What a great question. My guess is you want something super durable. Have you looked at some kind of porcelain tile? Maybe the cool woodgrain tiles you see now?

Porcelain tile is quite durable and easy to maintain. Make sure the Glaze is very hard ( MOHS rating 8 or 9)

Porcelain is a great solution for the sand. Even if the sand gets tracked in it will not scratch the floor, all you will need to do is sweep it off. Take a look at this line...

http://www.statementstile.com/pages/product.asp?mg={2ABD35B4-E1DB-4BCD-AADD-299C1D62D2F6}

I'll check out porcelain tile...not familiar with it thanks

Definitely porcelain tile. I am in the process of renovating my kitchen and purchased porcelain tile that looks just like sand - it would be great for your floor as well!

susanclaire, Walker Zanger has a huge assortment of porcelain tiles from a very large range of colors. Let me know where you're located and I can direct you to the nearest showroom.

I am in Connecticut

We have several showrooms in the New York area and also in New Jersey. Depending on where you are located in Connecticut, you can use this link to see some of the dealers located there as well as the closest Walker Zanger showroom. If you need to narrow down the search, visit www.walkerzanger.com, at the bottom of the page, you can click dealer locator to find who is the closest to you.
Thank you!! Best of luck in your search.
http://www.walkerzanger.com/dealers/dealer_results.php

I am close to HartforD so it is 2 hours to New York from here. Are there any locations in Massachusetts?

The closest dealer to you is Stone Depot there in Hartford. They are on Murphy Road. Their number is 860.493.0393. The next closest is Connecticut Stone in Millford. Their number is 203.882.1000. Hope this information helps. If you would like more, please visit www.walkerzanger.com, and use the dealer locator at the bottom of the home page.
Thank you again.

Thank you so much for your assisstance

You are most welcome. Best of luck in your search.

You should stay away from unfilled (tumbled or brushed) tile because the sand would get into the holes. You should also take polished tiles out of your list because they would get scratched. Please find a couple of examples below that could fit your needs.

http://www.dekotile.com/store/12-x-12-Honed-Italian-Calacatta-Gold-Marble-Tile.html
http://www.dekotile.com/store/12-x-12-Philadelphia-Travertine-Tiles.html
http://www.dekotile.com/store/Honed-and-Filled-Ivory-Classic-and-Noce-Travertine-Basketweave-Mosaic-Tile.html
http://www.dekotile.com/store/12-x-12-Yellow-Travertine-Honed-and-Filled-Tiles.html
http://www.dekotile.com/store/18-x-18-Honed-and-Filled-English-Walnut-Travertine-Tiles.html

Please click below to see the complete collection
http://www.dekotile.com/store/search.php?mode=search&by_title=Y&by_shortdescr=Y&by_fulldescr=Y&by_sku=Y&including=all&substring=honed+travertine

I guess there is a lot more to picking a kitchen floor than I thought...thanks for all your suggestions

You are very welcome. We wish you the best luck with your search.