I personally prefer the style to match the rest of the house, which is not modern. The rest of the house is hardwood, though it's all in rough shape, especially the kitchen which has been under linoleum for 50+ years. What about the upkeep of wood in a busy kitchen?

Have you pulled up the linoleum yet? Often the linoleum has been there forever so they end up being the best preserved floors in the house.

In my last house we had slate floors- easy to maintain and a classic look.

Now we have wood and it is more maintenance, but I like that it ties into the whole first floor.

If all your floors are bad you may need new floors installed throughout.

I have solid hardwood in the kitchen. If you are a perfectionist you will not like it, but I love mine. Yes, it has some wear and tear, but being solid hardwood it can be refinished. The wood floors in you home have been there for decades as is true of many Victorian homes. If the flooring under the laminate is in poor shape, a good flooring guy should be able to match new to the rest of the house. You could also go "old fashioned" with a new "old look" laminate.

One of my friends who redid her Victorian kitchen just put in a new wood floor and it is different from the other wood floors in the home, but even so it blends well in style. The kitchen is obviously newer than the rest of the home, though done in a style that blends well with Victorian, so the change of floor works even though it doesn't match.

The best option is the hardwood floors. Cork is to modern for your homes age. Wood floors are easy to care for-just remember to wipe up the water spills immediately. We have hard wood floors in our kitchen and dining area and we love it.

Ahem...cork has been around since the Victorian era...Cork floors have been in use since the 1850's...which is RIGHT smack dab in the MIDDLE of the Victorian Age (and well into the Edwardian age....right through to modern times...but I digress).

My instinct is to tell you to work with hardwood. If it is in good shape (good enough to be sanded and refinished) then you can have a brand new floor for $4-$5/sf in any colour of your CHOICE. This price includes labour and materials...compare that to a 'bad' laminate (which should NEVER go in a kitchen) at $1.89/sf + $2.00/sf install costs. Vinyl planks = $3.50/sf + $2/sf (already more expensive than refinishing hardwood).

Stone is going to get VERY expensive...you will need a new subfloor over top of the hardwood (remove lino, install subfloor for $2-$3/sf) and then the cost of stone + Install (stone masons are EXPENSIVE). I would guess the kitchen in stone should be over the $10-$15/sf range. That's as much as 3 TIMES the cost of refinishing the hardwood.

Cork floors are lovely. They are soft and warm and quiet. They require a bit more maintenance than hardwood...but it isn't too different from the hardwood maintenance. If you worry about "wear" on hardwood, then cork is probably too "scary" for you. Cork floor planks are the easiest and cheapest to work with. $2.29/sf - $4.79/sf is our range in price. Cost of install = $2.50 - $3.50/sf (again, more expensive than refinishing hardwood.

Lino is very good. Very expensive...but very good. It still has maintenance (more than cork) but it is darn near indestructible. Not as delicate as cork...but more maintenance. Lino will need a new subfloor (again that darn $2-$3/sf just for that darn subfloor) and cost of material is high(er) and install is high(er).

At this point in time, the hardwoods are the most economical/practical in your "choice range". If cost is a factor ($5/sf for hardwood vs $15/sf for stone) then you might want to look that gift horse in the mouth to assess the options. For a floor that will work hard for 15-20 years, that $5/sf sounds pretty good.

It is your decision. Ask yourself if you like hard, cold stone that will cause breakage in your kitchen. Do you have dish "sets" that must remain intact (8 piece setting for 12 from a discontinued porcelain run)....or do you have a set from Ikea that can be replaced anytime for the next 20 years? This is what stone will "break". Cork, Lino and then hardwood (in order of softness) will prevent most breakage (hardwood not so much...but better than stone).

I'm up for hardwood so long as it is salvageable. Find out if it can be saved and THEN make your decision.