We put in vinyl planks about 17 years ago and didn't have one problem with them other than our dog's dribbling wore the shin off, and a very tiny area of the color came off. We don't have kids at home, but have had 3 large and one smaller dog runs across it with no problems. I think ours was Formica brand, and we got it through Sears at the time.

Vinyl is pretty tough. It will scratch but it takes a lot to do it. Scratches will be visible on medium/darker floors where as the light "wood" and "white" colours shouldn't show scratches. Remember that vinyl scratches "white". The closer you are to the "scratch colour" the less likely you are to see it. Some textures, such as "hand scraped" or "distressed" will age very well. Other finishes may not do so well with a diagonal scratch across the surface.

Are you planning on updating your cabinetry or countertops? If so I'd pick out the countertop you like along with the cabinet color first, even if you don't refinish those first. You want to draw your guests' eyes up when they walk in, not down to the floor so you'll want to base the color of your floor on the counters and cabinets. Once you know what colors you intend to go with, the floor should compliment them. Home Depot has some great products, like this one http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pergo-XP-Coastal-Pine-10-mm-Thick-x-4-7-8-in-Wide-x-47-7-8-in-Length-Laminate-Flooring-13-1-sq-ft-case-LF000343/202882908?N=5yc1vZbejkZ1z0vjuj the lighter colors will hide the scratches, but if you go darker you can always use a paint pen to help the finish last longer.

I have had the vinyl in my kitchen & 2 bathrooms for 16 yrs & it looks new. I would do it again in a minute. Just damp mop. One of my friends just put in the vinyl wood strips. It looks so real that we had to touch it to know it wasn't wood. Another friend said her dura ceramic was high maintenance & didn't like how dirt stayed in the grout lines.