Tile is unforgiving. You drop a dish; it breaks. You walk on it for very long; your joints wear out. It also has *grout* that has to be sealed to keep it from getting ugly.

We have hardwood throughout our house except for laundry and baths. If you have good poly coating on the wood spills wipe up. It also tends to hide dirt. When you wash the floor, you aren't washing 'wood', you are washing the poly coating over the wood.

I completely agree with the former post. I have had them both and I would never go back to tile. The wood is so much easier on the legs, warmer, more forgiving when you drop something. Wood is easy to keep clean...just damp mop it and it is good to go~~

This was a painful choice for me, but I decided on neither of above. I've lived with wood, yes it is *slightly* easier to walk on, however, carpeting is even nicer underfoot. Both wood and carpet WILL stain. Wood usually has crevices which means clean really isn't very clean (okay, it's acceptable just not the best). Wood can also present a problem if left wet for any length of time (from ruining the finish to warping to literally coming apart). Ceramic/stone tiles are very hard underfoot, grout is very difficult to clean and some types will stain. Tiles can also break, crack or chip, especially if you have a toddler with sturdy toys or a helper who may drop a pot; replacing a damaged tile is a PIA. No matter what flooring material is chosen, a glass dropped from waist-height will likely break unless it lands on a thick, resilient pad.

I am choosing to use sheet vinyl and have deliberately designed the kitchen so that it can be installed without seams. Marmoleum would be a "greener" choice but I did not find a single pattern that appealed -- that's my conceit, your flavors may vary. I will continue to use heavy mats in front of the stove, sink and prep counter to "ease the feet".

Thanks for posting, meldy. I'm trying to make this decision right now (kitchen floor material) and am shocking myself by leaning towards a very heavy-duty vinyl product that looks like wood.

It's called Artistek, and I've got to admit it looks very convincing. And I'm really attracted to all the features of vinyl (easy to clean, water-resistant, no maintenance, softer on feet/dishes/children, etc.) Does anyone have any experience with this material? It comes in 4 ft planks and the one I'm leaning toward is in their "barnwood" collection. And the price is about 25% less than a hardwood floor.

Still, I do cringe a little at the thought of putting vinyl in our beautiful new craftsman-style home, but then I just don't like tile for the reasons listed, and I'm worried about wood and water in the kitchen . . . .

I have been called out to many homes with new wood floors in the kitchen that suffered severe water damage from a refrigerator leak. Often this happens soon after installation because the old refrigerator develops a leak after being moved. Consider how can the floor be ruined and how it would be repaired. Some wood floors snap together, some use glue and some nails. Maybe plan on a new fridge as part of the project.

I have wood in my new home which we've now been in 10 months. I also had wood in my old home (21 years). In that home we had three major leaks. A refrigerator AND twice DH tried to use the dishwasher while I was on vacation....ok, it was years apart and he forgot not to put in regular dish soap. Anyway, the point is even with 2 VERY HOT WATER leaks our wood floor came out just fine. It did NOT stain, lift or peel. Maybe if someone hadn't been home it might have been a different story but that would have been the case with carpet or vinyl glues.
I love my wood floor and actually have it on over 1200sq feet in my common rooms. It is extremly easy to take care of. Because we have a golden I vacume about 3 times a week and then damp vinegar bath (acts as a disinfectant and drying agent) as needed.

