There are a lot of reasons why many of the floor choices you listed wouldn't work for a space as large as the one you're talking about, especially the kitchen, like the stone, it's just too hard to stand on for any length of time. We chose wood, installed Brazilian Walnut in our kitchen (because we have oak cabinets) and oak flooring throughout the remainder of the entry level and we love it!

Thanks, Lukkirish - I got the list from finished kitchens list of possible kitchen flooring. Thanks for your input on the wood. I'm looking forward to other responses. I wonder how wood holds up with alot of regular direct sunlight. in california with lots of windows. also, is water a problem at all with wood floors or are there sealing products now that protect them?

Have you looked at the associated pros and cons of each one as can be found in a number of kitchen books or similar? That may suggest to you some things that you do or don't care about--standing, coldness, break-y for dropped things,cleaning, grout, cost (for some people that would eliminate a few materials right off the bat) --and may give you some focus.

Your decorating style will also give a lot of direction--very formal, no dings allowed, vs. weathered, etc. and also what type of furnishings. In theory, each product line would have an array of choices to fit different styles, but some are more formal than others.

I guess I've not seen as much hardwood used in baths , because you might have major drips every day, but a greater concern to me is that by definition you would have moist bath mats. Drips you can wipe up. Wet stuff should not remain on the wood floor. Of course there may be more intensive treatments you could do to the wood in the bath--like marine finishes --that would not have to be applied in the other rooms. Other issues are whether the bath is major kid-tub overflow type, vs. guest bath, grown-up bath--in terms of water abuse (notwithstanding a plumbing emergency). Someone else with a wood-floored bath may wish to comment.

If you search this forum, you can find lots of threads that tackle this question from various angles--folks asking wood vs. tile, etc plus I think just about every material you have listed has been debated on some thread. Those debates often are a good way to get thinking about pros and cons. So try some queries about specific products or even "floors".

This was just in the L.A. Times. They used terrazzo through the whole house. Scroll through the photos and you can see it in the LR, kitchen, master and bath.

Photo of LR

Story

I'm sold on wood!
In the home we recently sold, we planned to have tongue and groove red oak over a recessed slab every where except the kitchen and baths. As we were watching the slab being poured, we realized they had incorrectly formed adding the recess in the kitchen also. I was so worried but had no choice--it had to be wood.
That was our first and BEST mistake.
We sealed with a low gloss poly. The wood held up beautifully through the 13 years we lived there. It survived 2 refrigerator water line leaks, a dishwasher leak, plus the everyday splashes and spills a kitchen must endure.
Our new home will also have wood floors everywhere except baths.
Bonus: wood floors are much easier on the feet and legs. And it's soooo easy to maintain.

Don't have it and it only recently caught my attention but I think Amtico is a really impressive product that will give you excellent performance and still look great in all those rooms.

I cannot imagine cleaning grout thru out a house. My kitchen and baths are enough. Seal all you like, it doesn't work.

There are a lot of reasons why many of the floor choices you listed wouldn't work for a space as large as the one you're talking about, especially the kitchen, like the stone, it's just too hard to stand on for any length of time.

Not to be argumentative, but this is true for some people but by far, not all. Tile, either ceramic (including porcelain) or stone, is one of the best wearing surfaces you could ask for. It doesn't fade, it'll take temperature extremes very well, it doesn't scratch (except under extreme conditions), and will take just about anything you, your family, your guests, or your pets, could throw at it.

Additionally, in the case of ceramic (especially porcelain), it's also THE lowest maintenence flooring you could every have, with the only possible exception being terrazzo.

We love tile. Our current house has slate looking porcelain tile in every room, even the bedrooms. It's a passive solar house, so we needed a lot of tile for the thermal mass. We went ahead and did the whole house because in our last house we had tile in every room except the bedrooms. We had that tile for the last 10 years we lived there. Tile is by far our favorite flooring and we've also had wood, laminate, vinyl, and carpet.

I cook a lot and actually prefer tile in the kitchen. It's so easy to keep clean. (We have 1/8 inch grout lines - sealed with Aqua Mix sealer.) After 10 years, standing on tile doesn't bother my feet, but if it starts to, I'll get gel pads.

For me, the only draw back of tile is what happens when you drop something on it.

All flooring has negative qualities. I think that the more you like something - the easier it it to overlook the negatives. For instance, if you really love wood, the maintenance is worth it. If you like tile or stone, the hardness is worth it. If you drop things often and are prone to falls, go for vinyl.

Ditto lisadelrio. You're not going to get someone else pick what's best for you. But, all these ideas can help you hone in on what is most important and what the trade-offs are.

You might like to take some time and go through a bunch of open houses on the weekends--especially higher-end homes that will not have just carpet. Books are one thing, but walking through some homes, in which you can experience large expanses of some of these materials, might help. It won't tell you about maintenance--that will take the research and asking (you still will get different opinions) but may help you identify one or more "looks" that you like, or don't.

We have white oak throughout our main floor, which includes the kitchen. The wood has held up very well for 12 years.

We had the floors refinished 4 years ago. The finish does not allow water to penetrate.

I wouldn't trade our wood floors for tile or vinyl or any other material.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT