Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
sanjuangirl

Does anyone have Natural Walnut floors in kitchen?

sanjuangirl
11 years ago

We are thinking about using wood throughout our kitchen/family room. I always pick the Walnut board when shown a wall full of wood samples. We've been told that it's not as foolproof as hickory or oak for example.

I would love input from anyone that's used the natural walnut and pictures would be awesome!
Thanks

Comments (20)

  • _sophiewheeler
    11 years ago

    It is EXTREMELY SOFT for a floor. If you are a no kids no pets, no shoes house, then proceed. If not, find something else. Like maybe a rustic hickory or pecan with a darker stain.

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    We are definitely not that. We have a Corgi, I almost always wear heels and we have teenagers running through eating us out of house and home most of the time!

    I was afraid that it was too soft. The salesperson at the showroom said that the engineered woods were all very similar and that the natural walnut was great since there was no stain on the top to get scratched or dented.

    Hollysprings, do you have wood flooring? If so, which type?
    I really need to pick the floor before I can pick the stain/paint colors for the cabinets....

    Williamsem, ohhh I love cork! I'll let you know if we decide to proceed with the walnut and the pricing.

  • mrsmortarmixer
    11 years ago

    We have black walnut with polyurethane in our kitchen. Walnut is a softer wood, but after a year, we only have a few surface scratches. No dents. We have a 3,5, and 6 year old and 2 dogs that are in and out of the house, we had a table and chairs in there where chairs were being scooted 3 meals a day, the table didn't leave dents when we moved it. My husband tracks in all kinds of rocks and dirt on his boots.

    Here is a picture taken from sometime during the finishing process. So don't pay attention to what the actual finish looks like or the fact that there is drywall mud slurry all over the range. It's the only picture I have on this computer that is close to true color of the boards. Polyurethane makes the walnut warmer with red/orange tones. Walnut will also get lighter instead of darker as it's exposed to sunlight and ages.

  • akcorcoran
    11 years ago

    We have Oak hardwood in our current and future kitchen, as do my parents in their home. It's a harder wood - and I think the slats being smaller helps with it not getting damaged, scratched, divoted, etc. But, I think it's all in how you maintain it!

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the photo MrsM. You're floor is so beautiful and looks very nice, even with the traffic.

    I know oak is a more practical wood for our family and lifestyle; but I love the walnut......

  • dogsunderfoot2
    11 years ago

    We have prefinished "character" walnut (supplier's term). It has a ton of variation, plus a fair amount of knots and imperfections - exactly what we wanted. The variation camouflages a lot. Ours does dent pretty easily, but we love the way it looks and aren't bothered by signs of wear. It might not fit your lifestyle. The corgis racing thru have for sure scratched it, and high heels might dent it-do you stomp your feet a lot? :) Regular foot traffic hasn't been a problem, but dropping a heavy cutting board will dent it...

    You can see some scratches in the bottom right corner of the second photo - and the cause in the first one. :) Here's how it looks in the kitchen. We have pretty quiet cabinets and counters; the floor adds plenty of drama. Apologies for the lack of trim etc. - someday our kitchen will be finished!

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    Have you seen this thread from the flooring forum? Scroll down a little and there is a floor with beautiful variation. It's LL discount mix stained in sections and it came out really nice.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Flooring forum thread

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for posting pictures of your fabulous floor and your adorable Corgi! Such a cutie. I am not good at posting pics or else I'd include one or our little tri-colored Corgi.

    I appreciate your input and being able to see the "Corgi" scratches was eye opening.
    Thanks for the link Williamsen. I have a lot of research still to do before I pick the floors.
    Thanks!

  • michellemarie
    11 years ago

    I have prefinished walnut flooring in my very large kitchen, dinette, formal dining, and foyer. They are very pretty, but are softer than the oak I previously had. I don't have indoor pets, but I do have 7 children including a very active 3 year old boy.
    I think my floor is beautiful, but if scratches will bother you than go with hickory or oak.

  • ssj2012
    11 years ago

    It is decision time for me too. We are down to Walnut (looks awesome) versus Hickory (looks great). After countless hours of research, I came to the conclusion that surface wear and tear is related the the coatings applied. Dent resistance however is related to wood hardness (Janka scale) and that's where Walnut falls short. If my shoe scratches the surface - that is a failing of the coating. If a hammer falls and dents - that is due to softness. We will still likely do the Walnut - it is irresistible.

  • ssj2012
    11 years ago

    The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. It measures the force required to embed an 11.28 mm (0.444 in) steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter. This method leaves an indentation. A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.
    It should be noted that the test is meant to be used only for "unfinished, open grain flooring" manufactured before the 1990s. With the advent of pre-finished flooring in which hardwood floors are treated with aluminum-oxide based sealers that often double or triple the dent and scratch resistance of the flooring, the Janka Hardness test has been essentially rendered useless in modern-day hardwood flooring, unless the end user is purchasing unfinished or oil coated flooring. From Wikipedia.....

  • annkh_nd
    11 years ago

    Since we're showing off floors and Corgis... Here's my Cardigan Welsh Corgi, comfortable on the Brazilian Cherry floor in the dining room. I cut his nails about once a week - as soon as I can hear his nails clicking on the floor. It helps a lot!

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Love your cute cute Corgi and your floors!

  • kiko_gw
    11 years ago

    Our 25 year old hardwood floors are white oak 2/25 inches wide, all short boards). They were "orange-y" oak when we moved in but we had them scraped onsite and stained a coffee brown. They don't show and scratches or wear because it just blends in with the variations created by the handscraping. Walnut is beautiful, but I'm not sure I could pick a "delicate" floor.

    From White Oak Hardwood Floors Scraped Onsite Duraseal Coffee Stain
    From White Oak Hardwood Floors Scraped Onsite Duraseal Coffee Stain

  • sbp59
    11 years ago

    We went with Acacia...never looked back. It is great and definitely gets lots of wow comments.

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wow, gorgeous floors!

  • sanjuangirl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wow, gorgeous floors!

  • lafacia
    11 years ago

    I love walnut too but worried about it being soft. It's also expensive as we are putting new flooring in three rooms. I think I'm going to use a variety if reclaimed wood but I did see some really beautiful hickory. It had a lot of color variation like the walnut does. Lightest shades lighter than walnut but who knows what you can achieve with stain. Hickory is supposed to be extremely durable. Might be an option for you.