Kitchen Creating A Contemporary Kitchen

Date Published:

03/06/2008

Feel free to glam up the floor, but the important thing to remember is new flooring is only as good as the surface it's laid on so make sure the sub-floor is in good condition.

Choose large tiles to open up the floor space. St Aubin limestone tiles cost from £62.89 per sq m, from Stonell.

Tiles

Tiles have long been the stalwart of the kitchen, in stone, ceramic or porcelain. The new huge slabs have the advantage of making the floor area look bigger. If you're buying natural stone, blending the tiles for good colour variation is important. Honed or sanded stone will give a non-slip finish. Try Stonell for stone, and Reed Harris or Johnson Tiles for ceramics.

Polished Concrete

Forget about garage grey - concrete for polished concrete floors can be stained in numerous colours and decorated with glass or metal chips. It's mixed to order, then delivered, laid and polished on site. Contact Contech UK. A stress-free alternative is concrete tiles, available from Paul Davies Design.

Resin Floors

Acrylic or epoxy resin gives a glossy, sophisticated look. It's poured out onto the sub floor where it dries to a high-gloss finish. Make sure you get a scratch-proof finish applied. Try Stratum or Altro.

Glass Floors

Toughened glass is at the top end of the pricing scale but looks fabulous. The reverse can be painted any colour and it can be sandblasted and polished to make it non-slip. Contact Paragon Glass.

Rubber

Often synthetic rather than the real thing, rubber comes in vibrant colours in sheet or tile form. It's great for a waterproof non-slip finish and prices are reasonable. Try The Rubber Flooring Company and Dalsouple.

Wood

Beautiful to look at and warm to the touch, solid wood is, however, not the best for areas that get wet. So if you're prone to spillages, opt for engineered wood, made up of layers of real wood, but less prone to warping.