I've seen very expensive engineered laminate wood floors go bad in 6 months and I've seen them last for over 10 years it really depends on how you treat them and the quality you buy. Some of the new porcelain (like Walker Zanger ) looks amazingly real and will last for decades. Put a NuHeat matt underneath and they will feel great as well.

Bamboo, natural & water safe.

thank you for your input!

We have had laminate in the kitchen twice. The first time was a very cheap laminate. Our dishwasher leaked and water was all over our floor a few hours. it did separate a bit but wasn't that noticeable. If you weren't home and the floor is wet they could be ruined. We still put it in again because I don't like tiles personally and we have a open home so I liked the flow of all one flooring. And I won't do real wood because our 110lb dog would have it scratched in no time.

Assuming you mean "laminate" (as in a photograph glued to MDF board) then it is inappropriate floor for kitchens. "Engineered wood" is formally called engineered hardwood (layers of REAL WOOD sitting on top of something else). These are two separate entities. I'm assuming your mixing the words but are referring to one product: laminate.

That being said, laminate is inappropriate for kitchens. It has problems with surface moisture (splashes from the sink) as well as heat/steam from a dishwasher. It also has problems with slow leaks from water lines in fridges with icemakers/water dispensers.

If you want to use laminate throughout, PLEASE purchase TWICE THE AMOUNT needed for the kitchen (ie. if the kitchen is 200sf, please order 400sf for it). This way you can REPLACE the kitchen floor in 3, 5, 7, 10 years (whenever the failure occurs) without having to replace ALL of your flooring. That way you can have the continuous floor you want (laminate throughout) AND have the floor last 15-25 years.

If you don't have the budget to purchase the kitchen flooring twice, then you might want to look at vinyl planks.