Lay Brick Flooring for a Kitchen That Pops

Tired of your outdated and dull kitchen floors? Transforming your cooking space by laying brick flooring is an excellent way to add visual appeal and give your kitchen a stylish facelift.

With endless options for patterns, textures, and colors, brick floors provide the perfect balance of form and function to create a kitchen that truly pops.

The Benefits of Using Brick Flooring in Kitchens

Once found mostly in rustic cabins or old warehouses, brick floors have become increasingly popular for contemporary kitchen designs. Here are some of the top reasons to choose brick flooring for your kitchen remodel:

• Extreme durability and scratch resistance compared to materials like tile or laminate.
• Stain-resistant and easy to clean - liquid spills wipe right up.
• Visually interesting with unique textures and patterns.
• Creates a vintage, rustic, or modern industrial aesthetic.
• Available in a wide range of colors from neutral to bold.

In addition to its practical benefits, the right brick floor can give your kitchen an updated, trendy look and feel that fits both traditional and modern styles.

Types of Brick Flooring for Kitchens

From authentic-looking porcelain tiles to actual stone and concrete, today's brick flooring options go far beyond real clay bricks.

Porcelain Tile Brick Flooring

Porcelain tile designed to mimic brick is one of the most popular and practical choices for kitchens. Made from refined, dense clay and fired at very high temperatures, porcelain tile is even more durable and moisture-resistant than regular ceramic tile.

Porcelain brick tile offers realistic brick patterns but without the maintenance issues of real brick. The grout lines provide visual interest, while the tile itself resists stains, scratches, and chips even in high-traffic kitchen environments.

Concrete Brick Flooring

Another practical option, concrete flooring can be textured and stained to resemble authentic brickwork. Concrete is also highly durable, though it can be hard underfoot.

Using matte finishes and varied brick patterns and colors, stained or stamped concrete can replicate the charming look of brick floors. Concrete requires sealing to prevent stains but holds up well to heavy use.

Natural Stone Brick Flooring

For a high-end, luxurious aesthetic, natural stones like granite, marble, and travertine can create gorgeous brick flooring. Tumbled stone techniques provide an antiqued, Old World look.

Natural stone does require more maintenance. Routinely sealing the floors prevents staining, and softer stones like marble can show scratches over time. The visual appeal may outweigh the extra care for some homeowners.

How Brick Flooring Is Installed

Achieving a seamless brick floor requires careful planning and skill. While DIY installations are possible for the very motivated, most homeowners hire professionals.

Installers first make sure the subfloor is completely level. Tiles are laid out in the desired pattern, mixing sizes if a varied look is wanted. After applying mortar, the tiles are set and aligned using spacers.

Once the tiles cure, grout is spread over the joints and excess cleaned off. Multiple rounds of sealing provide protection. The entire process typically spans several days.

Cost of Installing Brick Floors in Kitchens

Brick flooring costs more initially than laminate or vinyl but pays off in longevity and look. The total depends on the materials used and installation factors.

Porcelain tile runs $5-10 per square foot while natural stones like granite and marble range from $15-50. Concrete flooring costs between porcelain and natural stone options.

Complex patterns, specialty tiles, and labor will increase total costs. Brick flooring remains an investment that boosts a kitchen's functionality and visual style for years to come.

Caring for Brick Floors

While durable, brick floors do require some periodic maintenance to keep them looking like new.

• Sweep regularly and mop with pH-neutral cleaners only.
• Re-seal grout every 1-2 years to prevent stains.
• Re-seal natural stone floors annually for protection.
• Immediately wipe up spills to avoid setting into porous grout.

Proper care maintains brick flooring for decades. An occasional professional deep clean and re-sealing rejuvenates floors when needed.

Varied brick sizes, unique laying patterns, and contrasting grouts let you customize your kitchen design.

Mixing formats like herringbone and geometric shapes creates visual intrigue. Laying brick on the diagonal or stacked offsets rows. Choose grout colors that pop against the brick.

Pair your brick floors with whites and light woods for a timeless feel or bold colors for modern flair. The options for personalizing your kitchen are virtually endless.

With the right combination of practicality and eye-catching style, brick floors can be the ideal finishing touch to a kitchen remodel. Let your imagination run wild to lay durable, head-turning brick floors that give your cooking space the “wow” factor.