Kitchen flooring

I have ceramic tile in my current kitchen and it looks nice but is murder on your feet.  If you go with tile, also get a spongy mat to stand on right in front of the sink/stove/counter.

I like the idea of laminate flooring in the kitchen.  Gives it a nice hardwood look without the pain or price of actual hardwood.  When you go with real hardwood, you have to be careful about getting food and liquids in the bevel grooves.  Once it is in there, it is a pain in the butt to get out.

http://www.armstrong.com/resflram/na/laminate/en/us/prod_detail.asp?itemId=88635.0

I have laminate flooring that has a slate look to it on my first floor.  I really like it because it's easy to clean and doesn't show scratch marks (I have a 50ish pound dog that runs around the house )  The other thing I like about the floor is that I was able to install it with my dad's help. It took about two days. 

The only thing that I'm careful with is that when liquid gets spilled on the floor, I clean it up right away so the flooring doesn't warp.  It didn't happen in the kitchen, but I have wood like laminate flooring in the office and some spilled water sat on the floor for a while and warped it a bit... although you can't really tell unless you bend down and really stare at it

I have saltillo tile... that's the orangy color tiles.  I HATE IT! and can't wait to tear it out.  that day will be the best day in my life to rip it (better then my marriage ceremony, birth of children etc) all that frustration of having to clean it will come out!  out but it's not in the plan for awhile.  Why do I hate it so much you ask - umm where do I start. 

1. I have to be on my hands and knees with vinager water - scrub then rip off then you have to go back over again on hands and knees with baking soda water to neutralize the vinager water otherwise the vinegar eats the tile.  followed with another round on hands and knees with the glaze polish... this takes 2 hours to wash and then I have to wait 12 hours for it to dry for the glaze/polish to be put on!!! 

2.  The people who laid it laid it uneven and did not grout evenly go I have huge unevenness with the grout - so much you can't sweep you have to vaccum.

3.  it's hard on my feet and I always have dry feet to begin with

4.  it's ugly! but that's what I get when your husband buys the house and he has no clue what it takes to clean things.

So, what will I replace it with eventually:  the entire downstairs wood with the exception of the small area in the kitchen sink-washer (4x5' area) a very high grade lanoleum to prevent water damage which friends who have all wood have told me they have experienced - you know, open dishwasher and those few drops land on wood floor.  So that's what i would do and why.

cathleen

We just put in a loose-lay vinyl sheet product. It is a little thicker than the regular viny flooring. We installed it ourselves. Basically, we made a paper template of the kitchen floor with taped together newspapers, laid that on top of the piece of vinyl that we bought, cut around it with scissors, and put it in the kitchen. They suggest that you tape (double-stick tape) under the fridge and stove (heavy appliances). It was incredibly easy, no mess at all, and feels great under bare feet. I really like it. And it was only about $275 for our little kitchen. 9x10' -ish with cutouts for the cabinets.

It comes in 12'-14' widths, so if you have a kitchen that is narrower than that, then you're set. If you have to piece it together, then you'll have to use the mastic to adhere it to the floor. I think this would be great for smaller spaces - cut 'er out, plop it down, done.

I have slate in my downstairs WC and travertine in my Master Bath and it seems that the key to making it all work is keeping it sealed properly.

Kitchen floors take a real beating in addition to it being generally a wet area and anything you that you can put down (That you like) that will be resistant to stains, dings and dents will be a very good thing.

The only hestitation I would have with slate is that the surface is a bit rough and keeping the dust/dirt/crumbs from collecting in the little nooks will be a bit tougher. (Your going to be mopping it more often)

Our tile guy called them "Crumb Canyons"

Daltile ceramic tile.  Cooler (temp-wise) floor, but if you're one to drop glass or plates at times, I wouldn't recommend having it since those items break way too easy.

A friend of mine has a bamboo flooring which looks like wood.  Very durable.

http://www.bambooflooring.biz/a1-bamboo-wood-flooring.htm

Cork would by my choice too. If I remember well, it's pretty easy to install.

We had hardwood installed in the kitchen and we love it.  It has taken a little bit of a beating from dropped soup cans, but nothing beyond normal wear and tear.

We went with hardwood b/c the whole first floor is hardwood and it has a great flow through out the kitchen.

Also, we bought a large area rug that fits in the middle of the kitchen.

 Umm, you're still marketing for a guinea pig aren't you?

Because our tenants have trashed our house, we have lots of home repairs to make AGAIN!  We just did a bunch in early 2011.  They let their pitbulls destroy a large section of our kitchen, so I have decided to install ceramic tile.  The tile I like is cheaper than the linoleum and the accessories are a wash (borrowing tools from a friend who is going to help us install, since he has done it before).  I would have liked hardwood in the kitchen to match the rest of the house but I wanted real hardwood and it was too pricey for even me!  

There is a 95% chance we will have to completely gut the master bath and I have already been looking at out local builder's warehouse for those items.