If you're talking about the occasional spill, that's what paper towels are for. If you're thinking of a burst water line, that will damage any floor you put in, so go for the hardwood, if that's what you want.

From both personal and professional experience, I have found that it's the cleaning supplies that discolor the floor plus the continuous usage that a kitchen floor receives on a regular basis. I suggest large tiles with very tight grout joints in a tone that works well with your cabinetry and countertops. Porcelanosa is my current fav: http://www.porcelanosa-usa.com

The truth is, that an average well done wood floor will do well in a kitchen. However, dishwasher and refrigerator leaks will create problems. Unless you are constantly spilling more than 1 cup of water here and there every day (highly unlikely), your floor will hold up. Just the few little droplets from washing dishes won't pose an issue. Just wipe them up and preferably use a mat in front of the sink to catch the droplets and crumbs

I feel like if you do have a big water issue, it would be harder dealing with pulling up hardwood that has been glued down as opposed to, say, LVT.

Go for it. Our kitchen floors looks beat up after 18 years of use and recurrent construction projects, but not much more than the contiguous areas. Choose solid hardwoods nailed down on a good subfloor and a good finish.

What color did you use on your kitchen walls and cabinets?

I have had both - and in current home went for tile in kitchen and dining area.
I did like the look of the continuous wood from living room - but

When I had wood floors I was constantly worrying about drops of water from sink, dishwasher back door (along with dirt etc).

With tile floor - not worried - don't care if drips aren't cleaned up immediately, dirt or anything else. It's a much more carefree feeling that wood.

So the decision is yours entirely.

Lovely rooms you've done! I would agree to continue the hardwood throughout your kitchen. The wood tone would warm up the space and add a very nice natural element. Hardwood, as others have mentioned, can hold up very well in the kitchen area. Best of Luck!

Thanks everyone! Lindylou, the kitchen wall is BM smokey taupe and the cabinets are BM cloud white.

We just installed hand-scraped dark distressed wood flooring in our newly remodeled kitchen and are very happy with it so far. I do worry about water on it not only from spills, but in the case of the dishwasher or refrigerator leaks. We were given a Bono floor duster/cleaner to care for it that includes wet cloths and scrubbing cloths that attach sort of like Velcro. The flooring is guaranteed for 50 years. So far, so good, and it is beautiful.

Cork tile is an excellent floor for kitchen ( sources such as Expanko) it has been re engineered from the 40's and is better quality and stronger - it is pleasant underfoot think rubber, it is not cold to the touch in winter , is renewable,naturally resist water, and comes in some neat colors and designs. The clients I have used this on love it. Don't install yourself use an experienced cork tile installer, can be tricky . Good luck

We installed leak alarms under all water sources in our kitchen, which removes the worry over hardwood water damage. Worked well when our dishwasher leaked underneath. We have the ones tied into the security system, but there are others.

How about allure vinyl plank or the ultra. Looks and feels like wood but it's waterproof. They sell it at Home Depot.

If you live in a condo or a unit connected to other residences, you are right, stick with tile. I know because we were flooded from the ox of a resident upstairs, not once, but twice in 3 months!. It was truly a blessing that we used tile. But even now, that we live in a private home and I still love hardwood,I am still reluctant to use hardwood . Dish washers leak, and so do washing machines.So I found a beautiful tile that looks so much like old oak, and I am going to put it in my remodeled kitchen. We also have two large Greyhounds, so the oak tile also has some texture in it that will prevent them from slipping and sliding. It's also a dream for clean up. Good luck with what ever you do, I really like what you have done so far.

BTW, water alarms are great, but only if you are home when it goes off.

Wood is really nice in the kitchen. But....use either 2 or 3 inch planks, real hardwood flooring, and stay away from the hand-scraped look.

Years ago I needed to replace my kitchen tile (really tired the legs & was improperly installed) and wanted to go with vinyl. My flooring guy recommended hardwood and I'm so happy I followed his advice.

About a year after the wood was installed, we had a flexible pipe burst under the sink. Fortunately, we were home but by the time we got the water shut off we already had a major mess and the wood was buckling.

I thought our floor was ruined. Flooring guy said it wasn't. Run a dehumidifier & the air conditioning and in a month everything will be back to normal. He was right. He told me if I had chosen a 4" inch plank they would have had to rip up the whole floor.

My picky sister even put the same flooring in her kitchen.

Oh, and my flooring does not go under the cabinets nor under the dishwasher. Under the dishwasher we put in cement board built up to the height of the wood floor.

My sister completely redid her whole kitchen and they butt the wood up to her cabinets, too.

We just moved and have hardwood in our new home. Previously, we had tile and while it was beautiful and is very durable, it's hard to stand on for long periods of time. The hardwood is proving to be much better. As long as you wipe any spills up promptly - which we did with the tile as well - there shouldn't be any issues.

We have hardwood in our kitchen and are very happy with it.

Our hardwood floor does not go under the dishwasher, but is butted up to it. Not sure about the refrigerator. We had added our hand-scraped wood floor to an older home so could not install regular wood floors.
Also, when you travel it might be a good idea to turn the water to these appliances off. Had a friend that returned from a trip to find their ice maker had leaked all over their wood floor. We turn ours off or just flip the lever up in that case. There usually are shutoff valves under the sink or the washer. Actually, I never leave the house with an appliance running.

I wouldn't change the tile to wood. Looks good already because it is neutral and goes with your backsplash and counters.

Definitely continue hardwood into kitchen if open floor plan. I have no regrets.

My husband wants to do hardwood but I'm not very happy because I'm afraid that it will go dull and ugly from traffic, water stains and frequent cleaning. I have 2 boys in their late teens and we have a lot of traffic. I believe you can choose any kind of floor. You just have to consider your lifestyle and depends on how everyone in the family helps so it's well maintained.

I chose tile in our current home for the same reasons Angel described. I love hardwood and have a fair amount of it, but I just prefer never worrying about flooring in kitchens and entries. In my previous home, the kitchen wood took a bit of a beating and I hate the mess of having wood refinished.

I think the species of wood and the finish play a huge part in how the floor will look and wear over time. Although aesthetically I may have preferred a different species of wood or finish, we chose a red oak hardwood with a prominent grain to it and a satin finish close to the color of the wood itself so deep scratches wouldn't show. We are not a rough family! I have a dog breed with naturally long, hard nails, a teen who insists on chasing the dog, and a very messy husband who cooks and won't remove his shoes in the house. It's been 10 years and the floor just now needs to be refinished. Surprisingly, the kitchen floor doesn't look as worn as the doorways and entry. I would install this same floor again. It rarely looks dirty, even when it is filthy.

can mold and bacteria grow under the floor if hardwood and tile are flooded?