There are some great laminate hardwood options that aren't too pricey. Off the top of my head, I know that Mannington has quite a few that are under $2 per square foot. There are also really nice vinyl choices that look like real wood. Laminate tile may also be an option if you want a rustic look. The picture I added is of Mannington's Antique Barn Oak.

Tell us what is the subfloor/flooring on there right now and what you plan on doing with it. Once we know what is on the floor we can help find a decent solution.

The sub flooring is a concrete slab. We plan to have the vinyl removed.

How old is the vinyl? If it is the same age as the house, it migh have asbestos in it. If you believe it has asbestos, you are better off (especially on a limited budget) to leave it in place and float a floor over top. The trick with a floating floor is to get a relatively smooth surface. There are plenty of floating vinyl planks out there that work very well in kitchens. They may not be the cheapest kids on the block but they certainly beat the price of asbestos abatement any day.

A cork floating floor can do down over top of the vinyl without much hassle. But then again cork is what I do...so I'm a bit biased. If you can afford the vinyl planks go for it. Laminate is touch and go in kitchens. Low end laminate (the stuff that is less than $2/sf) can have issues right away (some people have complained about "bubbling" inside of a year in front of their dishwasher = steam) and other better laminates can go 5-7 years before having problems.

First things first...check the vinyl for asbestos.

vinyl is gone...just a subfloor with a luan overlay...but thanks for the info. I had heard that laminate was not the best thing for kitchen.

the vinyl is not the age of the house and has no asbestos. We put it in about 15 years ago.

Vicki...please be aware that luan is not normally consider an acceptable underlay for most flooring products. It has voids inside the planks that will collapse under weight. Those collapsed pockets then cause problems with the flooring above it. Vinyl plank, sheet vinyl or even self-adhesive vinyl is not recommended over luan. Very few floors can be installed over luan because of the unstable nature of the product.

thinking about going rustic with 1x6 #2 pine...would that be ok over the luan. The luan is secured with ring shank nails.

@ Vicky - Luan is not considered acceptable for wood floors. You should remove or cover with 3/8" subfloor grade plywood. I've quickly looked up Lumber Liquidators "#2 Pine" and if LL states Luan is NOT appropriate...then it really isn't a good idea!

Here is a direct "cut and paste" from LL's #2 Pine:

"Particleboard, Luan or Masonite: is not recommended, remove or cover with 3/8” plywood"

Sorry but the luan needs to go or get covered up. If money is tight, you will want to remove the luan to get down to regular plywood.

The question I have: why is there luan underlayment over your concrete slab. Concrete sweats and you have a greater chance of the underlayment rotting, meaning more expense down the road. You would better off removing the underlay. If you decide to use the 1x 6 pine you can use a 2n1 wood adhesive that has a built in moisture barrier. Another option is to use an engineered wood plank where you use a high quality wood glue on the lower part of the groove. Under the product use a heavy plastic along with a 3n1 laminate cushion (giving you double moisture protection). Good luck on your project.

What about wood flooring? Wood flooring really looks beautiful and classic. Wood is very effective in making a home warm. During the winter, you can save a lot of money since you don’t need to install heating systems.

On any flooring you have to have proper climate control! Otherwise you will have material failure.

As a pragmatic guy, to the displeasure of my wife when remodeling our own home, I always caution people about using any wood product on a floor where there is a potential for water damage (Kitchens and Baths). When laminate first came out everyone was all excited as it was supposed to hold up to "damp" mopping. Damp mopping ultimately resulted in tons of flooring with cupping evident at the joints. Engineered hardwood will warp and jump off the floor with the introduction of any water. A dishwasher leak - floor is toast, a sink leak - same deal. There are come killer vinyl materials out now, though they are not the least expensive material. Plus is if damaged, you can pull a plank out and replace it. Can't do that with a floating laminate floor, or most floating floors for that matter. I am partial to tile, porcelain when cost is a concern. There are a lot of very attractive porcelains in large format that emulate stones like travertine, etc. Installation can be a bit costly, but you can now get a pretty nice larger format porcelain for around 1.50 to 2.00, with installation ranging from 2.50 to 3.50 if going direct with a flooring contractor. The Flooring Contractor above could speak more to this than I can as a general contractor. just my thoughts on Kitchen flooring.

Look at the wood looking ceramic tiles. They look amazing and unlike wood they're maintenance free! I'd never get laminate flooring. In my opinion It's noisy to walk on. You can find a lot of pictures of wood tile on Houzz.

@Carpet One: I had the same question, "Why is there luan on concrete?" until I realized that there are TWO people asking for advice; Vicky the person who started the thread and Janice who is throwing in some "specifications" of her own situation...which sounds different from Vicky.

If Vicky's luan is being held in place with nails, she can't have a concrete slab. It took me 3-4 reads to realize that Janice is answering (occasionally) in place of Vicky. Confusing I know.

Just clarifying what appears to be two different people using the same thread for advice.

ok...good to know. My home is a pier and beam construction. The luan is nailed down to the subfloor with a tarpaper underlay. My question is if I decide to put down the 1x6 #2 pine...will I have a problem with the luan? I realize this is not your product...but would love to have your input.

Vicki - One concern I would caution you about is that pine is a "soft" wood, which means it is easily scarred, dented, marred, etc. The other concern is that the joints between the wood are likely to remain "open" meaning that food, water, spills, etc. could make their way between the planking. This could lead to problems. Any moisture will warp the wood. I think the luan is the least of your worries. Mind you as well, that the tar paper will shield the existing subfloor only from moisture, NOT your new wood. If you are intent on installing a wood floor I would make sure that whatever way you decide to apply finish would be one that seals the joints between your planks, and as Cancork Floor advised you I would probably pull up the old luan. Luan is a cheap material, and generally fairly thin. Removing it would not likely cause any height difference issues.

clarification. The luan was laid down because when the old linoleum was removed there was only 1x6 slats as a subfloor...old house. We had gutted the kitchen and just wanted something to keep the dust from coming up. I realize the wood is soft...but this home is used only by myself about 6 months out of the year. I was looking of at least 3 coats of something like Helmspar satin poly.

Thank you so much...I will post pictures when I am finished.

Look forward to seeing them!