| Pavers as kitchen flooring give you a durable floor that’s easy to care for. Kitchen brick floors can be as formal or informal as you want, determined by the pattern you choose and throw rugs you scatter on them. Brick flooring is absorbent so does need to be sealed to protect it from water, grease and dirt stains so common in kitchens. If you have an environmental focus in your home, consider reclaimed brick that is used as flooring. In fact, this concept has been gaining a lot of ground lately, and people are specifically asking for reclaimed brick to be used for flooring at home. however, you may have to ensure that such reclaimed brick meets the required standards and is devoid of any physical deformity. |
The choice that you make for your kitchen flooring dictates the entire feeling of your kitchen. In most homes, the kitchen is the central hub of activity of the entire family. That’s why most people want flooring that makes the kitchen feel warm and inviting. Installing pavers as kitchen flooring has multiple advantages. Nobody wants their home to look like just anyone else’s. There has to be a certain identity to your kitchen, just like you strive to be different from all the people out there. Pavers are an excellent way of doing this. It can also go on to become a style statement, something that you will be appreciated for.
Brick pavers as kitchen flooring can help create a warm feeling in your kitchen so that it feels more welcoming. Although this is an unusual choice for kitchen flooring, it is a choice that can make your kitchen into that one of a kind showplace that you want it to be.
When most people think of brick pavers, they think of outside spaces. Brick pavers are used outside for patios, porches, steps, and sidewalks, but they are also a great choice for indoors. Brick is extremely durable and easy to take care of, which is why it is an ideal choice for a high traffic area like the kitchen. The kitchen is one of the most traveled rooms in the home and it needs flooring that is durable, easy to clean, and that is beautiful. Just because people in the past did not prefer to brick because of whatever reason they had, doesn’t mean we have to say no to it. Brick flooring pavers in a kitchen can be the ideal thing that goes with your house giving it a unique feel and look.
Brick pavers as kitchen flooring add texture, color, design, and beauty to your kitchen no matter what your tastes are. Brick flooring is one of the most neutral flooring choices that you can make as it goes with almost any color, any wood, and any decorating style. The beautiful, natural pattern of brick adds interest and appeal to the rooms as well.
Many companies offer reclaimed brick to use as flooring. Reclaimed brick is brick that was taken from a building that was scheduled to be demolished. This brick is then cleaned and repurposed for use in other homes, business, and buildings. This is a great way to recycle brick and the natural aged look of the brick can create a floor that others will be envious of!
There are many different ways that brick can be laid in your kitchen. The most common designs that are laid are the running bond, herringbone, and basket weave designs. Running bond is when the brick pavers are laid end to end in staggered rows. Herringbone is when bricks are laid in a diagonal direction and basket weave is when the bricks are laid at cross angles to each other as if woven. These different designs help create an unusual look and texture in the kitchen. Some of these designs can be done without any external help while others might need some expert hands to be completed. You may take the final call on that.
Brick flooring must be sealed so that it does not stain. If sealed, brick flooring is easy to take care of with simple sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning with a mild detergent. This makes them ideal for rooms where messes reign supreme such as in the kitchen, family room, or other rooms that see a lot of messes.
Kitchen brick floors will instantly update your kitchen from cold and uninviting to warm and welcoming. If you are looking for a kitchen floor that is easy to clean, durable, and beautiful, then brick pavers as kitchen flooring are a choice that you will definitely want to consider.
Where can I purchase brick pavers for use in a large dinning room?
I would like them to look old.
thank you in advance for your help.
Erma
Hi Erma,
For truly old pavers, you could always try to find reclaimed pavers – these are removed from other houses, usually old ones, and you’ll be guaranteed of getting something that already has seen a lot of action.
New pavers can be bought at your big box stores (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.) and through smaller companies. If you go to google.com and type in “brick pavers” (with the quotes) you’re bound to find some. Speaking with some local contractors should furnish you with some leads as well – for both old and new pavers. Best of luck!
I just had my old brick pavers cleaned by a professional cleaning service. It was expensive and it looks terrible. It left so many spots supposedly because it was an older floor (it’s in the kitchen). They said you should only clean it with vinegar & water. Is there anything that would be safe to use on it without ruining the sealer that would bring it back to life. It now looks so dull. Help!
Hi Beverly,
Just because it’s an old floor doesn’t mean it’s going to look dull because it was refinished. It would be helpful it you’d describe in more detail how large these spots are, the color, etc. I’m guessing they’re rather large spots and look whitish or milky? This would make me believe that the sealer wasn’t applied evenly.
If you use the search function (or even at your favorite search engine) you should be able to find various things to try to thin out the sealer on these problem areas. It will also probably be a big help if you can find out what kind of sealer this ‘professional’ used. IMHO, this person isn’t too ‘professional’ if he’ll leave you with a spotty floor from a most unprofessional sealer application. He should be fixing it for you! Fixing it might include using a chemical or buffing it out.
He’s correct about the vinegar/water – use 1 part of vinegar to 15 or 20 parts water. Using a good quality microfiber mop really works wonders too. Have a spare (mop or mop head) to dry mop the floor afterwards to kinda buff or polish it. It really helps to have two buckets – one with the solution, one with clean water to clean the mop off before dunking back in the solution bucket. Keeps from depositing dirt back onto your floor that you just removed from the floor! ;~)
Thank you for your reply. The floor is brown and it cleaned well it’s just darker spots in areas and they tend to look like stains. He said it was probably from using Mop & Glow at some time, even if it was just once! They did reimburse me for the sealer. To me the sealer did not look like it did anything! The reimbursement helped but I definitely remain unhappy about spending so much money for something that I am not happy with.
