I have two rugs in my kitchen, one in front of the sink, the other in front of the stove. My cabinets and flooring are the same tones, so the rugs add some lighter color and softness to the space.

I have wood floors in my kitchen and water is not a problem. Dropping things, which cause dents, is. I should have a rug in front of the refrigerator! I have no rugs in the kitchen either because I'm messy and would be forever cleaning them or looking at dirt.

I do not have a rug in front of sink on my 90 year old heart pine floors with minimal damage. I am not sure about engineered wood though. I might protect it for I do not believe it can be sanded and refinished if anything were to damage it.

I have a long runner from Crate & Barrel that runs in front of the sink and the two adjacent cabinets (trash on one side and dishwasher on the other). I like the looks, although I don't really love having a rug there -- it gets bunched up, it does get dirty (although because of the style, you can't really see the dirt - which may be a good or a bad thing). We have solid oak floors (not engineered) so they don't get harmed by water too quickly. My DH likes the rug, so I live with it.

The biggest problems are safety related: people can slip on wet floors, and, for sure, you can slip on greasy floors. A lot of oil spatter can make its way to the floor in front of the stove. I have little cotton rag rugs in front of sink and stove, and change them with some frequency.

drops of water won't damage your hardwood. but, I used to have rugs in front of kitchen sink, stove and refrigerator- for comfort and to protect from drops- like bumblebeez said, things dropping and denting is a bigger concern. but, I had rugs that could be washed or that were heavy polypropylene oriental design that were inexpensive and bulletproof.

currently have tiled floors and have a long, thick polypropylene runner in front of sink/dishwasher/range- mostly for comfort and warmth.

I have a long sisal (seagrass? jute?) rug that runs from under my DW on one side of the sink to under my trash pullout on the other side. It is that flat weave one, not the bumpy kind (that would be gross because food would invariably get stuck in the bumps.) It is visually non-descript and I don't even notice it. I'm pretty OCD about my floors....it keeps drop of water off them, especially when I am putting dishes in the dishwasher.

I think I have the same dark handscraped floors, and I have a rug in front of the sink only. I really have no problem there, but I guess i'm used to wiping up water when the dishwasher is opened after it's finished the cycle. Water in front of the fridge is a bigger problem! I wipe up any overflows, but sometimes when having company, they'll get their own water/ice and may not know they have dribbled water or dropped an cube(or just ignore it!). One day I happened to notice a little lifting of the floor under the fridge. I know how anal I am, so knew *someone* had ignored or didn't know water had spilled over or an ice cube had melted, leaving a setting puddle.

To keep from having more issues, i've rolled up a dark colored dish cloth and placed it under the door where the water/ice dispenser are, and check it every week for wetness. So far so good!

I have always liked having a rug in front of my sink and the kitchen door leading outside (garage). The one to the outside door is the one that catches the dirt. We have tile in the kitchen in this house, but have had wood in the kitchen and I did use rugs then too. I have never thought of it looking cluttered, but my kitchen is not totally open to another room. I like the feel of a rug while I'm at the sink. I have never had one in front of the stove and have no problems now. I would think more drips, etc. would occur there. As for oil splatter - I've never had that on my floor because we rarely fry anything and when I do, I use a deep skillet. I have one small "dent" in the wood floor - in front of the fireplace where I dropped a heavy object. Other than that, no problems. I probably couldn't find that mark without looking for it. I don't think drops of water are going to be a problem. We keep a water dish in our bedroom for the pup to have because she's in there with us so much, and she is a dribbler. Not a spot to be seen.

Oh I meant to say if you go with a rug(s), just get something that can be cleaned. Someone mentioned indoor/outdoor and those do work great! I have had those in the kitchen in the past and they really wore well.

I have a Williams-Sonoma fatigue mat in front of my sink, and I love it. I can clean it with my steam mop when I clean the kitchen floor. It's so comfortable to stand on, and it's very good looking. This is the one I have.

I love Persian rugs in kitchens, a la living rooms.

I always have had a rug in front of my kitchen sink, even before I got hardwood. I just feel like one belongs there, plus it's kinda my style. It doesn't get wet enough to harm the floor, but is the area most likely to get drips and gunk.

I have a rug in front of the sink, in front of the range, and in front of the refrigerator. I cook a lot and it saves the floor from getting so dirty. Would love to do wool Persian styles, but I have to have rugs I can through in the washer.

Thank you all! I should not have said that rugs make a kitchen look cluttered (certainly shouldn't have said "ick!") -- it's just not what I have been envisioning for my own space. I've been perusing Persian-style runners online, and there are some very pretty ones out there.

My understanding of engineered wood is that it really can't be refinished repeatedly like a real wood floor can. The thought of the refrigerator potentially leaking onto my wood floor also makes my blood pressure rise, particularly after a coworker just told me a horror story along those lines!

My favorite rug for by the sink is a Persian wool runner, looks great and shows nothing, not even cooking oil drips!

I am getting a runner tomorrow. It will be between the sink and range. That area takes a beating. I have to get something down there to protect it. Plus I just adore rugs. Our kitchen could really use some color, so I am hoping this will give it a pop.

