Wood has been used in kitchen for...well a reaaaaaally long time.

The thing is, if there is a massive water leak, lets say a dishwasher issue, no the wood floors wont hold up as well as LVP or tile. They may be able to be savaged (drying them out) or refinished though. Small issues, like spilled food or a glass of water, wood will be fine. The great thing about real hardwood is that they can be refinished multiple times. Also, if there is a big leak and a few boards get damaged those can be replaced.

So is it the most durable flooring for a kitchen? No. But its aesthetic appeal and practicality of being able to be repaired/refinished makes it a solid choice still.

If in your market most homes have real wood in the kitchen, buyers will expect that when you put yours on the market. Since you have to replace your flooring anyways as you said, give the buyers what they want. Faux wood (such as LVP and wood tile) also does not work well to real wood, so those two options would be out unless you're replacing all the flooring.

If you are absolutely certain you will be selling in the very near future (2-5 years) then go with what the market tells you to go with (ie. you are designing a kitchen for someone else). If you are looking to sell in 7-10 years, then go with what YOU WANT....because the kitchen will need an update by then anyways.

Personally, I would bring in a white counter (or very light) and then run the oak strip hardwood into the kitchen. I would then refinish all the wood at the same time. I would do this the SAME YEAR you want to sell the house.

Yep. Do the counters and the floors just a few months (like 6-10mos) before listing your home. That way you will have the most up-to-date look possible. And the floors will look amazing!

How old are your current hardwood floors?

Yes, continue your hardwood floors into the kitchen. Best wishes!

just how often is your kitchen under water? a few splashes or spills here and there aren't going to hurt the wood.

Take McCarthys advice (but I'd redo the floors sooner rather than later. it looks like you need it)

the other option would be a larger porcelain tile (these are either 24x24 or 30x30) without that large transition piece.

I'm also concerned about wood floors in the kitchen; seems like wood and water don't mix well. Here are the scenarios I've heard about: a) in my friends' kitchen, there is problem with planks near the dishwasher. No major spill, just ongoing little dripping, I think. It doesn't look great but they are just living with it. You may be able to put a pan beneath the DW. b) I asked other friends about the little drips on their hardwood floors (i.e. people spilling things) and they said "get a dog" because theirs laps up everything. c) The hardwood floor guy who gave me a quote for the rest of my house said that the fridge is the biggest culprit, when there is a leak from the ice maker or water dispenser on the front. So...if you don't need to connect water to your fridge, that might reduce the risk of problems.

I also wonder about the transition from one flooring to another.

@Beth, do you know what the top tile is, the beige one? thanks

yes, it's Arkim (Vincentina) on Tilebar.

https://tilebar.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=ark

they have many other large format tiles too. 5 samples for $5!

https://tilebar.com/collection/porcelain-tile/shop-by-look-porcelain.html

Great! Thanks a lot, Beth!!!!

I've had oak floors in my kitchen since 1985 and never had a problem.

I've had site-finished wood floors (white oak) in two kitchens and have had no problems. Yes, I did have to replace a couple of boards when the ice maker "off" position broke and water filled the freezer and went onto the floor under the refrig. It was no big deal.

If ones dishwasher is leaking, then fix it! I've never had problems with drips just filling it, nor has my DD whose kitchen is far more "lively" than mine.

Many engineered hardwood floors and pre-finished ones just don't hold up as well as site-finished ones do. Yes, I put the dog's water dish on a waterproof mat, but other than that, I take no extra care with mine.

I was about to type out this really detailed response all about long-term care for woodfloors in bathrooms and kitchens; yes, we even have them in our bathrooms. But I just re-read your post and you said you are selling in a few years. So my long-term wood-care advice is not relevant. Let the real estate market guide your choice, and that sounds like you should update your kitchen in some manner. Whether that means you extend the wood is an open question. I don't know how much of a spruce up or remodel you are planning on, or your budget, but for that you should also let the real estate market be your guide. Consult with a local realtor to decide how far to go with it. You might find that the advice is to deal with the 2 different cabinet finishes, re-paint the walls, and change the floor. Or you might decide to go further, changing the layout, counters, backsplash, etc. It's not a huge kitchen so you might want to eliminate the extra sink. Your skylight is really nice and your appliances look great. A realtor can help you decide how far to take your changes.

Now, if you decide on woodfloors, enjoy them, but protect them. You don't want to ruin them before you go to sell!

- put a nice woven rug in front of the sink. Get a rug that is many inches wider than the sink cabinet so that it extends to be in front of the dishwasher and extends equally on the other side so it is symetrical. That way, when you are loading or unloading the dishwasher, any drips or dribbles will fall on the rug. Plus they look pretty.

- put a water-absorbing mat under the pet bowls or move their feeding place to a different place entirely if that won't upset your pets too much.

- if there is an entry from the backyard, put a good mat outside, a shoe rack or basket outside, and a nice woven rug just inside the door. We aren't a no-shoes-in-the-house family, but we are a no-shoes-coming-into-the-kitchen-from-a-wet-or-muddy-backyard family.

After having said all that, I would still consider tile in your situation. A nice large neutral porcelain or travertine tile would look really nice. Ask the realtor about it. A lot of people prefer tile, and the realtor might have a clear read on that because they are interacting with buyers all day everyday.

Good luck!

Karenmo , they are not a good idea..... they are a GREAT idea! All of our clients doing both renovations and new builds are putting wood in their kitchens.

Wide Plank White Oak Wood Floor in Nashville TN Modern Farmhouse · More Info

Way bigger issues here than the floor which should be OAK.

This is what happens when you peck at a kitchen re do. Certainly isn't big enought for two sinks........but it DOES need a properly located counter depth stainless fridge. : ( and one color for cabinets.

Thanks for sharing your experience Oak & Board. Can't help wondering why, after all these years of some kind of general ambivalence about wood floors in kitchens, has this become such a "thing?" Do you have any insights? As far as I am aware, it's not as if anything has changed with technology or product availability to open up new possibilities (as when the Corian came on the scene or the stone importers geared up for granite counters)?

Oooops, sorry Oak & Broad for screwing up your name just now in my last comment! I am sure I am not the first, but still.

It's a "thing" because a new build, for the last 15 years has virtually no edge to edge carpet on the main floor. It has area rugs on hardwood. A single flooring makes a home look larger and smoother. In open areas, this is especially true. So ............that hardwood runs from a front door into every other space on a main floor including a powder room most of the time. The exceptions are a mud area entry SOME of the time and a first floor laundry MOST of the time. Other than that? ALL hardwood, oak or other, engineered or sand on site, or the look of it in LVP or LVT. As much ONE floor/ one finish/ one species as one can do.

Oak is one of the hardest woods around, and is a fantastic choice for kitchens and virtually every other room in the house. Looks great and cleans up well. Clean spills quickly and you'll have no problem with water damage. (The story about the slow drips from the DW is very concerning--not normal.)

Just make sure you get quality materials and use a floor guy who really knows what he is doing. The finish is key--if done right the floor will look great now and in the future, done wrong and you'll regret it. And yes, site finished while more disruptive in the short term is a better choice long term.

Ah, I think I am starting to see -- with the amazing technological advance that advent of the LVP has been -- a thing that imitates wood so well, but costs less, is easy to install, and is waterproof to boot, it was kind of a no-brainer for industry to use that almost everywhere for new construction. So Voila! That became the "thing." The driver, if you will. And now the people with the REAL wood floors are falling in line with this trend. Thank you JAN MOYER for the insight!

We are lucky have a couple of really good hardwood floor technicians in our area, so I will contact them for estimates. The oak floors in the adjacent rooms are original to the house (c. 1970) so matching them will be important.

It all began with the REAL THING, REAL FLOOR, dear. The LVP was far behind a real wood floor trend. Everywhere.

LVP imitates wood poorly in my opinion but then again i'm a wood floor guy. :-) Try refinishing LVP in 10-15 years, or staining it a different color when taste and styles change. LVP in a $1m plus home may also have some prospective buyers turn around and walk out.

We have oak hardwood throughout our home and it does beautifully unite the open space as mentioned above (our entire first floor is contiguous oak floor). We love it, had it in a previous home and would do it again. However, within the past month we have had a dishwasher issue and the floor in front of it swelled up, discolored, and became rough and uneven. So much so that it caused us to stumble as we walked past. A DW hose had a leak and water leaked out from the DW UNDER the wood floor - so we were unable to mop it up promptly. We turned off the water leading to the DW - luckily we have another sink and second DW in the kitchen so it was minimally inconvenient for the several days until a repairman could come out. We've had the DW fixed and the floor has dried out and has returned almost to normal but the uneven-ness of the floor is still felt underfoot as we walk by - not causing stumbles - but not in its former perfect condition. We haven't explored solutions yet but I think we'll need to get in a flooring person and determine how to re-sand and re-finish it and how to do so in a way that matches all the surrounding oak floor. So in complete honesty, if you go with wood, it will be beautiful but you do need to be prepared for a problem that could occur. And in the past when we had our black lab dog, she created a perpetual water overflow problem when she lapped water from her bowl which sat on the wood floor - you will need a large mat (like a boot tray) under the water bowl to prevent discoloration, swelling and unevenness. But I would still go with our oak floor again - still love it.

