Thanks for the advice! The plank we have is floating, but you are right..so easy to care for and we did have to pull up one when it was gouged...easy fix! I do love it. Maybe I should put it throughout the house...it just does seem like a great kitchen/bath/laundry floor but not really a living room/entry/hallway one. I would also save about $800 if we did it because that is the install cost of the laminate (which has to be a pro). The vinyl (Trafficmaster Allure) can be installed with just an exacto knife, no kidding. However, I think a pro would "finish" it better than my hubby...there is a rock fireplace and other places where trim is a bit of an issue. I talked to my guy today and he said that we would place it at a 90 degree angle to the kitchen and the color change would be fine. I want to be a couple of shades darker but not so dark as to show dust and dog hair (the vinyl shows NOTHING!). I thought maybe the distressed hickory? Or pecan? Argh. Thanks again for the advice. If anyone has butted up two kinds/colors/types of wood or wood-look floor and either liked it or hated it, I would love to know!

Yes, I have had three experiences with vinyl plank flooring, as follows: My father installed Konecto in his addition- a woodworking shop, bathroom workout room (with treadmill) and wine cellar (including stairs). The floor has been in for over two years and looks fantastic. Any scratches disappear with the same vinyl spray you use on your car's dashboard. I installed Konecto in the bathroom of my home that has now become a rental. The floor was so uneven that the tile installed, most likely just prior to sale, cracked and the grout fell out within a week of my moving in. Wet towels and puddles of water have sat on the year-old vinyl plank, with no problems. My father owns a working farm that he rents; Allure was installed in the kitchen and held up to the mud-and-gravel-encrusted boots that slog through the kitchen. It has been in for almost a year and looks great. These experiences drew me to vinyl plank flooring in the house I "inherited" when I got married; however, I still researched other options such as hardwoods and laminates. While it is a personal choice, I have found the following in my particular case: The house, in its present condition, needs so much work that we are upside down already (purchased from a family member, you know how it goes...) and have major expenses such as plumbing, electric, flooring and a kitchen- the current kitchen is gutted. For my neighborhood, I will never recoup the costs, even at bargain-basement prices. This is something all remodelers should consider- are you creating a $300,000 home in a $150,000 neighborhood? Also, with the way that folks love to remodel these days and put their own stamp on their homes, who is to say that the next owners won't cover your beautiful hardwoods with carpet? Finally, practicality: we have 2 dogs and 3 cats and plan for children soon. In our shotgun house we don't want to break up the visual aesthetic of openness by having different types of flooring in the living room, dining room, kitchen and bath, we wanted a unified, seamless look For water resistance, vinyl is the way to go. Not to mention the logistics of installation- in our situation the thickness of the vinyl works best with our current flooring/trim combination. If my situation were different, I might choose a different floor, but when looking at the whole picture, vinyl seemed the way to go for us! We also plan on staying here for some time, so resale is less of a concern, but it is in our minds (though I have never bought a house I didn't change, so your potential buyer might too!). If you would like pictures of the three aforementioned vinyl plank "experiences" I can ask family members/tenants to send some. Also, check out your local commercial joints. For example, my grocery store has vinyl plank floors that look great after 5 years of squeaky, wobbly cart wheels running over them. Hope this helps and good luck with your remodel!!

I vote for floating, click, wood look, luxury vinyl plank. I especially like the style with knots and chatter marks. Lay it throughout the whole house, on the diagonal, with no thresh holds. That's what I did. I can clean the entire house in approximately five minutes with an electric leaf blower. Porcelain tile is more durable however it is more expensive to buy, more expensive to install, and more expensive to uninstall. Also, some tile is extremely slippery when wet whereas wood grain LVP is not slippery at all. Five years later I am happier than ever I chose grey driftwood luxury vinyl plank for a house with dogs, kids, beach sand, and lots of wet feet. If the house gets inundated from storm surge and ocean water gets inside, I can unclick the LVP, clean and dry the subfloor, and then reinstall the same LVP and it will look as good as new.

Only the last one and honestly I would take the time to remove the tile and do all the floors the same . That tile drives everything in your kitchen what floor did you choose for the rest of the house that is what goes in there