I am having the EXACT same dilemma right now! I am anxious to hear advice.

I think it depends on budget and lifestyle. Real wood looks best to me. But, if we are practical, wood would not be in a kitchen or bathroom, IMO. I have heard the new vinyl plank is hard to tell the difference with wood, unless you touch it. I can't vouch for that tho! For the kitchen/bath I am considering wood look tile. I think I'll take a look at the new vinyl plank too. :)

I searched photos of vinyl plank and it looks pretty good. It does look like vinyl to me. But, does that really matter? We all can be such snobs. :) Looks good, wears well and easy to maintain.

ho lorli...it would be best to start a design delimma under your name for more responses.

Of course everything comes down to personal preference (and budget). In an open concept, I think continuity of flooring is key. I have SIP hardwoods throughout my current traditional Colonial home and can not imagine putting anything but in my new home which will have a much more open floor plan. I will only have porcelain tile in the entry off garage/laundry/mud/bath rooms bc these areas are closed off and exposed to more water and dirt than the rest of the house. Most people I know get hardwoods everywhere including their kitchens but never in their bathrooms and rarely in their laundry rooms. BUT If it's not a priority to you, then vinyl plank sounds like a good place to save money. As an aside, it's my understanding that SIP hardwoods (at least white or red oak) are less expensive to purchase and install than real tile flooring. Not surprising when you see how much more labor intense it is to install tile versus putting down hardwoods.

I just commented on a "wood look tile" question...Nothing looks like real wood except real wood...period. Nothing feels like real wood except real wood...period. LVT and porcelain or ceramic tile are printed pictures of the real thing. Pattern repeat is necessary to the manufacturing process. I looked at a "great" wood look tile on Houzz today and saw the pattern repeat in the smallest available picture. Real wood doesn't pattern repeat...each piece is unique and individual. And not soft like LVT or hard like tile. And better for resale...

Nothing beats real wood. There are however some great products on the market such as vinyl plank flooring by Mannington and wood look ceramic by Dal-tile.

Which type of flooring did you end up with? We are having the same dilemma right now (hardwood vs. luxury vinyl planks) because of our pets and kids, and I'd love to hear from someone who has chosen to go with luxury vinyl planks.