ill talk to the flooring supply and see what they suggest but I have not seen any tile that I have liked yet, however if I go with dark wood floors im afraid ill regret it later when I look at the scratches that are not preventable.Now today I just ordered cabnets, does the floor go under them or not?i read the last post regarding the matter but whats the norm?its something I had not even thought of until the last post.

We love our wood floors - including in the kitchen. No the wood does not under the cabinets. At least we've never seen them. We have a lighter maple and it's very user friendly. Doesn't show dirt easily.

Hi lbohney, To answer your question regarding dark wood floors it just depends on your preference in stain color..Do you like the richness of the darker wood or the lighter blonder color..I have brazillian cherry in my home and it does show every little mark especially water, if you have a dog ( I do) when they have wet feet this leaves marks on the floor and it drives me crazy so maybe keep that in mind..I do love the look of my floor when it is nice and shiny and clean..
No the wood does not go under your cabinets..You have to install your cabinets first and then the wood floor butts up to your toe kick..You can either have your toe kick the same as your floor or you can have the kick the same as your cabinets..
Hardwood is very durable and beautiful and I hope you choose wood over tile..

Wood is the answer but since you have second thoughts why not have tiles laid in wooden finish .

I've not read anyone commenting on comfort. If you use your kitchen to really cook and bake, finding yourself standing at counter for hours for prepping for dinner parties, then think aching legs and back if you have tile or other hard surface. I find wood much easier on my body. Now I've dropped the pasta maker on Brazilian cherry and did dent it. On second house with Brazilian cherry which I did not select it myself. Beautiful but hard to kept shiny looking.

I agree, our last home had tile and it is hard on the legs and very cold cold on the feet. We had wood in home before and are going back to wood in the home we are now building. It is much more forgiving and warmer.

Every flooring has its drawbacks, just figure out which ones you are willing to live with. Wood floors are a great option, but they will scratch and show water damage over time. Tile is very durable, but yes a harder surface. Probably better to consider your budget and overall desired style. Then figure out which set of challenges you are willing to tackle. All floors require maintenance. I know in my own home I chose hardwood for the areas that are not high traffic with kids and my dog. In the kitchen and family room where everyone hangs out, I have travertine. They transition just fine from one space to the next. Hope that helps. Charmean Neithart

My house is 18 years old now and when I had it built I had a real row with the architect who thought the continuation of wooden flooring (maple) into the open kitchen was unpractical. Of course it has suffered some dents and scratches over the years, but tiles chip too if you drop something hard on them. Anyway, I've never regretted the decision to have wooden flooring throughout the house.

In re the question about whether the hardwood floors run under the cabinets. In older houses the hardwood floors run under the cabinets. In newer houses builders save money by putting the cabinets in first and then the floors after (though I'm not sure how universal this is). I have to say I think this technique is short sighted. If you run the hardwood under the cabinets then any future remodeling or reconfigurations of the kitchen won't necessitate putting in a whole new floor. When we recently redid the kitchen in our 1920's house, it really helped that there was wood flooring throughout and we could change the layout of the cabinets without worrying about patching or reconfiguring the floor too. But I'd be curious what the professionals have to say about this. I'm just a homeowner who appreciates houses that are built to stand the test of time and multiple owners.

GO WITH THE WOOD! I just remodeled my house 2 years ago and put wood everywhere except the kitchen and den which are combined. I can't tell you how many times I wish I had used wood in that area too. Just so much easier on the feet and easier to clean, etc. hope this gives you the push you need:)

I agree with majority... wood floors in the kitchen is such a beautiful look..especially the hand scraped kind. I would make sure the cabinets and the floor are not the same shade as it creates a dated look. Check them out on houzz pictures and see for yourself.

i love my wood floors. They are warmer both physically and visually. Things don't break as easily when dropped. And more importantly, nothing chops up and cheeses up an open floor plan more than varied floor finishes.

