Floor Tile Designs: Kitchen Edition

by James Mahoney

One of the toughest decisions you may make when remodeling your kitchen is, without a doubt, the flooring. There are a number of options, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Floor tile designs, kitchen-friendly hardwoods, and cost-effective laminate wood and tile look-a-likes are all solid choices for your new kitchen. Once you decide on what type of flooring is for you, the options are still endless.

For many homes, floor tile designs - kitchen friendly floor tiles designs - are the way to go. With easy clean-up and the option to easily incorporate upgrade options like radiant heat, the durable material is a hit.

Floor Tile Designs: Kitchen Island Surrounds

One area to experiment with bold floor tile designs? Kitchen designs with islands. The area around your islands is a great space to incorporate small pops of color, decorative tile floor designs, or expensive ceramics without making a big investment throughout your entire kitchen space.

Floor Tile Designs: Kitchen, Rustic, Kitchen

A popular look for today's kitchens is using textured stone tiles in the kitchen. This style is particularly effective with dark hardwood cabinets and stainless steel appliances for a high-end look. You can use river rock stone tiles for a particularly unique look or opt for a more traditional stone.

Travertine continues to be a go-to choice for many do-it-yourselfers. Relatively low-priced, travertine is built to last and will hold up in high-traffic areas and is heat resistant, making it perfect for your floor tile designs (kitchen especially).

Other stones that are frequently used in kitchen flooring include marble, granite, sandstone, and limestone.

Floor Tile Designs: Kitchen Creative

Many home improvement stores and online tile retailers offer floor tile designs. Kitchen patterns come in a variety of looks to instantly transform your kitchen space. They have the ability to make a small kitchen design look much larger.

Using a variety of colors, textures, and sizes, experts create floor patterns in the size of a traditional tile for easy installation for the do-it-yourselfer. The end result is an intricate design that would otherwise take hours of mapping out on your kitchen floor.

You can also research a number of floor tile designs. Kitchen floors, being a large open area, are easy to experiment with. You can try out brickwork, basketweave, herringbone, cobblestone, or hopscotch layouts in your space with relatively little tile cutting.

Floor Tile Designs: Kitchen Hardwoods

If you like the look of hardwood flooring but don't want the commitment of sanding, staining, and caring for the wood - not to mention making sure your toddler doesn't destroy it - there is a more durable option.

Floor tile designs - kitchen flooring alternatives to hardwood - are definitely catching on. Ceramic and porcelain tiles come in a variety of wood-like colors and grains, including cherry, bamboo, oak, pine, walnut, maple, and mahogany, and sizes to recreate even the coveted large plank floors.

Unlike with hardwood floors, these floor tile designs of kitchen alternatives are eco-friendly because they don't use precious natural resources, and the tiles are also less expensive than hardwood alternatives. Ceramic tiles that look like wood are also easier to clean and sanitize and the tile is immune to moisture and scratches.

Find Local Remodelers Free Estimates - Kitchen, Bath, Additions, more.