We have site finished quartersawn oak hardwood floors in our kitchen. We had water damage approximately 6 months after we moved in--a fitting under the sink cracked which caused it to shoot a fine spray of water out into the cabinet which accumulated on the cabinet floor and eventually leaked onto the floor. The water wasn't on the floor very long and the 3x2.5 wool rug in front of the sink held the water so it didn't spread very far, but in getting the puddle of water out from under the sink water did get on a much larger area for just a few minutes. Although the water was confined to a small area, the area of warping was probalby 3' x 16'. It took approximately 9 months for it to flatten out, but we did not have to replace the floor (also, warping is something that you feel more than see so it was not unsightly while it was drying out). We had tile at our old house and I like wood better and would get it again, but be prepared for water damage and don't get wood if water damage would be devastating to you. Also, site finished solid hardwood recovers from water damage much better than engineered wood. Solid hardwood will usually flatten out whereas engineered wood has a base layer that is a composite material that absorbs water and doesn't flatten out so you usually end up replacing the floor if you have engineered wood (that is my understanding). In our old house, we had two floods--one from the refrigerator and one from the dishwasher--so water accidents do happen. In fact, after our water damage incident I was amazed of the number of people we knew who had had similar water damage incidents in their kitchens. Good luck!

My brother's house, which was built 6 years ago had hardwood in the kitchen, and the refrigerator ice maker leaked. Had to resand and finish the floors 1 month after moving in.
Then, my parents remodeled their kitchen and had hardwoods put in. Had a leak at the dishwasher. Had to sand and refinish, 6 months after installation.
We have decided not to test the fates and have decided to use a Laminate tile. You may want to check this material out. It is very easy to care for and is not as expensive as regular tile. The patterns are already designed into the tile, so the installation is a little cheaper. There are some who do not like the look of the "wood" laminates, including me, but I think the tile looks great!!

Tile, because you can wash it with anything you please, and a little water doesn't destroy it.

If you drop a dish it is more likely-- though NOT certain-- to break, but at least it won't put a massive gouge or dent in the floor. Better to replace the plate than the floor boards.

As to grout: choose a dark color and seal it well, and it won't be an issue.

I love hardwood, but if you are using everywhere else in the house, I'd just as soon see something different in areas that can get wet.

Maybe mjob has found a different laminate tile, but laminate tile is typically water damage resistant (if yo wipe up wet spills right away) but not water damage proof and the warranties on laminate tile usualy exclude damage from standing puddles and flooding because (at least this is what I understood when I researched floors) laminate tile, like engineered wood, has a some sort of composite backing that absorbs water when it gets wet and warps and will not dry out flat. All it takes is for one small puddle to remain on the floor for a while for the water to seep into the cracks between tiles and warp the underside. The best water damage resisters are sheet vinyl, linoleum and stone/porcelain/ceramic tile (although even with those materials if the water gets under the tile, etc., there can still be problems). So if you are looking at laminate, be sure to check the warranty, etc., to make sure that it covers damage from standing puddles and flooding is covered. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Manmington's laminate tile warranty

We have a ceramic tile and I agree it is hard on the feet and dishes and the grout is a pain to clean. We are considering either wood with tung oil finish (possible to refinish portions of the floor rather than all at once) or marmoleum.

Carolyn is right. I misunderstood the salesperson when describing the warranty. The water damage warranty only applies to topical spills. I'm glad that you pointed that out. Very seldom do I just go with what I am told. I usually research for myself. I guess I cut a corner on this one. Sorry to have caused confusion.

Needless to say, We will NOT be using laminate tile in our kitchen. Back to ceramic tile!!

kats - I love your kitchen. Is that a curved counter? How wide are the floor boards?

Lots of threads on Gardenweb about this subject. I've had both and I sure love my wood!

One of the many threads
Wood vs tile

Wrestling with the same question. I ask my friends about their floors; some have wood, some have tile.

In our last house we had dark bronze fixtures in the bathrooms, hated it! It showed soap and toothpaste dots all the time, I was constantly fussing with it, also powder and dust showed! My cousin was dying to get it, I advised her not to, too high maintenance. But she said she loved the look and wouldn't mind the extra care. Ah ha! Her priorities are different than mine.

Low maintenance combined with good appearance is my concern.

