We are also trying to make the same decision. We currently have wood-look laminate running through the living room, dining room, and hall. In our kitchen remodel, we plan to remove the walls between the LR and DR and kitchen.

I've been leaning towards the tile-look laminate because I'm not thrilled at how hard tile is to stand on. However, while laminate is very sturdy through regular wear and tear, I do have concerns about what would happen should something in the kitchen decide to leak, such as the dishwasher (although we plan on getting a Bosch to avoid that) or the ice maker, or something else.

I will say that I spoke with my BIL the other day. He is an executive chef and has a 3-year-old son. He just put tile down in his kitchen. I asked why tile rather than anything else. He said he chose tile based on the durability alone. He thought of laminate as well but was concerned about water. He did mention buying a few of those big cushy mats to put down by the sink and the island.

I flip-flop on a daily basis. I'm also interested in hearing other opinions on this.

Boy, I feel your frustration. I went through this debate over and over, and finally settled on tile-look laminate for a few reasons:
--cheaper (all the labor is my own)
--less permanent (I have old carpeting that may come up in a few years, and I want to keep my options open for the whole house)
--warmer on the feet and less hard

I'm still worried about the water issue, but I decided to risk it. We'll see.....

Ironically, I was installing it today, and I'm almost done. It is called "vermont slate" by Alloc:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Muscat, thanks for those pictures! I think it looks great, I am hoping for slightly larger tiles.

The whole water issue never occured to me actually. We have wood look laminate now and when we first moved in our dishwasher leaked horribly every night. It didn't seem to affect the floor at all.

Thanks for the advice.

Amy

Tile offers so many more color choices, so much more durability, I've never consider the fake stuff for a moment.

I had the random slate-look laminate that I just recently tore up...unfortunately, no pictures. It looked fake and I hated the feel of it. Hav enow installed a rustic travertine with under tile heating. Love it...no comparison (for me) with the laminate.

I've had tile for over 10 years, in both my kitchen and bathrooms, and only remember one incident of someone slipping and falling. That one time was when I was attacking the kitchen trash can with some sort of spray cleaner and got it on the floor. I slipped and fell, and yes, it did hurt, but it was my stupidity and not the tile that led to the problem. Keep in mind that not all tile is created equal, and that some is definitely more slip-resistant than others.

When we first moved into the house, the tile made my feet and legs sore, but now I can hold a marathon baking session and not be bothered at all. I would not hesitate to use tile again if I were in the market for new flooring. I just don't think you can beat the durability.

I also have some laminate (wood look) in other parts of the house. While it has been down for six or seven years, and I'm sure the product has improved in that time, I have not been pleased with mine, and am looking forward to the day when I can get rid of it.

I have bad knees and a bad back. I won't even entertain the thought of tile in my kitchen. I once spent a few weeks at a beach house w/ tile in the kitchen, and it just about killed my knees -- had to run out and buy a pair of cushy slip-ons to wear in that kitchen.

I have a friend who had wood-look laminate in her Chesapeake bay cottage. The cottage was destroyed by a hurricane one autumn. They cleaned up what they could at the time, but left the foundation (with the laminate floor completely exposed) over the winter until they could come back and rebuild in the spring. When they came back, the laminate was filthy dirty, but its condition was good as new -- not buckled, not warped, no water damage. That sold me on getting a nice laminate for our kitchen -- not sure if it will be wood look or stone look. I like that Vermont slate look above!

muscat: I really like the laminate tile you are putting down. And, I LOVE the stain on the cabinets. Would you mind sharing what the stain is?

i went with real tile based on the potential water issue plus i couldn't get past the "fake" aspect. i've only been back in the kitchen a few days, but my tile is matte and doesn't seem slippery at all.

I didn't read the posts above but here's my 2 cents.

I'm not a fan of real tile on a kitchen floor for several reasons. While it looks gorgeous, it's SOOOO very hard on the legs and feet. Besides that, the grout is a PITA to clean. I don't care what anyone says, it is...I've had it.

