{"id":1063,"date":"2018-05-10T14:23:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T14:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2018-05-10T14:26:11","modified_gmt":"2018-05-10T14:26:11","slug":"protecting-wood-floors-in-wet-areas-like-kitchens-bathrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/protecting-wood-floors-in-wet-areas-like-kitchens-bathrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Wood Floors in Wet Areas Like Kitchens & Bathrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everything You Need to Know Before You Install Wood in Your Bathroom or Kitchen<\/b><\/h1>\n

Wood flooring is classic. Shades and installation techniques vary but wood flooring is never going out of style. It warms up a home and is incredibly durable. (DIY Tip: You can even revive an old wood floor by sanding it down a few times! Good as new.) <\/span>If you read our blog often, you know we\u2019re huge proponents of ceramic tile! Sometimes we have to remind ourselves there are other materials too, and ceramic isn\u2019t the always the best choice. \ud83d\ude09 So this week, we thought we\u2019d take a break from tile and discuss some creative alternatives for the surfaces in your bathrooms: wooden floors and walls. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

But some people shy away from installing wood flooring in bathrooms or kitchens for fear of water damage and warping. There are a number of workarounds, though, so you needn\u2019t be afraid. In this blog, we\u2019re discussing:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Protecting your wood flooring in wet areas<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Alternatives to wood (And how to make it look just as good as the real thing!)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Pro designer tips to take your bathroom design to the next level with wood floors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Green<\/p>\n

    Protecting Wood Floors in Wet Areas<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Preventing water damage over time is a major concern for homeowners and home builders alike, especially if you live near the coast, in a moist climate, or have plumbing in your home (so, pretty much everywhere). But don\u2019t let it prevent you from installing a gorgeous wood floor in your bathroom or kitchen. Just take a few protective precautions:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Wood putty should be applied between cracks during installation to seal out water<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Multiple coats of oil-based polyurethane and extra coats of varnish (more than you would apply in drier spaces) should do the trick!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Wood Alternatives: Porcelain Wood, Veneer<\/b><\/h2>\n

      Still unconvinced to install wood floors in your bathroom or kitchen? We don\u2019t blame you. There are alternatives to fake the look: <\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Engineered hardwood veneer flooring<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Wood-like porcelain tile<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Why You Should Install Porcelain Wood Flooring<\/b><\/h3>\n

        There are a number of other reasons to op\u2019t for wood-like porcelain over real wood: If you\u2019re designing an Indoor-Outdoor space, you durable flooring that is completely heat and stain resistant, and, of course, there are the economic benefits. If you want the look of wood but don\u2019t have the budget, the wood-like porcelain is not going to cost as much as the real thing. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Hardwood-like porcelain durability can be attributed to how its produced. It is made from clays and minerals fired in a kiln at extremely high temperatures. <\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Porcelain<\/p>\n

        Why You Should Install Hardwood Veneer<\/b><\/h3>\n

        Another excellent alternative option to real wood is going to be engineered hardwood veneer. It\u2019s also less expensive and looks great. But it does have a downside…<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Hardwood<\/p>\n

        The Downside of Engineered Hardwood Veneer<\/b><\/h3>\n

        You\u2019re going to need a lot of area rugs: Something to keep in mind is that it engineered hardwood is likely going to be harder a surface than real hardwood floor because of the glue used between plys. <\/span><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Pro Designer Tips for Wood Flooring<\/b><\/h2>\n

        Wood Flooring Trends<\/b><\/h3>\n

        Elevate your basic wood flooring by getting creative with the installation: we love the look of herringbone for an updated, modern aesthetic. Inlays and parquet look awesome as well! <\/span><\/p>\n

        Lighter, brighter woods are trending right now. It\u2019s more casual and modern than the heavy darker rich wood floorings of the past, but that\u2019s probably the way you want to go if you\u2019re designing a traditional space.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Light<\/p>\n

        From the windows to walls: In this modern beach house, we installed wood tile up the walls, a request we get often now! <\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Wood<\/p>\n

        \"Coastal<\/p>\n

        Customizing Your Wood Floors<\/b><\/h3>\n

        If you\u2019re still concerned veneer won\u2019t look as good as the real thing, here is a pro design tip to get around the issue of veneer looking fake: Match the color of the grout to the color of the tile. This will help it blend and it\u2019ll be less obvious that it\u2019s not wood. <\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Matching<\/p>\n

        Any porcelain tile is going to keep your home cooler, which is another reason it\u2019s such a popular choice for flooring and for adding customization, you can install radiant heat underneath! Best of both worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n

        We hope this guide gave you the kickstart you need to begin thinking about installing hardwood floors, engineered veneer, or porcelain tiles. But this is just the tip of the ice berg, we could talk about hardwood flooring all day! So feel free to give us a call or leave us a comment below with any questions you may have. SoCal Contractor would love to help you out!<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Everything You Need to Know Before You Install Wood in Your Bathroom or Kitchen Wood flooring is classic. Shades and installation techniques vary but wood flooring is never going out of style. It warms up a home and is incredibly durable. (DIY Tip: You can even revive an old wood floor by sanding it down […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[608,746,8,727,747,205,748,212,211,741,742,744,749,20,30,598,752,753,745,750,751,739,743,740],"class_list":["post-1063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bathroom-design-ideas","tag-best-contractors-in-los-angeles","tag-best-contractors-in-socal","tag-best-contractors-in-southern-california","tag-best-general-contractor-in-los-angeles","tag-best-general-contractors-in-southern-california","tag-customizing-your-wood-floors","tag-differences-between-fake-and-real-hardwood","tag-differences-in-flooring-materials","tag-engineered-hardwood-floors","tag-flooring-ideas","tag-flooring-installation","tag-flooring-trends","tag-free-home-building-advice","tag-free-interior-design-advice","tag-green-building-materials","tag-hardwood-flooring","tag-hardwood-flooring-los-angeles","tag-kitchen-design-ideas","tag-porcelain-wood-flooring","tag-protecting-wood-floors-in-wet-areas","tag-wood-flooring","tag-wood-tile-installation","tag-wood-vs-veneer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Modern-Farmhouse-Kitchen.png?fit=1852%2C1350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1063"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1079,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions\/1079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}