Hardwood species offering more grain patterns are often used in kitchens as they will hide everyday damage that may occur. Other more open grained and lighter colored hardwoods such as Maple and Birch should be avoided unless you should live in the perfect household. In recent years designers have been taking the flooring business by storm utilizing hand scraped or distressed hardwoods.

If you're set on lighter colored hardwoods for the kitchen, Anderson Virginia Vintage offers a line called Olde Paint (picture right). They are not as distressed as other hand scraped floors but do offer some appealing damage hiding characteristics.

Distressed hardwoods are the ideal choice for kitchens as their characteristics are almost like a pre-planned solution to the inevitable heavy traffic kitchens get. A few pots and pans are dropped. Normally the one that bought the light colored smooth floor will be shrieking at the sight. You on the other hand may shrug it off as any damage actually adds to the character of many hand scraped floors.

Moisture

Moisture is always a concern when using hardwoods in these areas. As mentioned numerous times on our site, prevention is the key. For kitchens utilize area rugs near all water sources. If you should live in an older home it may be wise to call in a plumber to check or update any older plumbing connections.