Yeah, very well could be and that stuff is a nightmare to remove – as well as products such as Orange Glo. Ugh.
I don’t know what kind of a finish you were wanting vs. what you used, but keep in mind that there are sealers made for no-sheen (flat) all the way to high-sheen (glossy). So, say you want a shiny floor and the sealer didn’t do that, you just need to use a sealer (same type) that’s high-sheen. Sometimes you have to buff for a really super high-sheen. There’s also actual floor finishes or waxes. The best thing to do is to call the manufacturer and tell them which product you used, what kind of outcome you expected, what kind of result you got and what to do to get ‘what you expected’. Geez, I hope that makes sense to you. The point is that not all products can be used together and if you need to use a different product you need to find out what is compatible with what you’ve already used. This is of course, assuming that you’re not wanting to go through with stripping everything and starting over and decide to just live with the darker spots.
we just moved into a new house from florida and haven’t been around a whole lot of bricking inside a house so my husband thought it would be a good idea to mop it down with bleach (ugh the smell was horrible) now there are white spots on the bricking here and there. it is in our living room and is a pretty big space. i was wondering what i can put on it to make it look shiny and clean and maybe get rid of the white spots for thanksgiving? thanks in advance for any help! :) and happy holidays!
sorry i forgot to add that it does look like there use to be a finish or something on it in a few spots because it is yellow but for the most part it is all gone and pretty much natural bricking. im not trying to make it look perfect just a little shiny and maybe help with sweeping?
Hi Leah,
What do you think the white spots are? Something that got bleached or does it seem powdery. If it’s powdery or crystalline then it might be efflourescence, natural minerals that travel up through the stone when it gets wet. If so, you’ll need something to get rid of the efflourescense. You should probably strip the few remaining spots that still have a sealer or finish on them. This will prep the floor for sealing. You can get sealers that are no or low sheen, medium (satin) sheen, glossy, etc. Aqua Mix has a good line of products. Even if you don’t buy this product, you should still look over the info on the different products to get an idea of what you want to use.
Wander over to the page Brick Flooring to read up there.
You’ll find that a good sealer helps loads to keep your floors clean. Usually all you’ll need is to damp mop them with water or vinegar and water using a microfiber mop, then go back over it with a dry microfiber mop or rag to kinda polish it. Don’t be stingy with the sealer either – remember, this is what protects your floor!
Hi,
I have brick pavers (concrete pavers), what type of sealer would you recommend for a natural look. We also some new pavers an area that does not have any seal at all and have a white dusty color on them. How can I add the sealer to the entire area and include the new area as well so it all matches? I would like the pavers to look like true pavers. I heard about a wax that you could put over them, then add a sealer. Thank you for your help!
Hi Angie,
It sounds like the white dusty stuff is efflorescence – which is nothing more than minerals in the concrete leaching out because of moisture. Head on over to http://www.aquamix.com to browse their available products to give you an idea of the types you’ll need for your project. There’s no way to guarantee that the new area will match the old area no matter what products you use. Are you planning on staining them? Just keep in mind that the products you use must be compatible with each other or you will get some very unpleasant unexpected results!
We are building a new house with a concrete slab floor. I like the idea of brick pavers but I am concerned that they will be too thick against the adjacent carpeting. How thin can I get pavers? How can I make the thickness work out? Would they be installed the same as ceramic tile on the concrete sub-floor?
Hi Karla,
Pavers can come in different thicknesses, you just need to shop around. Yes, they are basically installed the same as other tile, you just might want to use a medium-set rather than thin-set mortar. I can certainly understand your concern about the different height levels between different types of flooring – there are pieces that can be put between the two types of flooring to help with the transition. If you can find thinner pavers, or tile that looks like brick that are thinner, you won’t have as much of a transition. Remember too that carpet padding is available in different thicknesses too – choosing a thicker carpet pad may also help.
I have 1,000 sq feet of paver brick floors that I have been refinishing for the past 4 years. The original finish was a product that is no longer available and turned yellow and flaked in many spots. The white areas are usually caused from moisture trapped under the brick floor (efflorescence). I used a non-toxic paint stripper to remove most of the finish. Now I’m on a quest to find the best finish, preferably a professional quality that requires minimum work. As soon as I find it I will post on this forum.
Thanks Marianne! Don’t forget to look at the AquaMix products – I know they’re very good. Looking forward to hearing back from you soon!
Hello,
We have a chiminey that needs to come down in the middle of our house. It is on the wall between the dinning/family room and the kitchen. I want to use the brick as a new flooring in the kitchen because we will have to redo the kitchen as the wall will be removed. I know I will have to cut the brick, but I want to know if it will work if I put one of the floor warmers under the brick? What do you think?
Hi Clarissa,
Should work fine. Make sure that the heating system is recommended for the thickness of your material and you should be just fine. ;~)
Hi,
We are getting ready to lay brick pavers in our kitchen. What thickness of backer board is appropriate for brick on a 3/4 plywood sub-floor.
Thanks
Hi Dave,
What’s under the sub-floor? Are these the thinner pavers or the regular kind?
Hi
It’s a 3/4 plywood laying directly on the floor joists (its a second floor room) and the pavers are the thin type, appx. 1/2 thick.
Thanks