We have two homes. Our main home has hardwood throughout. It is not the manufactured type that is finished before installation, but the unfinished oak flooring that has a Swedish finish applied after installation. I haven't seen much about the difference between these two very different types of wood floors. In twenty years we have had it refinished once (at a cost of about $5000) Our other home has tile. The tile is much more durable and very easy to maintain.... no scratches, dents, etc. It will never need to be refinished! The only downside is that it can be cold. However, depending on your climate, the cool tile can feel great in warm climates. My daughter has the manufactured hardwood, and the problem is that it just doesn't seem to hold up as well as the traditional style. IAnd I don't think there is an option to refinish it since it isn't solid hardwood. I guess my opinion would be to weigh all the options but be aware that if you decide on manufactured hardwood, getting a high quality solid hardwood product will probablly be worth it if you go that route.

Glad to see this question! We are the 2nd owners in our house, original hardwood floors all throughout top level. Hurricane Katrina pulled shingles off 2 bedrooms and had water. Didn't buckle at all! Linoleum in the kitchen and just found out there are hardwood floors underneath! Can't wait to start pulling the linoleum up to see what it looks like!

There are pros and cons to both hardwood and tile in the kitchen, but personally I prefer hardwood, not only for the reasons you gave, but also because it's easier on feet, warmer and easier to clean.

Here's a whole blog post I wrote showing the advantages of each.
http://theflooringgirl.com/blog/kitchen-floors-is-hardwood-flooring-or-tile-better.html

Good luck with your project.

I wanted wood so bad! I got a sample, put it on the floor, and dropped a butter knife on it. GOUGED IT! I'm going with tile. Sigh.

We had wood in our kitchen and it looked beautiful and we never had any problems. I did do a semi gloss on it though as it is a high traffic area and I did not want it to look dull and scuffed right off the bat. The people who tell you no wood floors in a kitchen also tell you no marble counter tops in a kitchen - Get what you like!!

Yes for wood. We have always had in kitchen so entire house flows visually. I agree any floor can be damaged by spills - I have young children that spill ice and water from the frig almost daily and, dry it up right away. No big deal ;)

I had tile in my last kitchen and every time I dropped a glass or plate it shattered into a million pieces. It was are and cold and I swore I would never do it again.
I put oak floors in my kitchen. I used a slightly lighter color than the floors in the rest of the house for easier maintenance.
There are gouges and dents from wear an tear and moving my huge French door fridge out several times When I had a leak ( which didn't ruin the floor ( just he ceiling of the basement below it).
I would suggest an unfinished floor with stain done after it is installed and multiple layers of satin finish polyurethane.

My mom did it in her custom home and has been living with it for 4+ and adores it to this day. I just renod my apartment with hardwood continuing everywhere but the bathroom. I haven't lived with it yet but man the look is great.

I have designed many high-end custom homes with wood floors in the kitchens, and my clients love it! Here is a photo of my own kitchen in Seattle:

You have a beautiful kitchen! Unfortunately, we have had so many issues with our hardwood floors in the kitchen that we intend to go with either slate or limestone in our next house. What about a dark slate or tile for the floors? I try to go with natural material always.

Finne- I am so happy to see your wood cabinets and wood floor in similar tones. Mine are too and sometimes I feel bad about the lack of contrast in the wood, but I don't have much natural light and so darker tones would not have worked. Yours look great !!!

Kitchen hardwood floor or tile?

Kitchen tile or hardwood?

There is some stunning tile out there that is made to look just like wood...give you the best of both worlds!! Check out some options in my projects under Eleganza. Also, in project "TopGolf"....both photos that look like wood are actually tile. Great option! Easy to care for, more durable, with the look you want.

We are also facing the same Q: hardwood or tile? Think we will go with hardwood (despite my concerns about how it will fare with our 3 kids and water spills). We have an open concept plan and figure this will look better. Probably also be cheaper because if we had tile we were going to radiant heat it. I also LOVE the feel and look of real hardwood.

They are behind in the times. They are paranoid about water. They are afraid of scratches. They are crazy.

I've had hardwood (real oak, finished in place ) in my kitchens for 25 years. It is beautiful, easy on the feet, legs and back, and warmer than tile.

A few water drops aren't going to hurt it. And so what it it scratches? It's a floor! Major water leaks are covered by insurance. Wood can be refinished if need be.

