Do you plan to remodel the kitchen at some point in the future? If so, how soon?

Just the flooring. As soon as I can decide on best color in laminate wood look. Do you have any suggestions on also what is best brand or what I look for in a look like wood that doesnt break the budget and will last??

Dark floors have fallen out of favor because they are very difficult to keep looking nice. You would think they would hide everything but dust and dirt are lighter in color and stick out like a sore thumb.

I would pick a medium tone stain and break up the wood look in the kitchen with a nice indoor outdoor area rug.

There are so many brands of floors and stain colors. Have you narrowed it down at all? Home lighting and surrounding colors can impact how a stain looks. Be sure to bring home large samples to check how the stains work in your space.

Hmmmm....I think some definitions need to be established here. Shane, you are using the word "hardwood" in one spot and then "laminate wood" in another.

Could you please tell us whether or not you are looking at ENGINEERED hardwood (real hardwood sitting on layers of plywood) or LAMINATE floors (a photograph of wood sitting on fibreboard).

This makes a HUGE difference when it comes to kitchens.As for colour, I would look at natural Hickory (as in hickory that does NOT have a stain on it). It is normally quite light (over all) but has plenty of streaks of darker wood. The darker wood is IDENTICAL in colour to your cabinets (same cool brown/mushroom brown) which would tie in nicely with your kitchen.

Please show photos of the rest of the house....it will help us visualize the total space.

I have kitchen cabs similar in color (well, mine are a little redder, which I hate). What we did is put very light rustic engineered wood in the entire downstairs, but greige tile in the kitchen. When you install both at once, a skilled crew can make the transition between them be smooth (no transition strip). This way, your cabinets don't "compete" with your wood flooring color choice (you could even go darker on your floors, since they wouldn't be right underneath your cabinets). And you would avoid the "too much wood" I think you might be concerned about.

Additionally, I have been very, very glad we went with tile in the kitchen. Dog spills water bowl, kids spill milk, refrigerator water dispenser drips, etc etc, are no worry at all on tile.

Hickory is still my favourite for what I'm seeing. It can have a bit of a country feel to because it contains 12 - 15 different shades of "brown wood"....but that doesn't seem to be too far away from the home you've created.

I would suggest a timeless medium Walnut colour, not too dark and certainly not too light. Gunsmoke is one name the comes to mind.

Agree with a more medium tone flooring.

floor - Polyvore · More Info

I think we have decided on Coretec Enhanced Mornington Oak. It is by Mohawk. From the reviews, it has gotten for guarantee and water guarantee at our local store. Was looking at Lowes but wasn't happy with reviews for Pergo. This is a little higher in price but sounds like it is more reassuring with the problem of water if it occurs. It is a vinyl but I like the look of it and will get estimates the 19th of this month. Unless I do more research and find something else that I feel better about. This is harder than I thought it would be.......

I like it. You are certainly going in the right direction. So long as the UNDERTONES work with the cabinets (browns can clash because of red or lack thereof).

I have 2 1/4 natural oak solid hardwood - it has been around over a hundred years. It is solid hardwood, so may be more than laminate, though it is often one of the less expensive hardwood floors because it is not trendy. It is often less than engineered. The fact it has been around so long makes it more timeless and there is the advantage of being able to patch or repair an area since it is always available. Many styles of engineered, laminate, LVP and wood look tile are discontinued within two years.

The natural seems to work with most brown wood tones.

Pics of my oak kitchen in my "my pics" idea book.