Match the existing wood. And read the manufacturer’s installation instructions for anything you consider. FLAT is required. Lots of floor prep.

I wouldn’t install a wood-look product next to a real-wood floor. Have you considered installing oak to match what’s there already (which is beautiful, btw)? Another option would be to install a wide-plank pine (pumpkin pine and heart pine are two of my favorites) in the kitchen and family rooms. That was often done in the “old days” — installing a traditional oak floor in the less-used formal rooms while using a more utilitarian-grade (but no less beautiful, in my opinion) flooring such as pine or Douglas fir in the casual rooms — and I think it works quite well. The pine will get beat up because it‘s a soft wood but it’s part of the charm!

Quick backstory on the wood: we considered trying to match it, but there’s a chance we will refinish or replace it sooner rather than later, so it didn’t really make sense to match something that wouldn’t be there long-term. If we did, it’s solid hardwood, and since the kitchen is on subfloor, we could use solid hardwood there as well, but the family room (opens to the kitchen; you just take a step down into the family room) is on a slab, so we would have to use engineered flooring there. So we thought maybe we could get engineered to go throughout (maybe?), but that suddenly made the project much bigger and much more expensive. It also made our brains hurt, and then someone recommended LVP, and here we are!

Not trying to say LVP is try final answer. Just explaining how we got to this point. I am open to any and all suggestions for this flooring situation.

You can buy unstained engineered wood floors. I would weave in new site finished hardwood floors in the kitchen and then use the unstained engineered in the family room. You can refinish the original floors and have everything stained in the new stain color. It isn't the cheapest option, but will look the best and keep/add value to your house, should you decide to move.

We just installed LVP in our basement. The floor is not even so we floated it. It looks great but the down side is you can feel a little bounce in places where the floor dips. This would drive me crazy in the kitchen but may not bother you at all.

I'll avoid the discussion about whether this is the right look for your home. But I have Coretec LVT (tiles, travertine-look) and can speak to the installation and durability. Surface prep was not easy. I live in a 100-year-old house with wavy subfloor, and my contractor installed a few hundred pounds' worth of leveling compound to get to within the manufacturer's recommended tolerance of "flat". Install was very easy. We did floating, no glue, because we have radiant in-floor heat and didn't want to worry about subfloor temps getting too warm for the glue.

The durability is fantastic, and I'd do it again for that reason. We have a 100-pound dog, a puppy, three cats, and lots of muddy hiking and skiing boots, and the floor looks as good as it did when it was installed 3-1/2 years ago. We use a mini-mop with a spray bottle of floor cleaner, and a handheld steamer for deeper cleaning.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. We have switched gears and are now looking at hardwood for the kitchen to match what’s already in our house. Appreciate the suggestions!