Tile gets dated very easily. And it's a pain to remove. Things that fall on it shatter in a heartbeat. And who wants to deal with grout?

I don't know about you, but I despise different flooring thought a home. I hate transitions between rooms.

100% wood! I love our decision to continue wood throughout. I hummed and hawed too. No regrets with the wood.

I have wood floors throughout living and dining room, but opted for tile in the kitchen because of the grooves (grit catchers ;) in the manufactured wood install -- if I was doing "in-place" would have gone with all wood and risked the possibility of water issues.

To find best Hardwood Flooring in LosAngels please visit
http://www.academyfloor.com/

White oak site finished floors is an excellent choice. White oak is extremely stabile and pretty durable.

I know this is an old post, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. I love hardwood and have had it throughout every house I've owned for 20+ years. I've had both tile and wood in the kitchen. Wood is fine in a kitchen if you don't have kids or animals and you want to spend the rest of your life worrying about drips and dropped ice cubes. Otherwise, it's a mistake. Tile is indestructible -- knives won't leave holes it in, plates won't dent it, ice cubes won't cause it to peel. You can scrub the crud out of it on a daily basis and it won't wear. Use a newer epoxy grout and you never have to deal with stained grout or simply seal your grout for a stainproof finish. I've spilled red wine on my light beige grout, had kids leave blueberries on it, and had numerous other spills, none of which left a mark. A leaky faucet, ice maker line, or dishwasher leak will destroy a wood floor; tile will still be fine (modern subfloors can tolerate a leak of that nature without replacement). I don't agree that tile floors are cool (at least not in a modern house), but if you are worried about that, install radiant flooring. I also don't think tile is harder on your legs than wood -- they are both equally hard. It's easy enough to buy a rug for the prep areas if you are worried about back pain. In terms of chipping, cheap tile (e.g., ceramic) chips. Quality porcelain tile or stone doesn't chip and isn't noticeable if it does anyway. On the other hand, a wood floor may not break your plate, but that's only because your plate just left a big, fat dent in your wood floor. Considering the cost of a floor over the cost of a plate, I'd take a broken plate over a dented floor. Your tile floor will last the duration of your house; a wood floor in the kitchen never will.

Ok I'll clarify some 'myths' about wood floors in kitchens. Factory finished is a no go. It will eventually succumb to the moisture no matter what species or cut or plank width you choose.Finished on site is a different story altogether. A very stable wood(such as rift/quartered) oak that has a Rubio monocoat finish AND the HVAC can keep the RH consistently at 30-40%( no gaps appearing) will survive just fine. I have performed this hundreds if not thousands of times. Remember oil and water are exact opposites and wood floors can last several decades of not century(s). Also note that if a site finished floor does take on water and cup 9/10 it will return to a normalized state. Factory finished will never.

Choose the look you like the best. I have had both. Both are fine. Both have issues. My hardwood was ruined by to much water during cleaning and I should have kept it up with top coating of poly. My neighbor did and her floor is still going strong. My tile floors I have now don't show any dirt or wear from the dogs but the grout is a pain to keep up. Choose dark grout if you go this way. Also it can be cold and hard but I always wear slippers so that is not a real issue for me. If you go with wood ,keep extra wood for repairs.I had a leak and the hardwood that was ruined was replaced with wood we had left over.

I bought this townhome three years old and I hate this ugly tile in the kitchen. I would love to have the tile ripped up and but in hardwood floors. I wonder how much it would cost?

I can't decide. I'd LOVE to have hardwood flooring throughout the home but I'm scared of water spots ( damage ) from spills, dogs etc. From what I've read everyone is stating that wood floors are fine IF they are not manufactured floors? Is this correct?

I just installed hardwood floors including my kitchen. It's stunning. I haven't moved in yet so I can't disclose how it's standing up but, It's Beautiful!!

For those of you who say insurance will cover a major leak, they will not! Only for a sudden event, like a burst pipe or sudden water overflow from a sink for example. We had a slow leak from our fridge and it leaked under 80% of our floors before going into the basement and making itself known. Had to rip out the entire kitchen, including the floors and base cabinets. We need to decide what to replace it with - think we'll go with tile. It will disrupt the flow of our open concept, but I can't think of anything more disruptive than this level of water damage!

