I've had both and prefer wood. It's easier on the feet and easier on the things I drop. It's not hard to maintain.

I used linoleum (not vinyl) for my latest kitchen and like it best of all, but not everyone likes it.

There have been quite a few threads on this topic, you will find lots of opinions out there if you do a search. There seem to be two groups - those who are wary of wood in kitchens because of the water leak issue, others who have had wood floors for decades and love them, particularly for how they look and the fact that they are easier on the back than tile.

I've had hardwood floors in three different houses over the past ten years, loved them all, no issues at all.

As mentioned, wood is easier on your feet, and on your back. Things are less likely to break if you drop them. And, if you drop something heavy on tile, the tile could crack, and you are stuck with looking at that cracked tile. Tile is so cold in winter. Tile has grout that stains, and the stains are very difficult, even impossible, to remove. Sealing the grout may help prevent stains, but my experience with a previous tile floor was that stains seeped underneath the sealant, and were even harder to remove since they were then sealed in. Grout also gets dingy over time.

Also, don't let people convince you that tile is better with water. I have had wood floors under water that did swell. But allowed to dry over a couple of weeks, the wood went back to where they were before and looked great. On the other hand, if there is a flood on tile, the underlayment could buckle or heave, and there is nothing that can be done about that except rip up the tile.

The only advantage I can see with tile over wood is scratching, particularly with pets. Your wood floor installer should apply 3-4 coats of finish, which will help. Table and chairs should have felt pads. Wood can be refinished if it gets very scratched. A lot of people think a few scratches aren't noticeable (me included--I can't see mine unless I really look hard for them in the right light), and add to the pretty patina of wood anyway.

And, I just love the natural color and warmth of wood.

I love love love my wood floors in the kitchen.. had tile in my first house and was so hard to stand on, and had wide grout lines.. will NEVER do that again!

I had wood in my last house too, I find it so much easier to keep clean and maintain, but its a personal preferance, and there have been many other threads with other opinions.

I certainly would never be worried about any issues, just pick what YOU like best..

{{gwi:1397524}}

If u are concerned about water damage, just get a few of those detector thingies, then u don't have to worry about a hidden drip-drip-drip, or if it was up to me, I'd build drip pans under potential leak sources and am done! The daily moisture, I assume you would clean that up by the end of the day? To me the feel of the wood would be worth it, and I am huge on low maintenance.

However if u don't have much natural light (which I like) then the wood is gonna make the room, perhaps unacceptably too dark.

Fori,
can you post a pick of your marmoleum??
Could you imagine it throughout a whole house?
How did it compare in cost to wood? Do you have sheet or click?
sorry to hijack the thread.

I only know one person in real life who has wood. It looks really nice, but I still hate it. I think there are parts of the country where people ordinarily have wood, and parts where they have tile. Where I'm from everyone has tile, linoleum or vinyl. I have very lovely wood in 3/4 of the house, but tile in the bathrooms, kitchen, and entry hall. The wood isn't any easier to stand on than the tile because even upstairs there's a good, solid underfloor, and there isn't any give. It's very solid!

And while I do believe that other people have had good luck with flooding, and agree that flood-stop devices are worthwhile, I also know that not everyone has good outcomes from water on wood. We've had members here who have had to have new wood floors replaced.

The condensation from my airconditioning drains in my dressing table sink line. The weld didn't react well with something and broke. My beautiful plank floor warped. There's no way I'd ever, ever put a wood floor in a kitchen, given a choice.

AKChicago makes a good point about the underlayment. Tile has to be installed right to perform well. It's not always practical on a raised floor.

I agree with Marcia B to pick what YOU like best. Just be aware of the pros and cons.

I love my wood and would do it again in a heart beat.
I think it really depends on what you love.
If you love tile go for it, I happend to be a wood fan for
my own house.
~boxer

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Flooring in Kitchen: good idea?

(Wally, no pictures at the moment and I'm not gonna clean to take one. :) I have the sheet and I didn't do price comparisons. I think it is close to hardwood but I'm not sure. I think wood pricing varies considerably by location, too. Rhome410 has a great click marmo floor if you haven't seen it yet. I could see Marmoleum in a whole house if the house was sort of modern or contemporary. If my house was an atomic 50s ranch instead of a boring 50s ranch, it'd work, but I think it would look odd in most homes without a lot of throw rugs. It's, well, KITCHENY.)

We had to decide about this too. We went with tile. A few things that came up while discussing:

1. Most kitchens in the area use tile and wood would be quite unusual, affecting value we think negatively. (However, we plan to stay for long so this was not a major for us, could be for others.)

2. We were worried that the high traffic would result in a lot of wear in the kitchen. In the livingroom, dinningroom, office etc. you can use rugs to mitigate.

3. Water etc...

4. Note, that tile is colder, which is a plus in warm climates. (Actually I have seen houses tiled everywhere. Not my cup of tea.)

4. You can/should use gel mats if worried about feel. Looks better on tile than on wood. (We have concrete under the wood floor elsewhere and not much give. We plan to have some nice rugs!)

5. All the TV show kitchens have wood. Those pros must know something. Or is it just for the show???!!!

If you go with wood, use hardwood, not engineered, so you can have it refinished after a while. (We wanted wood everywhere else and could afford engineered only.)

There is no one best flooring choice. Understand that, then get what you like. Also, flooring choices are subject to fad and fashion. That is why TV shows (and/or your neighbours) may use any particular material.

In my neighbourhood, most of the renovated kitchens use wood or tile, although there are still lots of original vinyl around. I chose tile because it suits me and the rest of the decor. My grout is so dark (matches my cupboards) that I don't think I would notice if it stains. I haven't dropped anything on it that would have survived a fall onto any other surface. I always wear shoes or slippers, so cannot tell you what temperature it is, in any season. It is not installed on a concrete slab - all houses in this town have basements. I think perhaps a tile setter may require a bit more skill than a wood floor installer, as wood is more forgiving if there is any give in the sub-floor.

Several of my friends have wood floors, and some have cork or tile, and they all look nice and perform well. So get what you like and enjoy it!

I'm contemplating the same thing right now. I love wood and decided to install it throughout my first floor. However, this past winter has been very wet and my 2 dogs have been making muddy messes all over the floors. So I'm having second thoughts about hardwood in the kitchen and foyer. I'm not worried about leaks but I'm worried about trying to keep it looking clean.