I have a nerve issue in my feet...too much time on them and they literally feel like they're burning. The harder the floor, the worse it is. I have vinyl on slab and it's like standing directly on the concrete. I've worked on tile too, and it was about the same. For that reason, tile was nixed as an option from day 1. I've never spent a lot of time on a wood floor in the kitchen, but I can't imagine that a floating floor wouldn't be better than concrete. At the very least a nice cushioned underlayment will offer some relief. I'm nervous about cork too. We're still considering it for the living and dining room, but for the kitchen I'm using click linoleum. It has cork as the bottom layer and I'm hoping that, with an additional cushioning underlayment, ill be able to work in the kitchen without shoes for a change.

we're on slab. wood is much softer than tile no question about that. had both. ours is /was engineered wood too. the tiles were porcelain I presume but can't be sure.

we went with wood in the kitchen as well this time..mostly because i didn't want chop up the space too much..but i did take this consideration of softer vs harder into account. i'm exceptionally clumsy though-every surface, i look at it whether it's going to kill me softly or not..:)

my DH was very into picking the right material for the under the floors..to soundproof it more etc. they have all sorts of glues now. gives more cushioned feel as well. i don't remember right now what we went with, but can ask him.

great suggestions of transition from mrspete

We're on concrete in our condo. In the condo we just sold we had engineered hardwood floors. Never had a problem with my back or knees. We're now renting in the same building and the owner has tile throughout. I had to go out and buy a gel mat just so I could draw. (I'm an artist and I stand at an easel to draw.) If I am working in the kitchen, I need to periodically sit down because the tile is so much harder.

In our new build which is on a slab, you can bet we're doing engineered hardwoods instead of tile.

I have engineered wood on slab with no issues. We are a shoe free home. Socks or bare feet only in house and it's fine.

I would say the answer to your question is a big yes--tile is harder. Marmoleum click might be an option. I don't have it, but I've walked on it and it's very resilient. I think the construction is similar to engineered wood.

I read this earlier in the day and thought of Marmoleum, so went and looked it up. Marmoleum Click is linoleum over cork. Then I got distracted and didn't reply. It sounds good for your use, but be sure to look up people with personal experience here on GardenWeb (google "marmoleum click site:gardenweb.com"). Some people who had it weren't so enchanted several years in. Check further than I did to see if newer reviews indicate that earlier issues were addressed by the manufacturer and/or those issues apply to you.

It sounds like you'll be wearing shoes. I'd recommend a good running shoe, one with a cushioning midsole. Adidas makes models with Boost, excellent cushioning that does not wear out. The Ultra Boost model has the maximum and Supernova Glide a little less. I use these for mountain biking rocky trails. Without them the soles of my feet become numb from the pounding after a couple hour of hard riding.

The white pebbly stuff is produced by BASF, Because of this Adidas stock has tripled in the last 3 years.

When we moved into this house we had vinyl flooring in the kitchen and I never noticed a problem. But it's not on slab - we have a basement underneath. But when we remodeled we decided on porcelain since we had 3 kids and 2 dogs. They ripped out the vinyl and installed a wet bed and then the tile. I lived with that for 20 years and I definitely noticed the difference - and of course I've aged 20 years too. I bought gel mats for the sink and cooktop area.

When we move this summer we're removing the tile on slab in the kitchen and putting down engineered hardwood - Mirage red oak. It will be much easier on my body and I won't need the mats.

Thanks for all the thoughts. Sounds like tile on slab would be firmer on feet than wood on slab. I'll also look into the Marmoleum Click suggestion. Have to admit I'm a bit of a snob on the idea of vinyl but I should look at it.

Thanks for the shoe suggestion! I have a chronic plantar fascitis problem and have been fighting peroneal tendonitis for over 2 years. I am always in either my Birkenstocks (use for house shoes/slippers) or sneakers with custom orthotics. Every step. I miss being barefoot -- was a total barefoot person before.

On transitions my concern if I go with wood is it would be an big opening from the kitchen to the LR/DR which has a wood floor that I cannot continue there (rustic boards nailed in - I don't think it can be matched on the slab and it has gaps that I don't love for the kitchen (have it in my kitchen now). So I'm not sure how it would look to have a big wide opening changing woods. Like the tile examples above I guess some boards placed across the opening framing the transition point.

Kfpwvt, marmoleum isn't vinyl. It's a natural product made of linseed oil, pine rosin, wood flour and cork dust. As a sheet product it goes over a jute backing. As the click plank product, I believe it has a HDF core and cork on the bottom.

as to your peroneal tendinitis, have you tried KT tape? I had a bout with PT and the KT tape helped immensely. It wasn't a chronic issue, though, so I don't know how helpful it would be in the long term.

I just started googling marmoleum after I posted. Looks like a great idea. Does anyone know if it is good over radiant heat (I'l google that next).

I've been doing PT. Did a lot of the KT tape earlier on which especially helped with the plantar fascitis part. Having some success with dry needling now (stick acupuncture type needles in). It is actually a lot better finally. But still an issue and I'm not confident at this point it will ever completely go away. So I suppose I should reconsider the tile. Although, tile with gel mat in work zone and shoes on probably would work too. But I do want this to be a kitchen people hang around at in a party etc -- and there won't be gel mats everywhere!

I just noticed that you asked about cork vs rubber for your exercise room. We did cork (floating) in our basement.... so cork over concrete, and it has been wonderful. It is so warm and comfy on the feet, even in the middle of our Canadian winters. We have a large exercise room in the basement as well and while it probably isn't as durable as rubber for a gym you also have to remember that it also doesn't get the same kind of traffic and abuse when it is a personal use space. I will tell you that we have had our gym for 6 years or so, and we have dropped weights on it (oops), and used our slam balls on it, and it has held up perfectly. We moved our elliptical and there was no mark I may be biased, but I also think it looks and smells better than rubber.

Thanks for the great information on cork in an exercise room. Especially good to hear about the dropped weights, slam balls and moving the elliptical without marks. That was the type of stuff I was worried about. Agree the smell would be better. And I think if for some reason (not planned at all) we sold the house cork would be better if a future buyer used the room for a different purpose.

Have to admit I'm a bit of a snob on the idea of vinyl but I should look at it.

Marmoleum is NOT vinyl. It's an all natural product.

I put Marmoleum in my house in NY. I had the sheet product not click. It matched the old fashioned vinyl floor look and due to the age of that house it was perfect. Loved walking on it. Fast forward to moving to the Florida Keys. Tile floor throuhout and boy did my knees and feet start to ache. I bought gel mats for the kitchen and that help a lot. There's my experience with both....hope it helps you decide.

We have a slab home with in floor heat thru-out out. It has ceramic tile thru out because we felt wood might insulate some of the heat from warming the house. Or the wood might dry out over time. I have had plantar fascistic in both feet and both hips replaced. The fitted orthotics were the only thing the relieved the plantar fascistic and I have had no problem with that for years now. DH and I both make a point to always wear house shoes (mine have the orthotics in them). I have bought LL Bean comfort mocs in the "slides" version for years. That way they come off easy without un-lacing or having to pull them off. Yet, they hold my orthotics in place and have plenty of support. I can stand for hours cooking and baking without any leg or back problems. When I sit, I like to have my shoes off and my feet up so the comfort mocs with the mostly open back work really well for quick on and off.