I recently completed a farmhouse and put in Mannington Restoration Oak Laminate in Ash, I put it absolutely everywhere but the baths and I mean everywhere, its wider planked has a scraped finish looks so authentic everyone loves it, we bought the underpayment for it I think it's called Whisper or something like that. Love this floor and extremely low maintenance! I vac it and use Method on it purchased from Target but use a very very well rung out mop once a week to simply wipe it! It's the best flooring I've ever had!

Thank you "RS", we are in the process of deciding on tile or hardwood in kitchen. I am so tired of worrying about sliding a chair on the floors and having scratches all over the place. Our new home is semi-open, I am thinking of tiled flooring in foyer, kitchen and dining area, as well as halfway down a huge hallway that leads to laundry & then bedrooms, just to break it up. This house we live in now has brazilian cherry all over, looks great, but...is a pain to control the scratching!! We only have 1 child and 1 cat and people usually wear sneakers when over, floor still gets marked all the time. Lucky for us our house faces NW so sun not really direct after noon, otherwise, when sun shines on it, every square inch is scratched!! As far as tile hard on feet?? I have never had a problem in all our previous homes. I usually hear that phrase from flooring places trying to sway your choice to hardwood~ Now they push engineered flooring, which is a joke! We just sold a home we built 20 years ago, the tile in the kitchen is porcelain, still looks like new. My husband said there was a fine crack in one tile which he put the same color caulking as tile and it's un-noticeable.

I love my hardwood flooring throughout my house including kitchen. I've had linoleum & tile flooring before had a lot of trouble with my tile floor chipping.

@ljfillipone, Your chairs legs can usually be fitted with felt pads (self stick, but removeable, if needed) to stop the scratching of your wood floors (works like a charm on my weighty kitchen stools). People with dogs generally opt for laminates. Tile is cold, hard, miserable to stand on for any length of time. It can be slippery unless coefficient of friction is designed for this area. It can be hazardous if you or a guest/child falls on it. Don't even think about dropping something heavy, because most likely it will chip/crack, and unless the color goes throughout the tile, or you're prepared to remove/replace, the imperfection may drive you to distraction.

ceilsan32 Felt pads don't last with daily use (particularly with kids). Slickness is only an issue if you choose an inappropriate tile for your kitchen floor -- if you pick appropriate tile you will never have a problem with anyone slipping.

Porcelain, thru-body tile is virtually indestructible in a kitchen! We had four kids and two cats on ours and it looked as good as new 8 years later.

ULTIMATE HARDWOOD LTD I think it's unrealistic to think that most people run their HVAC year round and never open their windows. Who wants to live in a house where you can't ever open the windows and let in the spring air because you are worried about not being able to keep the humidity at a certain level?

I have had a solid oak floor in the kitchen for 30 years. I use Bona on the wood. I do have some wool rugs from India on the floor between the island and the adjacent cabinets. No problems.

you can get a tile now that has the look of a wood floor. that's what I'm considering now for my kitchen

My husband mentioned the wood look tiles, they are beautiful~ I am a traditionalist, so I am partial to classics. This will be our last home, I am putting a lot of thought into design.

I've had porcelain tiles, the on site finished hardwood and the pre finished oak flooring. It's all a matter of preference as each floor comes with it's own issues. I've had kids and dogs on all surfaces. I will say however now that my dogs are in the elder phase of life indoor accidents will stain those hardwoods so keep that in mind. I went to an open house with hard woods to get an idea of what the local market was like and there was a slight cat pee odor. Be diligent. My elder dogs are only allowed on the vinyl floors in case of an accident. I can bleach vinyl floors.

The porcelain tile was cold and hard here in the Midwest. No amount of rugs or padding helped. I had a cooks kitchen not one of those lettuce scented ones for show only. My favorite floor is the vinyl flooring which cost the same as the others mentioned.

All of these floors will look perfect if you don't use them. Right now I'm considering going with a Saltillo tile to go with my mid century Spanish home and that stuff is far from perfect, but then again neither am I. Saltillo tiles are hard and they chip. Go figure.

I hope I've added something good to the conversation.