In the Article
“The Kitchen as the Command Center”, the author Marni Jameson writes about the evolution of kitchens from, from the quiet corner where family feasts were prepared to the primary gathering and living space for many homes today. So the architectural details matter.
Choosing the right kitchen cabinets and flooring are the most critical design elements – as they are the items that have the most dramatic impact on the final look, they will last the longest, and help you reap the most return on investment, if you ever sell your home. Plus, you can always repaint the walls, or change the lighting, but replacing the cabinets and the floors will be the most difficult and costly to do down the road.
Here are 10 things to think about when deciding on your wood floors to make sure you get it right.
1. What style kitchen do I want – rustic, modern, minimalistic, Tuscan – the options are endless. Magazine clippings from today’s architectural and design magazines are a great place to gather ideas. Don’t go for a fad, go for something that you will love for years to come.
2. Broaden your horizons when it comes to product selections. Just because you have Oak Cabinets doesn’t mean you have to have Oak floors and vice versa.
3.
GO WIDE! Kitchens today are busy and need to be functional and less cluttered. You want to do this in your floor too – so the wider the better! Imagine this - a standard wood floor is only 3” wide and 3’ long. That means in an average kitchen you have nearly 400 seams in your floor! With a Carlisle floor will only have about 70 seams.
4. Consider Pre-Finished. Pre-finished flooring can save considerable time in the reconstruction of your kitchen, reduce odors and dust, and help you move back in quicker! Floors like Carlisle Wide Plank Floors are finished once floor at a time, and you approve the color and finish so you get just the right look.
5. Complement - don’t match. When you are picking out floors and cabinets it is usually best to try to complement rather than match 100%.
6. Decide on your color scheme. Light, dark, bright or muted. Will you be using painted or natural cabinets, and what kind of paint of finish will you use. This will help you determine what color tone is right for your floor.
7. Smooth or Strong Grain. Grain refers to the lines that run through the wood. Materials like Oak, and Ash will present a much stronger grain, while woods like Maple, Walnut and Cherry provide the smooth grain that is barely noticeable. The grain of the cabinets you choose should complement the grain of the floors you choose.
8. Avoid the clash. When choosing the wood floors for your Crown Point kitchen choose characteristics that go well together. For example cabinets with a strong variation in color won’t look good with a floor with similar strong variations.
9. How do you live on your floors? Just like you consider the kitchen cabinet needs based on how you function in that space, you need to consider how you live on your floors and how you want to maintain them.
10. Softwood or Hardwood. It is often thought that a softwood like Eastern White Pine is not suitable for kitchens. But that is not the case. A High quality restoration quality Carlisle White Pine floor is actually very durable – depending on the look you want to create, otherwise a Wide Plank Hardwood is the best way to go.
When you are designing a kitchen and considering wood floors remember that there are a variety of companies that offer both, but working with the experts will ensure that whatever you invest, your money is spent on quality and architectural details that give you a timeless look and add value. We recommend designing the two simultaneously because they both have a dramatic impact on the other.
Contributed by
Shanon Sterrett
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors
http://www.wideplankflooring.com/
(800) 595-9663
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors is the premier supplier of Wide Plank Floors in the world offering Hardwood, Pine and Reclaimed wood choices. Every floor is made per order in New Hampshire.
Superior Woodcraft is a local provider of custom made cabinetry and is located in Doylestown, Bucks County, PA.
Source:
Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
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