With that said, there are beautiful tile-like laminates that are easy to clean and so comfy. Just looks at Muscat's photos.

I had a tile-look laminate in my kitchen and hated it. There were threshholds at both doors where the laminate met the wood that acted as dirt magnets. When I remodeled, I replaced the laminate with hardwood to match the rest of the house. I love it.

I replaced the carpet in my bathrooms and laminate in my kitchen with real tile prior to moving into my home and couldn't be happier. The tile I chose (12"x12" Tau Ceramica Ohio Beige) is somewhat textured which definitely helps with the problems of tile traditionally being slippery. It looks beautiful, the "pattern" of my choice hides day to day messes, and the grout I chose has not stained yet in the 3 years I've lived in my current home (And I've never been down on my hands and knees scrubbing it either). I just love it.

I recently added tile look laminate for several reasons. I really agonized over the choices. I have bad knees and bad back, so tile was out. I would have loved hardwood, but couldn't get past the look of wood cabinets and wood flooring, just too much wood for me. We are also on a slab in the north and I felt laminate with the best pad would be warmer. Its only been a few weeks, so we'll see.

muscat, that looks nice!
we have hardwood in our kitchen, with some real tile (with heater underneath). however, my brother, in an even colder climate has the tile look laminate which with the amount of floor covered, it was a better choice for them than tile (warmer, cheaper). the smoothness of it actually goes nicely with the style of their house and they have it throughout the kitchen, no problems. i think it's pergo.

I have a related question. I am considering a similar "green slate" laminate for my mudroom/bathroom/laundry area adjacent to kitchen. I thought sheet vinyl was the way to go. Are individual laminate "tiles" better wearing than going with a sheet of vinyl a "slate tile" look?
I am trying to keep cost down in this utility area. Any Thoughts on sheet vinyl for durability and cost effectiveness?

I have had tiles in my kitchen for all these years and can't wait to get rid of it!
Not only it is soo hard on your feet and on your back - but every dish that you drop on it, breaks into a thousand tiny pieces.
And with 3 kids in the house - it happens regularly!!
Take a look at the Duraceramics - they look just like real tile, but so much softer and warmer.
As for me, i will be getting the Amtico vynil floors for my kitchen this time.

We have a floating laminate floor in our kitchen/family room. Price was not an object, but rather comfort and ease of cleaning. Water clean up, it doesn't scratch, great on the back and knees. We have ours installed over a 1/4" or maybe it is a 3/8" rubber pad. Our specific type is the higher end with a 25 year warranty, and is suitable for installation in bathrooms. Elsewhere in the house we have ceramic tile and red-oak hardwood, so I'm familiar with those surfaces. This floor has been down for over two years and looks as good as the day it was installed.

I approve.

I've seen some that look really great. (I've never seen "wood" laminate that failed to offend my snob nerve though!) My friends have a Pergo slate-tile floor and except for it feeling gentle underfoot, it's a really good imitation. Easy to clean, easy to drop things onto, and comfy. Go for it! It's just too sensible to not.

Amy- there are a ton of size and color options with laminate tiles, but I dont think any are larger than 12"x12".

ganggreen980- Thank you! The cabinets are actually not stained. It is an oil based finish called Waterlox on mahogany. Oil based finishes bring out the depth and color more than water based. It just makes the wood look "wet"

gwent- I think for pure durability, water issues and ease of care, nothing beats sheet vinyl or linoleum. I was going to go for high end vinyl, just for functionality, but I have heard that sheet products are pretty hard to self install well. So even though the product was less expensive, once labor was factored in, it would have been a wash. So without a cost savings, and with laminates looking better (to me) that made the decision.

Now, if money were not an issue, and I did not have a cement slab to work with, I would have done amtico! It is am AMAZING vinyl product. But is is pretty expensive, and I wanted a little padding between me and the cement slab.

Vinyl plank flooring is another option. I'm seriously considering it for my kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinyl Plank

I have 15" x 15" tiles by Quickstep.

My tiles are 15-1/2" by Mannington. They come three to a plank.