Long lasting kitchen surfaces (aka, granite or marble as opposed to a laminate)
When it comes to choosing kitchen flooring there are a number of factors that you want to keep in mind. First, of all, a kitchen is a high traffic area. Most people spend a good amount of their time on their feet in the kitchen. As a result, you will want to consider which materials are going to give you the functionality that a room of that importance mandates. You will also want to consider the look of the material that you ultimately choose and how that look fits in with the style of the rest of your home. Lastly, in some cases the choice to use one flooring type over another may not be there because of the nature of the surface that you will be working with and the current flooring type that you have. Naturally, there are certain flooring choices that will be longer lasting than others so longevity and durability will both be important factors to consider.
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Durability, ability to repair, comfort underfoot
Long lasting kitchen surfaces like granite or marble are durable so long as they are not abused. When cared for, marble or granite surfaces can last a lifetime. If a tile is damaged, the grout and tile piece can be removed and a new piece can be put in its place. With laminate flooring, damage is not shown in cracks or chips but in dents and even rips or tears. You can replace portions of a laminate floor much like you would replace individual tile pieces but the seams would never blend as perfectly as if the sheet of laminate were in one piece. The one major complaint that homeowners with granite or marble flooring have is that a natural stone is generally colder under foot than is a laminate floor. Under-floor heating systems or radiant heating systems are a solution to this problem but may not be in everyone's budget. Naturally, the cost for a long lasting kitchen floor tile like granite or marble is significantly more than is the cost of laminate.
The look/style
The look of a granite or marble floor simply cannot match the look of a laminate floor. Laminate floors are simply pictures or replicated patterns of the real thing. You will never get the kind of originality in laminate flooring, as you will in a granite or marble floor. With a long lasting floor material, no two tiles will ever look the same. Laminate flooring simply does not match the style of older or more expensive homes. Granite and marble tiles can also be arranged in a number of different patterns and mixed with various other decorative tiles to achieve a highly specific look that no one else has. Longer lasting kitchen surface are often seen as a luxury item and can be instrumental when it comes to selling your home.
Ease of installation
Granite and marble floor tiles are relatively simple to install so long as you have an even floor surface and a method for cutting your tiles to the appropriate sixes needed to fit into corners and in the far spaces of the room. The use of grout and spacers is relatively simple and with some planning and careful measurements, you can do the job yourself. If, however, the floor is not level, or you choose to use a very small tile, the process can quickly become incredibly complicated. There are methods for leveling a floor so be sure that if you plan on doing the project yourself, that you have prepared the floor surface as well as possible. Failure to properly level the surface can result in cracked tiles and uneven lines. Laminate is a good solution for floor in basements and in homes that may have floors too uneven or damaged to lay tiles on top of.
