I’m surprised no one has mentioned laminate flooring. We put it in our kitchen because of the adjoining bathroom/laundry room. We also have a pool so knew that people would be coming into the kitchen dripping wet. Fifteen years later we are very happy with our decision.
^^^
Interesting. I thought that laminate didn’t do well with lots of water, pool water, etc.
I did use “grouted luxury vinyl tiles” in a rental, and it looks great. I do have a fair number of extra tiles so if one were to get damaged, I think we can pull it up, replace, and regrout that area. The tiles are 1’ X 2" and they really do look like a stone floor. The floor went down amazingly fast (super sticky backing) and then the grout gets applied pretty quickly as well. We did use the grout that is intended for these floors.
I got an amazing clearanced deal at Lowes for these tiles. The tiles were well under a dollar each (so half that per square foot! lol). I had to go to a couple of Lowes to get enough to do the kitchen and one bath, but both floors probably only cost about $100! at most!
There is no perfect flooring for the kitchen.you already know the issues with wood and ceramic tile. I don’t like laminate because of the hollow sound it makes when you walk on it. Vinyl just seems to be the lesser of all the evils. It’s not perfect but at least it’s not cold, is not damaged by water, is more forgiving in terms of your back and breakage,and if you buy high end it looks good too.
We went through what you’re going through now, and after considering all the choices ended up going with vinyl again.
flymetothemoon, Did you got with LVT, and if so did you use Armstrong? We’re not really looking for the cheapest solution, but something that looks great, cleans well and will be good for 20 years.
No, it was sheet vinyl but it looks like tiles. So I’m assuming it’s not LVT. But if LVT is actually sheet vinyl, I’ll look for our invoice and tell you. Let me know.
I think some of your decision depends on how long you are planning to stay in the home…if resale is a big factor or not, and what people expect in your area / neighborhood.
In our kitchen we have vinyl, not tiles…it’s the large sheet vinyl, but the pattern and texture looks like tile. It’s actually several years old now, so there are even more patterns out there now. I love it. It has a slight cushion to it, water is not a problem and cleaning is very easy. We also have a table and chairs in the kitchen (heavy chairs), and have switched out appliances, no scratches or anything on the vinyl. I know vinyl isn’t ‘the thing’ now, but I think it should be! lol I just don’t like to put high maintenance things in my house. 
In my mother’s house we recently put in vinyl planks throughout the house that looks like wood flooring. It even has the texture. We’ve been very pleased with it so far too.
The grouted LVT we used in the rental was Armstrong. It really does look great. I think the grouting makes all the difference. I doubt that anyone who sees the floor thinks its vinyl. It really looks like stone tiles.
I think getting the ones that aren’t 12x12 make them look less like vinyl. There are 16x16 tiles, plank tiles, and the 1’x2" tiles that we used.
Travertine will be the next floor in my mudroom and entry hall.
But I’ll never have anything but regular tongue and groove hardwood in my kitchen. I’ve had it for well over 30 years (in two different houses). The key is a finish that is durable…we have something called Streetshoe. It is what is used on bowling alley lanes. Our wood floors haven’t been refinished for twenty years…including the kitchen. This summer, they will get sanded…and redone…with Streetshoe.
Another thing we do is we have a rug in front of the stove, and the sink. It looks nice, and it also is where most of the wear really is in a kitchen.
We also don’t wear shoes or boots in the house most of the time…and that makes a difference too. Less grit to chew up the floor.
I would not get laminate…nope. Not at all. If you are worried about wear and tear, laminate will wear, and tear.
We have a friend who has a tile in her bathroom that looks wood…I mean it really looks like wood! You might want to look into that!
We have Streetshoe as the finish on all our oak hardwood floors as well it is quite durable and used in shopping malls. Only stiletto heels and sand are its enemies. It does wear amazingly well but our floor could probably use a sanding and refinish after 24 years but we are fine with leaving it as is.
I was talking with my husband about some posts on this thread this morning and he said that it was more the finish than the wood itself that mattered. Good to hear about Streetshoe. We’ll look into that. I’m not sure about the no shoe or boot rule though (although no problem with stilettos!). I believe some of the bad scratches in our dining room hardwood floor were due to dogs jumping up and down from the bay window seat. We have a rug there now.
We are barefoot in our home but folks are definitely wearing footwear at shopping malls and bowling alleys, so the finish IS durable. It does wear after decades (especially by front door and by kitchen due to heavy traffic) but still looks good.
We have wood in a similar area - kitchen, door to backyard, etc. It has held up really well, even with an active dog going in and out a lot. I love it!
I have a Pergo laminate which looks like travertine in both my kitchen and mudroom for several years now. They have held up great and I even get compliments on them (especially the one in the mudroom). Not as hard on you as standing on tile and not as easily scratched as real wood (which I have in my dining room)
I think I’m more indecisive the more I read. I just found the flooring forum on GardenWeb…Has anyone put in a wood floor adjacent to another wood floor. That is, we have a wood floor in our dining room, so if we went with wood something, I think it would have to be real wood or it would look weird. Also, a different finish wouldn’t look right either. My husband just refinished the dining room floor in January.
We have a good friend who has laminate in her kitchen and hardwood in her LR and DR. She chose the very same color, and has a nice wood threshold between the two. It looks fine.
Why can’t you just do whatever your husband did in the DR in the kitchen? Do three coats of finish (my flooring guy says there is no point in more). Get some rugs for the really high traffic areas in front of the sink and stove…and maybe a small one by yoir fridge. It will look nice.
You could do the laundry room in a tile…as well as the entry area. Threshold between them and the kitchen.
The front entrance is tiled. The laundry room is more like an oversized hallway with a door at the end to the backyard and another door to the garage, third door to the bathroom. Actually, Thumper, you’ve been in my house so maybe you can picture it. Anyway that hallway area leads to the kitchen. Doubt very much I can talk my husband into two different floors for that area.
Yep. I can picture it…and I think two different floorings would look fine. The spaces are different.
No matter what you do, it’s going to look new and nice! And you will love it!
I left the tile in laundry room, where you walk I from garage. The color tone is similar to wood in kitchen, so it looks fine. I think the finish on my wood is what makes it hold up so well. When my dishwasher leaked and ruined some of the wood, and then new kitchen had slightly different layout, the unused boards in my garage were in great shape, and matched the floor already in place for 6 years.
I am not sure if this is what you are asking about wood in adjacent rooms…but the installer will create a wood saddle (I think that is what it is called) between the two rooms. The saddle will be the same width you would have in your bathroom (we had polished marble for saddle but tumbled marble for floor). The saddle is useful in case you need to sand or refinish again as it provides a natural break point between rooms. You can then move furniture from half of house into room on one side of saddle, finish that, then move to other side the following week.
Adding to the discussion:
My husband installed the TrafficMaster Allure Ultra vinyl plank in 2 bathrooms so far. Next he will put it into the kitchen and laundry rooms. We currently have old vinyl in all of those rooms.
We bought the vinyl planks that lock together. TrafficMaster also sells vinyl plank flooring that has a sticky “grip strip”. I don’t recommend that one.
Good luck with your decision!