I put a high quality, floating floor in my apt kitchen in NYC to help with pet wear and tear. NOT the best option. If one piece needs to be replaced (and with pet accidents it bubbles very easily), you have to undo a whole section because they are interlocked. Also, they just don't look that great, no matter what we paid. So when it came time to make the rest of the apt floor look decent, we switched to vinyl planks from Lowes. Sounds gross, but they're actually amazing looking. Our apt was built in the 1880's, (the original floor was long destroyed and removed before we got it),and I found a dark gunstock in a wider cut that almost matched our neighbor's original floor exactly. You ready for this? 98 cents a sq foot! If one gets damaged you peel it off (with some effort) and put a replacement. Echoflooring is sooo right about batch colors. Get it all at once and mix up the boxes as you lay it. We have a bunch of mixed ones for replacement and haven't used one, not one, but I know we have them. Lowes will recommend their sealer,but we didn't use it. They self stick just fine. One or two spots came up after we were first done and someone on line told us to use a hairdryer to reheat it and lay a book on top overnight. Worked like a dream. Our apt in NY is 800 sq ft and our current tenant is a photographer with two rescue cats and she loves the floor. Even with her keen eye, we had to tell her they were vinyl and how to replace it if she had a pet accident. She was blown away! I will try to post a picture of our NY apt floor for you. To be fair to our tenant the photographer, I took the horrible quality pics w my cell, not her! LOL! Choose wisely for your space and go with your fave, not what everyone says you should do, incl me. And pls do remember the color batch issue echoflooring brought up. Good luck :) Here is a link that might be useful: NYC vinyl plank floor

I live in a high rise and there is travertine tile in the common area. It is polished and so it resembles granite or marble. It has been down for at least 20 years and looks as good as new. Periodically the building hires a professional to clean and polish the stone and clean the grout and that it looks perfect again. Porcelain is quite a durable material as well. When I was looking at choices I considered some of the manmade materials but I preferred the look of natural stone. FWIW I went with wood in my kitchen and the newer finishes are amazingly durable. I was skeptical because I had lived with older floors that had either a waxed finish or a less durable finish. Of course it might be difficult to match the pre-existing hardwood anyway.

So, an update: Our highly competent and trustworthy handyman strongly recommended, given cost and durability considerations, that we go with laminate instead of porcelain tile. (The porcelain would cost about 4 times more to install, and budget is definitely a consideration for us.) We found one that is a stone look rather than a woodgrain look. It's not Tarsus Gray, but it's pretty and will do quite nicely, methinks -- a definite improvement from the current flooring. Below left is the picture of what we're going with; the second picture is the Tarsus Gray for comparison; the third is the current flooring.

Of course they like you! Point is as noted previously. I didn't say surgical. I can think your house reeks, or your outfit looks like hell, or your sofa is ugly. Doesn't mean I don't like you or I'm not coming to visit. I MAY talk to myself when I leave.....: ) I have one sister who quit smoking a decade ago.,another who smokes. They love one another, but it is an issue that the sister who quit, can not stay more than a couple hours. Kills her. Cat ownership means excellent maintenance, and I can tell you the cats appreciate it immensely.They are by nature, fastidious.