A Popular Kitchen Flooring Choice Is Actually A Major Design Red Flag, Here's Why

The kitchen is the most commonly renovated room in the house for many reasons. For instance, one of the biggest signs your kitchen is in desperate need of remodeling is worn or outdated materials, which extends from the cabinets to the fittings to the flooring. In particular, one flooring choice that you should consider changing and avoiding in your kitchen is natural stone tile.

Natural stone has remained a popular flooring material in homes and businesses because it has an elegant appearance that never goes out of style. However, it's the disadvantages of the tiles that make it a major red flag for your kitchen. The biggest problem is that many natural stone tiles – like sandstone and limestone – are more porous than man-made tiles, so they can soak up liquids and stain easily. This porosity also means that natural stone can harbor bacteria from food and liquid spills.

To avoid these issues and make the tiles easy to clean, you have to make sure that the stone remains sealed properly, which requires resealing maintenance every one to three years. This regular upkeep, and the higher upfront cost compared to other options, makes natural stone tiles one of the most expensive kitchen flooring choices.

Whether you're designing a kitchen for the first time or renovating your current one, consider choosing luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) or planks (LVP) for the flooring. This remarkable technology consists of several layers — a clear, protective coating on top of a design that's layered over an insulated and sound-proof section on top of a stable base or backing.

The impermeable layers make the material waterproof, so you don't have to worry about it absorbing liquids, staining, or harboring bacteria like you do with natural stone. Also, the wear layer on top doesn't require regular sealing every few years. The only maintenance you have to worry about is a little mopping and sweeping, making it super easy to clean.

On top of that, LVT and LVP are resistant to denting and scratching. While they're not indestructible and can be damaged under heavy pressure, you don't have to worry about damaging the seal if you're dropping your cake on the floor as a hack to remove air bubbles. And, if you're looking to bring vintage kitchen design trends – such as bold, colorful accents, appliances, and fittings – into your space, you can get tiles and planks to match. They're available in all kinds of colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes to throw in accents or designs, complementing or contrasting other features in your kitchen. Best of all, this is an affordable option, costing a fraction of natural stone in both the material and labor departments.