Wooden flooring makes a great match for a painted kitchen, adding extra depth to the scheme. Choose engineered flooring for a kitchen where heat and moisture levels fluctuate, which can cause wood to warp. Engineered flooring is built up of several layers of ply and board with a substantial layer of real wood on the top. This creates a very stable surface that won?t shrink or shift.
Kitchen
Smallbone
Similar floor
Ecora
14/16 Natural Wood Floor Company whitewashed wood parquet flooring
Pristine pale schemes will benefit from a whitewashed finish. The benefit of a wash is that it adds colour without covering up the beauty of the grain. Here, it?s shown on a chevron parquet floor, with the pronounced grain of oak. Whitewash has a lovely soft appeal for a country kitchen but this would work equally beautifully with modern units, shades of grey or natural wood units.
Floor
The Natural Wood Floor Company
Similar dresser
The Kitchen Dresser Company
15/16 Lassco reclaimed parquet wood flooring
If you are looking for instant character, reclaimed flooring is an increasingly popular choice as it has that wonderful worn patina of age that is hard to replicate. Always use a trusted salvage yard ? you can find one at Salvo Web. Most will remove nails and prepare blocks and boards, but don?t be alarmed by a less than pristine finish. This type of floor will need proper finishing in situ.
Similar floor
Lassco
16/16 Junckers dark wood floor with pale green kitchen
Dark floors are making a welcome return and the rich hues of walnut and black oak work especially well with grey, pale blue and sage green kitchens – all popular shades for both modern and classic cabinetry. Choose a tough lacquered finish that can withstand the demands of a busy kitchen and is easy to keep clean.
Floor
Junckers
Similar kitchen
Roundhouse
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