What is the flooring in the rest of the home? Are there other "wood floors" that need to be taken into consideration? What are your plans for the rest of the flooring in the house in the next 5 years?

As you've heard, porcelain wood-look tiles are all the rage. They come in all colours and formats. They will be the same price (cost of material + labour) as most hardwood floors will be. The most appropriate hardwood floor for a kitchen = engineered hardwood. That doesn not mean you are limited to engineered, it just means you would have to take extra precautions if you decide to work with a solid hardwood.

If you are looking at refinishing other floors in the future (next 5-7 years) you may want to decide on those NOW so that you can prepare for the future. Many people have refinished the flooring in the kitchen only to discover their colour choice forces them to refinish other floors. That means that they are then faced with trying to find "the same" floor a few years later = darn near impossible.

That leads to tears of frustration in 5 years. This is long-winded but you will want to have a strong idea of what is coming in the future. With that in mind, you can plan for your flooring in the kitchen today.

I guess what I'm asking is this: Do you want the same flooring in the kitchen in the rest of your house? For most people a dark walnut could be "too much" for the rest of the home. If you answered "Yes I LOVE dark floors" then you may want to purchase enough of the floor to finish your home...and put it in storage. I can guarantee you will not find the same product in 2 years time let alone 5-7 years.