Best Kitchen Flooring Options

The kitchen is the heart of the home, as they say, and here at Tapi we know better than anyone how your choice of kitchen flooring can make or break the room. Whether it’s rustic wood laminate, stylish stone-effect vinyl, or something in between, there’s a huge range of kitchen flooring types to choose from. There are also various things to consider with modern kitchen flooring that you don’t have to worry about for other rooms.

We spend a lot of time in our kitchens. In this Tapi kitchen flooring guide, we go through everything you need to know about kitchen flooring types and how to make the right choice for you. Discover the best kitchen flooring options for your home today.

In this guide:

• What to consider for kitchen flooring
• Laminate flooring for kitchens
• Kitchen vinyl flooring
• Kitchen LVT flooring
• Stone kitchen floor tiles
• Compare kitchen flooring types
• Top kitchen flooring ideas for 2025: laminate, luxury vinyl, and vinyl

What to consider for kitchen flooring

The main thing you need to consider with different types of flooring for kitchen spaces, other than the style (which we’ll get to later), is how hard-wearing and how easy to maintain it is. As arguably the busiest room in the house, and certainly the one that takes the most punishment, it’s an important consideration. 

Your kitchen floor might have to deal with muddy footprints, paw prints, accidents, spills, lots of footfall and changes in temperature. It’s for that reason that many people choose stone tiles, water resistant laminate, vinyl, or luxury vinyl (LVT). Not only can they withstand everything a modern family can throw at them without losing their appearance, but they are also very easy to clean when accidents do happen.

For obvious reasons, carpet is generally not considered a good idea for your kitchen. Even if you opt for a dark carpet, it’s going to soak up spills and moisture and will require a lot of regular cleaning.

A real hardwood floor is not the best flooring for a kitchen either. They’re very expensive and tend to soak up moisture and react badly to changes in temperature... You don’t want to spend all that money just for your brand-new wooden floor to start warping!

From laminate to vinyl, let’s take a look at your options for some of the best kitchen floors below.

Laminate flooring for kitchens

If you want the look and feel of real wood flooring without the hassle, the best place to start looking is our waterproof laminate flooring for kitchens. We’ve taken the time to create water resistant kitchen laminate flooring that can withstand hours of moisture without bowing or bending.

Another key advantage of fitting laminate in your kitchen is the fact that it’s very easy to fit around current fixtures and fittings, so you can refresh your kitchen floor without having to replace all the units.

Of course, we know that appearance is vital for such an important part of your home, and the sheer number of different styles, finishes, textures, colours, and patterns available with laminate makes it a winner. If you want to create a modern, minimalist, or Scandinavian-look kitchen then opt for flooring in a light tone such as grey oak, and combine it with white walls and fittings for a light and airy feel. If you’d prefer a traditionally grand and luxurious feel to your kitchen, then go for a darker wood or stone tile-effect finish in something like granite, slate, or black marble.

The industrial style is currently very popular, and a rustic, distressed and textured wood finish on your kitchen laminate would be an excellent choice to achieve this look. We’ve also noticed that parquet or herringbone kitchen flooring is proving very popular with our customers because it’s timeless but also on-trend!

From dark woods like chestnut or walnut to lighter tones such as ash maple or oak, laminate flooring is incredibly flexible, making it one of the best types of flooring for kitchen spaces. What’s more, it works fantastically well with underfloor heating.

Kitchen vinyl flooring

Alongside laminate, another option for the best flooring is kitchen vinyl. Gone are the days of dull and uninspiring lino, modern kitchen vinyl flooring is infinitely better in every way. 21st century production techniques have created a kitchen floor that is not only very durable and waterproof but feels great and looks incredibly realistic. With a range of finishes including wood effect, stone tile effect, patterns and more, it’s a very popular choice with our customers.

Like laminate, kitchen vinyl is incredibly easy to lay and maintain. As it’s sold by the roll, there are no joins so it’s water resistant, making it the best floor covering for kitchen and utility areas. It’s perfect for those muddy footprints, spills, and accidents that are inevitable.

The super-realistic appearance of kitchen vinyl comes from the multiple layers, which are printed with a graphic design layer and then sealed. It’s also possible to achieve a range of feels and textures such as wood and tile… you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference from the real thing! What’s more, most kitchen vinyl flooring should last you at least 15-20 years, and longer in many cases.

