Woods are very beautiful material which often used in various parts of the house. That is why a lot of people also interested in adding these materials into their kitchen. One of the methods that people use to is by adding kitchen wood as the flooring.
The natural beauty brought by the wooden material will make the kitchen look more expensive. But do not worry as this material would not make the space looked traditional since woods suit a lot of styles. However, before you jump to use it in your kitchen, here are some things to consider.
Things to Consider Before using Kitchen Wood Floor
Reason why kitchen wood floor is popular
A lot of people use wooden material for kitchen flooring is because they want to make seamless look throughout the area. Especially when the kitchen lies adjacent to dining room or when you have open space layout.
The risk of using wooden material in the kitchen
While you get a lot of advantages when using this material, you should also know about the risk. Kitchen is a space where you have water, oil, and other liquid all around. Wood is a material that does not mix well with liquid.
This means if you have leakage then chances are, it will ruin your kitchen wood floor. For splashes that can be dried immediately then the risk is minimum. But you should need to consider this risk before deciding to use woods as floor material in the kitchen.
Choosing the right woods
Remember that kitchen is an area with high traffic. This means the floor will need to withstand a lot of impact that happened daily. Some woods are not sturdy enough to withstand that much impact. This means you need to carefully choose the right woods that is sturdy enough.
Make sure to acclimate the woods prior installation
Woods material is stored in warehouse that has different humidity and temperature than normal houses. Installing this material right away before acclimation then it will either shrink or swell according to the temperature of the house.
When that happen then it will create gaps in between the kitchen wood floors which would not look good. That is why you need to make sure to acclimate the woods prior installation. The period needed for each material can be found in the packaging.
Use unfinished wooden planks
Even though using prefinished wooden planks will make the installation easier but for kitchen flooring unfinished wooden planks is more recommended. When installed prefinished wooden planks will have small tracks in between each plank.
In the kitchen this will be dangerous since liquid can run down the planks and into the tracks. However, if you use unfinished wooden planks then you can complete the finishing after installation. That way the kitchen wood floors finishing will be seamless without any tracks.
Use oil-based sealant
Sealing the kitchen wood floor is important especially when you use wooden material. It will make the woods sturdier and prevent damage from liquids. It is recommended for you to use oil-based sealant in the kitchen.
This type of sealant is more suitable since it will create better protection for the kitchen wood floors Indonesia. However, since the sealant is oil-based then it will take longer for it to dry. Usually it will need at least 24hours for it to completely dry.
Maintenance
Do not forget that wooden floor needs great maintenance for it to survive. Make sure to use the right materials specifically made to be used in wooden flooring. You may also want to add some rugs to high traffic area, in front of the sink and dishwasher where there might be a lot of spill.
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Species of Wood To be Use for Kitchen Flooring
You need to be careful when choosing the wood species to be use for kitchen flooring. Make sure you pay attention all of the things we mention above when choosing the wooden species. Carefully research first the advantages that brought by each kitchen wood floors option as well as the disadvantages before dicing.
Usually people use species of woods that can be found easily in the market and those that have very hard texture. Commons materials includes cherry, maple and oak woods. However, those species are also very expensive.
Remember that there are other species that considered unique and exotic. These species usually marketed as premium species which also sold in premium prices. Those materials usually come from countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, other Asia and African countries.
However, nowadays you can find those flooring in more affordable price. This leads to the use of exotic woods as a trendy thing. With wider availability and more affordable price, you should also consider this material for your kitchen. Here are some kitchen wood floors species that you can find:
Bamboo
Even though it actually a grass species and not a wood species but it often used as material for kitchen flooring. It has similar hardness and even better durability than some wood species which make this material unique. Furthermore, this species is also sustainable since it has rapid growth.
Brazilian Cherry
This species has reddish brown appearance, the grains are coarse and medium sized. Compared to red oak, it has better stability however the time you need for acclimation is longer. It needs better tools for cutting to match the kitchen wood floors sizing since the density is high.
Bubinga
This wooden species is originated from Africa. It has unique burgundy color that makes the kitchen appear more beautiful. The grains on this species are fine so it is easier to work with. However, this also makes it easier to split so it is recommended to use hand hammer when working with this species.
Blue Gum
This Sydney wood species has wide range of pinkish burgundy to brownish red color. It is also very dense and hard which makes it very sturdy to be used in high traffic area such as kitchen. But you need to use carbide blades to be able to cut this material.
Those are some exotic kitchen wood species that you can consider to use. Remember each species has their own characteristic so you need to research more before deciding. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any help
- By:PT. Jati Luhur Agung
- Tags: kitchen wood, kitchen wood floors, kitchen wood floors Indonesia, kitchen wood floors species
- Category: Wood Flooring
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