I got this one.

gw · More Info

I have wood floors in my kitchen and do use a rug in front of the sink. It is more comfortable and yes, catches the drops. I agree with the poster about the water from the icemaker/water dispenser on the fridge. I am finding ice cubes on the floor all the time. Thankfully, they haven't done any damage to the floor.

AK, would you mind revealing your rug source??

That immediately reminded me of my valance, and I think I would like a runner in my kitchen.

Right now, my floors are bare, and have been for almost 4 years, waiting for the perfect thing to come along...

thanks!

Tina, I sent you a message. Check your houzz.

I’ve always kept a rug at the sink. You get drips everywhere, but the majority seem to be in front of the sink. Floors are wood and rug is indoor/outdoor from Orvis.

Red Kilim: http://www.orvis.com/p/indoor/outdoor-kilim-rug/0g2t

Wow, great price on the Orvis rug!

I Love the rug artillery, I would also love to know the source

for that rug.

thanks

Aktillery - that is a beautiful rug - is it wool? I clicked on the link under the photo for 'More Info' but it only showed another picture.

Jen, as far as your fridge leaking and causing a major problem ... isn't that what insurance is for? Sh*t happens, but you can't live in fear of something that might never happen in your house. No one in my family has had a catastrophe involving fridges, not something I worry about!

I have a long runner in my galley-style kitchen layout with solid hardwoods. I originally had a nice wool vintage Persian-style rug, but it kept getting grease splatters from the stove. I swapped it out for an indoor/outdoor rug and I couldn't be happier. I initially had trouble keeping it from slipping even with a rug pad but eventually found this rug tape that works like a charm!

My3dogs - I really like that runner! Especially being complemented by the dogs!

Yeah ... I'm not going to lose sleep over the possibility that the fridge could leak. It's brand new, so chances of that are probably slim anyway.

My "floor headache" this morning stems from the fact that Pip, our wonderfully expressive, personality-filled "little man in a fur suit" (ok, he's a brown tabby) has chosen his Pooping Place, and it's right on the tile floor of the laundry room in front of the litter box. It's disgusting, but he has for years pooped just outside the box. (He's been checked; it's behavioral and not due to a physical issue.) He has no trouble peeing in the box every single time, but when it comes to poop, he has developed a preference for just squatting and going on a hard surface. Thank goodness it's not the carpeting! And honestly? DH and I have just gotten used to picking up "Pip logs" every day and cleaning up after him. It's never been bad - but I DO worry a bit about staining my light-colored grout, even though it's supposed to be sealed (per the builder).

Ugh. Cats.

I have three rugs in our kitchen, if you count the one in the back entry, which is basically part of the kitchen. Two are Polypropylene, which is the best when you have cats that sometimes leave you "gifts" on rugs.

What appears white/pale gray in the photo is actually a nice light beige. I have a runner in front of the cook top island and a larger area rug at the back door. They don't make these small enough to fit at my corner sink, but I found a black and beige "non-strip looking stripe" if that makes sense, for there.

I got that rug from esalerugs.com

Here is the link to it. No it is not wool.

Beautiful rug, justgotabme! I really like that design.

Pip's a big boy (around 18 lbs. worth of goober-cat), and we have enormous boxes. The one he pooped outside of today is definitely big enough to accommodate him (he DOES pee in there), and we also have a large, shallow plastic tote - the under-bed storage kind - that we've repurposed as a kitty potty. Putting a plastic runner under/in front of the box he pooped outside of today is an excellent idea. I was going to get a litter-trapping mat (have one of those upstairs and it works well), but a piece of plastic is a better idea given our special circumstances.

Did I mention - Ugh, cats?

Hmmm. This would fit perfectly under the litter box in question. (I feel like I've switched gears and am not more concerned about making sure my grout is protected than worrying about the wood floor in the kitchen.) I wonder if he'd poop on a chair mat like this? No way to know but to find out, I suppose. Sure would make clean-up easy.

I'm planning to get something like this:

Floor Cloth

The idea of all the crud that will spill/drip onto a rug runner in the kitchen grosses me out.

I've also seen these online as a cheaper option:

Vinyl Floor Cloth

Kitty poo...I had a cat who did that only it was pee. I bought puppy training pads and placed them on her "spot". It was then easy to toss them, no clean up required. Might work for your Pip?

I would t worry about it, Jen, we have wood floors in our kitchen and don't use a rug, they break up the space too much for me. Sometimes the floor gets wet.....it's not a big deal. Wood is hardier than one might think.

I don't do a rug in front of the sink/dw either. When I'm done cleaning up in the kitchen, I do check for any drips, and wipe up if necessary. No issues in 15 years, and love my soft warm wood floors!

Wood floors in kitchen, occasional drips and spills, no problems. I also think mats/ rugs break up the visual space.

Carpet tiles. Elderly won't get tangled up in them they lay flat. Perfect for coming out of the shower in senior homes. Get rid of all throw rugs in senior houses