Hardwood in Kitchen - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

MikeTheBuilder · 10-18-2007, 10:30 AM

Hi guys, I guess I'm just too old for this stuff. Below is an Email that I sent out to our Interior Designer and copied my Clients. We are building an upscale custom home and they want to use pre-finished hardwood flooring in their kitchen. Do you have any positive or negitive stories that I can share with them?

The color sheets specify hardwood flooring in the kitchen. The kitchen is considered a wet area that is subject to frequent spills, grease, dishwashers that fail, ice maker line leaks, faucet leaks and water spilled on the floor, etc. It has been my experience that having hardwood on the kitchen floor is a bad idea. If that is the direction that the Clients want to go and I can't talk them out of it, then I have a few suggestions. Purchase plenty of extra flooring so that if there is future damage to the floor in the kitchen they will have enough product the will match the existing floor. Wood profiles get discontinued and product production runs are different. The other thing that can be done is to apply additional layers of polyurethane to the top of the flooring to make it more water resistant in the kitchen. The only problem with this approach is that it voids the warranty on the wood flooring.

Floordude · 10-18-2007, 11:09 AM

I discuss all the negatives with them, and then let them make the choice. If that is what they want, that is what they get.
Never sign an agreement, that when they call you you can't say "I told you so" LOL!!!!

I have been back to fix or install tile or stone, in more then one kitchen I have installed wood in. And yes, I told them so.

neolitic · 10-18-2007, 11:22 AM

Baby sis had that. Had an island with sink and D/W. 6 months kinked soft copper water kine to D/W let go @ subfloor level, pin-hole leak under hardwood who knows how long-- massive buckling, weeks to get repairs. Months later, same thing on ice maker supply. Only partly related, 3 years in water heater (A.O.Smith12yr)rusted out cause plumber put in convection recirculation line using galvanized fittings on drain outlet, and no di-electrics any where on the heater. At first I wanted to blame floor guys for "kinked" copper, but that plumber??

Mike Finley · 10-18-2007, 11:47 AM

Hardwood is awesome in a kitchen just as long as you can afford to replace it if the dishwasher floods or the ice maker leaks. Got a good income, have anything you want.

You can look at it this way the national statistics show a good prefinished hardwood floor has a 30 year life in the dining room and statistically a 5 year life in a kitchen. Tile has a 50 year life in the dining room and a 50 year life in the kitchen.

**Cole** · 10-18-2007, 12:23 PM

5 year life in a kitchen!!!!!

PrecisionFloors · 10-18-2007, 02:15 PM

Mike do you have a link to those stats? I could use that info as a selling/argument point.

**Cole** · 10-18-2007, 02:33 PM

I would like them as well!

neolitic · 10-18-2007, 02:36 PM

Without statistics I have argued that point for years...usually have more influence with customers than my sisters.

Jerry T · 10-22-2007, 04:23 AM

My motto is give them what they want.... as long as it will work. Explain any drawbacks and then let the customer decide. They do have homeowners insurance.

MattCoops · 10-22-2007, 10:54 AM

Wood is no good.
Tile is in style.

Tile will always be the #1 floor covering for kitchen and baths.

AffordaFloors · 10-23-2007, 10:48 AM

If they do insist on hardwood in the kitchen, make sure it is an engineered hardwood and not a solid wood.

MikeTheBuilder · 10-23-2007, 02:21 PM

Why would you suggest an engineered floor rather then a solid wood product. Just curious, I usually use engineered product.

aceflooring · 10-26-2007, 04:21 PM

I have had some experience. I have installed wood or laminte in kitchens and over twenty years I have had four that failed be cause of leaks. not my fault plumbers or old pipes. and a hundred that never had a problem. What I usually suggent now is a especially over a concrete slab is a stamped overlay.

troubleseeker · 10-28-2007, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AffordaFloors

If they do insist on hardwood in the kitchen, make sure it is an engineered hardwood and not a solid wood.

I actually feel just the opposite. We put hardwood in the kitchens on probably 70% of our jobs, but only the real stuff. IMO, the job applied topcoats at least give the floor a fighting chance against some occassional moisture, whereas the engineered stuff is just a series of enty points for moisture. We have never had a problem resulting from normal daily use or a minor water problem. OF course a major broken pipe or long term undetected leak would be a different story, no matter if it is engineered or solid floor. I also give credit for our long term success to our plumber. He hard connects everything with copper tubing, no plastic tubing or those crappy "disaster waiting to happen" cheap flex lines.

HallisseyDesign · 11-11-2007, 02:47 PM

I don't know what your clients are doing to the floors but I have put in numerous kitchens with hardwood floors and they are fine. In my own house I have hardwood floors in the kitchens and baths. The kitchen and first floor bath are original and the house had a flood where all the pipes burst. I then installed hardwood in the 2 bathrooms upstairs. The master and hall, they have had hardwood for 6 years and it was prefinished. They are fine. I hate tile, well not hate it is just a cold feeling, not comforting. I can show you guys pictures of it too if you would like.

Home Serve · 11-11-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HallisseyDesign

I don't know what your clients are doing to the floors but I have put in numerous kitchens with hardwood floors and they are fine. In my own house I have hardwood floors in the kitchens and baths. The kitchen and first floor bath are original and the house had a flood where all the pipes burst. I then installed hardwood in the 2 bathrooms upstairs. The master and hall, they have had hardwood for 6 years and it was prefinished. They are fine. I hate tile, well not hate it is just a cold feeling, not comforting. I can show you guys pictures of it too if you would like.

I agree, hardwood is fine in kitchen and baths, we've been using it for years, no problems. Gotta use the good stuff.
Dave

aardvark · 11-16-2007, 08:52 PM

I have the same situation coming up. I sent the customer to the Hardwood Manufacturers Association website. hardwoodinfo.com/display_article.asp?subID=57

They say "According to the National Wood Flooring Association, a urethane finish is best for hardwood flooring in kitchens. The number of finish coats required for optimal performance depends on the type of urethane finish selected. For best results, two coats of moisture-cured urethane should be applied, three coats of oil-based urethane, or four coats of water-based urethane. Tung oil will likely perform well but requires more maintenance."

I had never heard of moisture-cured urethane. Good luck finding it. What I hate about hardwood in kitchens is it takes a beating. Plan on refinishing or at lease giving it more coats of urethane every 6 months. I would start with prefinished solid material as they commonly put an aluminum oxide coating and it should last longer. And solid because it will need to be sanded quite often.