IMHO: there are some lower maintenance tiles and some higher; could be same with wood. Repairing damage is something I hate no matter what. Slate has to be sealed, I'm done with that. Light/solid color tile (and grout) may show more dirt (same with wood and laminate wood look). I cleaned a house with beautiful white tile and grout in the entry and kitchen, but a royal pain to keep clean, could sweep after every entry! But my neat-nick friend installed darker, high hiding tile and grout and said it was embarrassingly low maintenance and she swept it every once in a while out of guilt! Someone with terra cotta had her floor ruined by cleaning with ammonia. Another with a very rustic distressed wood in kitchen said it gathers too much in the cracks and dents, wishes she would have put tile just in kitchen. So many variables.

I'm on a journey to discover my personal tastes, coupled with as much product info. I can get before it's time to buy.

Wood cabinets with wood floor is done all the time, but personally I would prefer my favorite green painted cabs with lovely wood floor. However, I have decided to have stained wood cabs, so leaning toward tile floor. (just my personal idea, I like the contrast and the way they play against each other).

Very large, glazed sturdy floor tile with no pits (but a bit of texture), colored-small grout lines, cush-y mats in front of sink, etc. This is it so far, and buying is still about 4-6 mths away.

We have wood floors in the kitchen. I like them, and I have had tile too, which I also liked. I have always been concerned about water damage with wood in the kitchen, which hasn't happened to us yet. But friends had an absolute disaster when the icemaker line on their refrigerator blew out while they were away for the weekend. The damage was extensive.

chelsea,

Thanks for the compliment.
The floor boards are each 8" wide but I had them cut to staggar the lengths. DH wanted a thinner width but since it extends into our great room and down a very long hall I felt we needed the larger width. My mind kept seeing toothpicks! My counter is long and curved. In addition to 3 cabinets I have my double DW's, the trash compacter and my sink there.

We do not have anything on our wood. It's not stained, it's not tung oiled, it's just natural. For that reason it should be a pain to take care of but it's not. I really don't see dirt accumulating in the wood cracks and knots. Like I said because of my golden I vacume a lot but I've just never had the problems that some have mentioned here with either my old or this current floor.....as she knocks on wood!

Kats,
your kitchen is very beautiful. I love thye conbination of your hardwood flooring and the stone fireplace and of couse your dog :)

Thanks marthaelena for such a nice compliment.

Might want to look at linoleum. Very durable, green and renewable, easy on the feet...etc. Don't know if ya watch TOH but on one season several years ago they rebuilt Tom's brother's house after it burned down. The house they built was probably at least 1 mil. They used linoleum in the kitchen. You can have boarders installed or make designs in it also. I think there are pictures of it on their web site.

We went with wood and had a refig leak (which seems typical).

No problem with water damage even after a month of leaking and even if there was the installer is the one that would have to pay.

Plus - it's UNDER the refig - not even seen.

You will be happy with wood and always wondering "what if" with tile.

"My brother's house, which was built 6 years ago had hardwood in the kitchen, and the refrigerator ice maker leaked. Had to re-sand and finish the floors 1 month after moving in.
Then, my parents remodeled their kitchen and had hardwoods put in. Had a leak at the dishwasher. Had to sand and refinish, 6 months after installation."

Neither of these likely required anything but 'tincture of time' for the wood to dry out.

The 'fix it now' and 'make it look the same' effect drives folks to do things that are NOT required and likely to result in later problems.

I would bet money that if you examine either of these 'repairs' a year later you can see that the floor is NOT flat at all.
Wood does not expand and contract evenly., and attempting to sand and flatten before the wood has dried out completely makes it look worse after if finally dries out.

Tile requires a very stiff floor, that os about like standing on concrete.
If you are a casual cook and rarely spend a lot of time in the kitchen this may be fine.
If you spend a lot of time standing in the kitchen it eventually becomes a problem.

Even many pro kitchens have mats to relieve the stress of standing on the required 'hard' floors.
The mats are removed and cleaned every day when the kitchen is cleaned.

Finished wood will survive just about anything except prolonged immersion in water.

