Armstrong is now the maker of this product. It was made under the Hartco name as Pattern Plus for many years, and the hardening claim was real. I put this floor in the oak species made by Hartco in a restaurant and the owner calls it his ironwood floor. However, I also installed a cherry species floor by Armstrong in a customer's home and I was disappointed by its lack of hardening. It seems that the acrylic impregnation process was either incomplete or defective. It dented real easy and both the homeowner and myself were very disappointed. I would suggest that you get a sample of the walnut flooring you are considering and give it a realtime test; drop objects on it, spill liquids and food stuffs on it, grind dirty shoes on it and do most any other thing to it that the floor might experience after being put in service. That will give you a real good idea what to expect as performance. Ask Armstrong to send you a representative sample or two for your consideration. They might just fulfill your request. Since I was disappointed by the recent cherry install, that is what I would do if a customer wanted the product.

You're right - you're not local! Ah well... I've been doing some more googling and searching, and found some absolutely BEAUTIFUL things I quite like on the Monterey Ceramic Tile site - I'm not going for a fully "reproduction" kitchen, but I do have slightly Mission style cabinets in a 1928 bungalow, and thus am trying to incorporate period elements if only as occasional accents. I found the site by googling "Arts & Crafts tile" and, while those are certainly interesting, the ones that really struck my eye (and are similar to some I saw yesterday) are the Restoration ones - even just doing a top border or accent tiles in that sort of style might be just the kind of interest I need to dress things up a little without actually competing with my quartz counter. Any comments, thoughts or suggestions on where to find and how to use those kinds of pieces? I will post pictures of my (very small) space once they're a little further on with hanging cabinets and taking down the wall between kitchen and diner, but in the meantime, any comments you (or anybody else) has are more than welcome! Btw, since you asked, here's my cabinet wood (KM's nat maple), counter (Cambria) and floor (not even Craigslist as the other two elements, but a free hand-me-down from somebody - yes, our kitchen is so small that we can use somebody else's "overage"... ;). Obviously, it's all rather monochrome - that's good (because the space is small and it will open it out) but if a backsplash can incorporate a bit of colour in a non-obtrusive way, that's definitely not a bad thing (and may even lead me to a decision on wall paint!). Also, since other people seem to be "backsplash-seeking" as well: I found the thread linked below while searching this morning, and bumped it in the image gallery (note to self: I didn't even know there WAS an image gallery until this! Very cool :) Here is a link that might be useful: backsplash thread in image gallery

@Fernando Nino Sr Update: We contacted the dealer where we purchased our floor. They sent an inspector out to take measurements, moisture readings, and pictures of the cupping and the expansion gaps. Everything in their report was within factory specifications with the exception of their moisture reading - they said the comparable moisture reading was 90 and above. We have absolutely no moisture issues in the drywall/trim/walls of our home, and I had just finished mopping the floor about 10 minutes before the inspector arrived. We think the moisture reader he used picked up moisture on the surface of the planks. And, if the cupping was caused by concrete slab moisture issues, I would think the entire floor would be cupping - not just high traffic areas. The final report says that there is nothing wrong with the floor from the manufacturer's point of view and the damage is related to site-related issues. Does anyone have any experience with Tramex Moisture Encounter Plus readers? The inspector used "Scale 2" for drywall and roofing. Luxury Vinyl Plank isn't mentioned anywhere in the literature for this moisture reader.

The tile you see at the bottom is from the entry, a small area with a step down to the carpet. That tile is the same as in the kitchen/eating/hallways. This is the view of the dining/entry from the living room. The dining is carpet, it's all one space. I agree that a dark color might be too dark for the space, and I want one uniform color. I was asking if anyone had brand/color recommendations of LVP that is lighter than the samples I had, which are too dark. I am in FL and do not want hardwood, my dh wants waterproof (he's in insurance claims, so...) This is not my forever home, I just want a quick and relatively inexpensive solution to the carpet. If you have any brand/color recommendations of a light, uniform color LVP, I'd appreciate it!