We put wood floors in our last kitchen and they were great. I kept little kitchen rugs in front of the sink and dishwasher to catch any water drops. For me I'd base the decision on my personal preference along with what's appropriate for the house. It looks like continuing the wood floors in the kitchen would be a great option for you.

Random thoughts about oak flooring in the kitchen:

- Looks great. This is not up for debate.

- If your neighborhood is "all wood", you need wood OR a high-end alternative. LOTS of people can't tell the difference.

- Wood-look options also are attractive, and the nicer versions are almost as nice-looking as real wood. Once you've added in cabinets and tables and throw rugs, the floors become a "background item" and don't stand out as much as you might think when you're standing in the flooring showroom.

- Yes to preventative care such as mats under the dog dish, throw rugs at the door and the sink.

- Yes, if you have a flood, it's likely to be the dishwasher or the refrigerator. After all, it's hard to know if a water trickle has started leaking behind your dishwasher ... hard to know until you start to see the evidence months later. Since I'm not willing to forego the ice maker or dishwasher, I see no solution. Call it a modern life tax.

- Sure, real wood can be refinished, but people tend to toss that idea out as if it's as easy as cleaning out the refrigerator. In the real world, refinishing that wood means calling someone in, removing your furniture, and putting up with some real irritation. If you have an open floor plan (and who doesn't?), you'll probably have to refinish the living room too. And then there's the bill.

- Whatever you get, it's smart to get an extra box or two of the product to keep ... instead of refinishing everything, have a pro come in and use that leftover wood to replace your problem area.

For decades, wood floors were varnished and then kept waxed. Water spots on wax, so wood floors in a kitchen were never waxed - would be slipper, too.

The polyurethane came along and it was a game changer. Now the floors in the kitchen could look shiny and not water spot or be slippery with a drop or two of water.

In my neighborhood, buyers expect hardwood floors in everyroom except the bathrooms. And they prefer site-finished ones.

Bed, Bath & Beyond has many choices of pet food/water dish mats. I have one under my dog's water dish and it works very well and makes no marks on the floor below it.

I also LOVE the Waterhog mats for the door to the outside in my kitchen. It not only catches water from wet paws, it catches mud and yard trash as well. They're fabulous!

For those that say wood floors were always in style, you must be young, LOL. Wood floors were not popular in the 80s and people actually covered them up with carpeting or replaced with tile or linoleum. Hard to believe, I know, but true.

That being said, I love my white oak hardwood in my kitchen. We did have a problem once with a faucet leak, so leaks are not out of the question, but for the most part wood is very durable if finished correctly. I do not recommend wood in powder rooms, we replaced ours with tile. Too many issues with toilet leaks, etc.

I have it in my kitchen and don't have any problem

people covered them in the 50's and 60's when wall to wall carpeting became a thing. I grew up in the 60's and 70's and don't remember one house with hardwood flooring. everyone had carpet. and linoleum in the kitchen.

You can always put a piece of plywood, the same thickness, under the dishwasher & refrigerator with a little flooring in front of them. If there is water damage it should be an easier fix.

I sure hope so as we are installing solid hardwood!

Ceramic Tiles are ideal but solid wood, oak wood, or any other wood flooring should be okay. As long as the right waterproofing techniques are placed and plumbing is sound, you should not have much problems.

Our hardwood floor has functioned well in our kitchen. We refinished it and the sealer keeps water from penetrating wood. Our kitchen floor is original to the house, built in 1928.

They look good. Just hope for the best and plan for the worst. Keep some of the flooring you put in your kitchen so if there is a leak or a repair that is needed you have some on hand. In this case if its real plank wood floors you can always get some more if needed and refinish floors or try to match where the water damage happened.

"- Yes, if you have a flood, it's likely to be the dishwasher or the
refrigerator. After all, it's hard to know if a water trickle has
started leaking behind your dishwasher ... hard to know until you start
to see the evidence months later. Since I'm not willing to forego the
ice maker or dishwasher, I see no solution."

There is always the "leak detector" option!