Rubber Surfacing for Kitchens: What You Should Know?

The cooking area is the rallying point for varied activities in a household. Because this space wears multiple hats, it evokes a mysterious magnetic attraction for everyone. It’s here that the family huddles up to enjoy a snack or converse with friends and loved ones.

Simply put, the kitchen has evolved from a space for preparing meals to the social hub or the epicenter of a home. Hence, it’s natural for homeowners to spend time deliberating on the best type of flooring for this space.

Since kitchens are high-traffic areas where splashes, stains, and spills are a given, they demand durable, low-maintenance, and moisture and slip-resistant flooring. Moreover, the flooring should also elevate the look of the area.

In recent years, rubber surfacing has emerged as a popular choice for kitchens as it fulfills all of the above-mentioned criteria (and more!). Rubber surfaces are resistant to stains, chemicals, and moisture damage. Moreover, they are comfortable underfoot, especially when people spend long hours in this area, cooking or entertaining guests.

In this post, we’ve attempted to share why installing rubber surfacing in your cooking area is the wisest decision you can ever make.

1. Comfortable Underfoot

Kitchen is a space where most homeowners spend a considerable amount of time standing while preparing a meal or conversing with guests and loved ones. Hence, foot comfort is the number one consideration when choosing a surface for this area.

Installing a hard flooring like wood or ceramic tiles is bound to cause standing fatigue. On the other hand, rubber surfacing makes an ideal kitchen flooring as the resilient material conforms to the feet contours and offers just the cushioning needed. Thus, installing poured-in-place rubber surfacing will save you and your loved ones from the foot pain and back problems that are otherwise encountered with hard surfaces.

2. Durable

As mentioned earlier, kitchen surfaces experience a lot of trauma owing to high foot traffic, food spills, and dropping of heavy utensils and sharp knives. Rubber surfacing is highly resistant to such trauma. Not just this, rubber is a self-healing surface that bounces back after being subject to pointed heels, pet claws, and other sources of damage. Hence, it makes sense to install this versatile surfacing material in your cooking area.

3. Slip-Resistant

Food spills and water splashes tend to cause puddles on the kitchen floor. Most surfaces turn extra slippery in wet conditions. However, that’s not the case with rubber flooring.

Rubber has a high coefficient of friction. In other words, it resists any motion on the surface, reducing the risk of slips and falls. In fact, rubber surfaces exhibit anti-skid properties even in wet conditions. Hence, they are also preferred in spaces that are perennially wet, such as bathrooms, mudrooms, pool decks, water parks.

4. Shatter-Resistant

Kitchens can get extremely chaotic and dangerous when dishes or glassware drop. In fact, the shards can hurt anyone using the space, from kids and seniors to pets. Installing a shatter-resistant flooring material in this area can save you a lot of undue stress.

Rubber has the intrinsic ability to absorb vibration impact and distribute it through the surface. This hugely reduces the chances of serious injuries.

5. Extremely Hygienic

Kitchen and moisture go together like peanut butter and jelly (talking of cooking spaces!). Excessive moisture tends to accumulate a lot of dirt and grime. All these factors can quickly add up and create a conducive environment for the proliferation of microbes. This increases the risk of cross-contamination and infections.

You surely do not want pathogens lurking in every nook and cranny. Hence, it’s advisable to use a surface that’s hostile to pathogens. Rubber surfacing is inhospitable to microbes like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and others, thus maintaining a hygienic environment in your kitchen.

6. Low Maintenance

All households expect surfaces to be low maintenance and easy to clean. However, not all flooring options tick this criterion. Take hardwood floors or cork for instance. These surfaces need constant upkeep. Moreover, one needs to be careful about the choice of floor cleaning agents to be used.

Rubber surfaces installed by Rubcorp are seamless and non-porous. Hence, there’s no chance of dirt or grime getting stuck. The surface can be easily cleaned using a mild soap solution and mop. Further, these surfaces need little maintenance.

7. Aesthetically Pleasing

Since kitchens are emerging as a modern social space, it’s critical to consider decor elements that’ll elevate the look and feel of the space. Rubber surfaces are available in a wide variety of hues that can complement your existing decor and create an inviting atmosphere for all. Rubcorp offers a wide selection of cool and warm tones and a variety of speckled looks to revamp your cooking space.

8. Fast and Easy Installation

Installing rubber surfacing is a fairly quick and easy process. Once you share your requirements, our team will come up with various design options and get started with the project. At Rubcorp, we understand that the kitchen is one of the most used spaces in a home. Hence, our team works efficiently to hand over the area to you as soon as possible.

Are There Any Drawbacks of Rubber Surfacing?

No surfacing option is perfect. Rubber surfacing also has a few disadvantages which in no way hamper its performance, versatility, and durability. We are sharing these pointers so that you know what to expect when installing rubber surfacing in your cooking area.

1. Rubber-Like Smell

When newly installed, rubber surfacing tends to emit a distinct car-tire-like odor. However, this is the intrinsic property of the material that isn’t harmful in any way. The smell remains for a day or two depending on the amount of ventilation in the area. In a few days, the smell will fade off and be replaced with the aroma of the lovely food you prepare for your family and friends.

2. Institutional/ Industrial Appearance

True! Rubber is a critical decor element of industrial and commercial spaces. But isn’t industrial decor supposed to be in vogue today? Industrial-style kitchens are among the top decor trends seen in recent years! So, go ahead and plan your industrial look.

Gone are the days when rubber surfacing was only available in hues of black or greys. Rubcorp offers a complete palette of attractive colors that can complement any decor. For kitchens we often recommend the two-tone speckled patterns that combine different shades, creating a contrasting effect and giving your cooking space a fresh look.

Summing Up

When it comes to opting for a suitable flooring option for kitchens, it’s important to consider its balancing style, comfort, performance, need for maintenance. Between drips and drops and heat and heavy foot traffic, your kitchen flooring has a lot to endure. Hence, it is wise to install durable and resilient flooring like rubber that also offers striking options to go with your overall decor.

If you are considering a kitchen resurfacing project, we’d recommend getting in touch with team Rubcorp. We are experts in installing poured-in-place rubber surfacing and will offer you the best solutions to suit your needs. Drop in an email at YourSurface@rubcorp.com or call us now! We cannot wait to get started with creating an awesome cooking space for you.