Where vinyl flooring in your kitchen really comes into its own is with stone and tile-effect finishes. The way it’s made allows for incredibly intricate patterns with a huge range of colours and designs.

If you want that classic black and white tile look, without the associated cost of real stone tiles, then vinyl is a great choice. Perhaps you’re creating a rustic, country kitchen look? Or maybe you’d prefer a Mediterranean style with sandstone tiles or mosaic designs? Vinyl flooring is one of the most flexible kitchen flooring options you can buy.

Kitchen LVT flooring

Offering added durability and water resistance, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a popular option for modern kitchens. Hardwearing and easy to clean, it’s suitable for high-traffic and water-prone areas alike – including kitchens and utility rooms.

LVT is a fantastic option whether you’re installing it side by side with carpet in the living room or if you’re creating a seamless look throughout your entire ground floor. Like laminate and sheet vinyl, luxury vinyl is available in an array of stunning hues, patterns and designs.

Luxury vinyl is a cost-effective alternative to real wood, offering a beautiful shine all while feeling soft and warm underfoot. It’s also a great choice if you’re looking to introduce timeless herringbone and chevron designs in an open plan living and kitchen area, or continuing your flooring through to the utility or dining room. What’s more, luxury vinyl tile is compatible with underfloor heating too.

Stone kitchen floor tiles

Stone floor tiles are often considered the highest quality and luxurious kitchen flooring types. It’s hard to argue with the fact that it looks great, feels great, is very durable, and brings a real touch of style and class to your kitchen. But let’s talk about the elephant in the room… stone tile floors are incredibly expensive to both buy and install, they’re hard and cold under foot, and they’re also a very long-term choice. If you change your mind further down the line, it’s going to cost you!

We don’t sell real stone kitchen floor tiles here at Tapi, but our laminate, vinyl and LVT, in particular, are fantastic, cost-effective alternatives that deliver the same look. Whether it’s black kitchen floor tiles, white kitchen floor tiles, grey tiles, slate, ceramic, marble, or porcelain tiles you’re looking for, our range of stone-effect LVT is a fantastic alternative without the huge outlay.

Compare kitchen flooring types

Top kitchen flooring ideas for 2025: laminate, luxury vinyl, and vinyl

If you’re searching for ideas for the best kitchen floors for your space, it’s a great idea to look at what is currently popular. Laminate, luxury vinyl, and vinyl are all growing in popularity, and these options are constantly improving in quality and durability. 

We love these floorings for their easy installation, and you might be surprised to know that it can even be better than hardwood in a kitchen, because it doesn’t expand and contract in the same way as real wood, making it a more low-maintenance, hard-wearing and affordable option. But enough about our favourites – what does the UK population love right now?

Colour trends: deep and moody

There has been an exciting shift towards seeing darker and moodier tones used in kitchens recently, in the same way, that moody greys and navy blues are making an impact in fashionable living rooms and bedrooms. We’re seeing visions of navy blue cabinets and burgundy red subway tiles, with fittings and fixtures in a simple white or cream to create a big impact against such a dramatic backdrop.

A lot of the on-trend kitchens we love at the minute have a focus on grey as the central colour, which combines beautifully with industrial style-fittings and granite countertops – so modern! We think that adding in a splash of warm red or deep orange can be a great way to keep up with the deep and moody trend, by creating a warm and cosy space. Alternatively, you could incorporate marble flooring in your kitchen for a twist on the traditional look.

Colour and pattern: working the look

We’re big fans of the emerging kitchen trend of patterned floors and textured finishes that are predicted to become huge in the coming years. We can’t get enough of experimenting with large hexagon patterns, parquet, and checked tiles – vinyl is a great way to achieve this edgy look at a fraction of the price!

Monochrome looks are also getting us a little hot under the collar right now, with pale blonde and white woods mixing beautifully with steel grey and matte black kitchen cabinets for a look that gets all the likes on social media.

As we’ve said before, the kitchen is the centre of your home, so finding exactly the right flooring that suits all your needs as well as looking good, is as important to us as it is to you.

If you are looking for more kitchen flooring ideas and are seeking a little inspiration, why not visit our Ideas Hub, or discover the best flooring for small kitchens? Alternatively, you can book an appointment to speak with one of our resident floorologists at your nearest Tapi store.