If Hardwood Kitchen Floors Require Too Much Upkeep, Consider This More Resilient Material That Looks The Same

Nothing gives your home a timeless, elegant touch quite like hardwood floors. They're a popular choice for main living areas, but for all the warmth they bring to the heart of your home, hardwood floors can be a pain to maintain in the kitchen. 

The biggest culprit is water, and the kitchen is a minefield of excess moisture fiascos waiting to happen. Whether it's a leaky sink or appliance, excess exposure to humidity and steam, or just the everyday spills, keeping hardwoods dry in the kitchen is no easy feat. Speaking of spills, moisture isn't the only thing that can ruin hardwoods. Wood flooring can be permanently stained by things like red wine, coffee, or tomato sauce — all of which are likely used in your kitchen often. Scratches from kitchen chairs or stools, and nicks from dropped utensils, dining ware, and cookware are also a concern. Suffice it to say, kitchen floors go through a lot.

If you've got your heart set on hardwood floors, but worry about the upkeep, we've got a solution: wood look tile. As the name implies, wood look tile is made of traditional tile that replicates the look of natural wood. Industry pros like Mike Holmes say that tile is not only the most durable kitchen flooring material, it's also the easiest to maintain. Tile is water-resistant, scratch-resistant, and stain-resistant; no sanding, stripping, or refinishing required. Wood-look is a large-format tile that is very on-trend in kitchen flooring right now. While it's installed using grout, the finished product is barely distinguishable from hardwood flooring.

Not only is wood look tile easier to maintain than hardwoods, it's also cheaper. You can select from an array of finishes for under $3 per square foot, which is the starting point for most hardwoods. Considering the long-term costs of maintaining hardwoods in the kitchen, wood look tile is an easy switch, but it isn't the only alternative to hardwood flooring. Laminate flooring is a popular hardwood dupe because it mimics wood with a photographic pattern printed on layers of wood fiber and resin, creating a durable composite material. It's not fully waterproof, but is more water-resistant than hardwood. Luxury vinyl wood planks are another durable and affordable alternative to conventional hardwoods. Made from polyvinyl chloride and other synthetic materials, vinyl can look just like wood while offering a fully waterproof surface — a major selling point in kitchen flooring.

Both laminate and luxury vinyl are comparable to wood look tile in cost. If you're not well-versed in tile installation, laminate and vinyl are also easier to install, as many simply click together and lock in place, making them easier to replace, too. Vinyl can even be cut with a utility knife. All three have their pros and cons as kitchen flooring materials, just like hardwoods. Still, when it comes to overall durability, value, longevity, and appearance, wood look tile is a standout in the kitchen.