Kats,

What is that wood? Really looks great, especially the wide plank. Is it really OK unsealed? Appreciate any info you might have on it. Thanks.

coldnose,

The wood is Siberian white oak in 8" planks. It can come in different finishes or custom which is what we did. Our floor is unstained. We have a LOT of south facing windows and french doors so it was recommended we do a UV oil protection when it was installed. But we have not put anything other than water and vinegar on it since then. It is by far the most complimented feature of our home. We have had red wine dropped on it twice now. No problem. Also DH cooked a rare tri-tip and while cutting it the plate slid and he dropped the hot roast- red juices and all ( plus the plate which shattered). No problem. We also had workers scoot our leather couch several feet across the room leaving several scratches. But because we didn't stain the floor- scratches don't show as much. It's like fingernail polish, if you scratch off red polish you're going to see it but if you use just gloss and it scratches you don't notice it. This floor has a lot of dark streaks and knots in it so I used Murphy-dark oil soap applying with a Qtip on just the scratch areas then took off the excess. You would have to know the scratches were there to begin with to ever see them now. And because we consider it a "rustic" floor we don't get all bent out of shape if someone's high heel or a chair does scratch.
The company is Provenze. I've linked their website below for you. The closest you can find to what we got is from their Old World collection. The link doesn't immediately go to that so click wood floors, then click Premier Collection then click "Old World" collection.

Here is a link that might be useful: Provenze Old World

Thank you for the mighty neighborly and very quick reply, Kats.

A brilliant looking floor that you can drop a slab of meat on... now we're getting somewhere!

Sure looks good. Grazie!

Kats - Your flooring (and home) are beautiful! Coincidentally we also went with white oak flooring throughout most of our downstairs. We have lots of south-facing windows, French doors (and a big dog too!), and it's holding up great (including in the kitchen areas). We love our 'character grade' (read, knots, variations, etc.) white oak, but if it ever fails, I'm going to look into Provenze for sure!

coldnose,
You are very welcome, I hope it help you. In our build the flooring was by far the hardest thing to find. Took us months and months. We wanted a rustic floor but didn't want it to be machine or even hand scraped since neither of us are a fan of that repetitive look. For us the search paid off.

home nw,
Thank you. Sounds like we have similar taste in flooring, windows, lighting and hairy family members! I would love to see a picture of your floor. How long have you had your floor? Is it stained or natural? If it's like the floor we had in our last home, every one of us on this forum will be dust before it fails! ;)

kats - Yes, our taste does sound similar. And I'll bet in order of priorities, your hairy family member ranks even higher than your beautiful floor!

Our white oak floor isn't stained, but does have a clear finish on it. We were pretty set on white oak with 'character,' but the machine and hand-scraped wasn't our cup of tea either. We drove many miles (we're hours from the closest big city) to see samples since the exact color really mattered to us. As you know, wood floors next to unpainted wood kitchen cabinets means extra care to ensure the two woods work well side-by-side!

We wanted as wide a board as we could find, but the wood flooring we liked best was only available in a 4-inch wide board. We were a bit worried, but once installed, we liked it just fine.

We've been in our house exactly one year now and the wood floor is holding up well and is easy to maintain (just vacuum and Bona Kemi). We had one standing liquid situation about six months ago (a very, very sick dog). I just knew we'd have to replace a couple boards because they initially looked stained. However, after cleaning up the area, I generously covered it with talcum powder which I left there for several days, and now you can't even tell where the problem was. (Caveat: I don't know if this was actually the right thing to do, but it was all I could think of and it seems to have worked.)

If we ever need to replace our floor, I'd certainly look into Provenze though. Your floor is gorgeous and I love its 'mood.'

Here's a picture of our family room floor (complete with some of those south-facing windows!). The same white oak flooring is in all our downstairs rooms except bathrooms and utility areas.

By the way, that fireplace is a wood-burning fireplace (Fireplace Xtrordinaire) and the floor has had to endure a few random sparks from it too, but it hasn't been a problem.