I would do hardwood in the living space and kitchen. The stain could be a dilemma, but I think something in the "middle" would be good i.e. early american

If you are truly planning a resale in 5 years, consider the wear-and-tear ALL carpeting takes over that time period. Put in hard wood/hard surface and get some cool area rugs.

In the end, that decision will make you more $$, in a resale. Most buyers, given a choice, would rather choose their own area rugs than existing carpet.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. G.M Braatz and 902Juanita, could you recommend a specific type of wood? We want to keep a traditional feel.

Aumnthelma, thanks for the compliment! My husband will be pleased to hear it!

I bet true designers will have better answers! For now?

Notice I suggested "solid surfacing", not just wood. Basically, I despise hardwood in a kitchen. I cook all the time, and the clean up on wood was always a hassle.

Have you considered travertine? There are so many ways to deploy this beautiful, natural stone throughout, and get a color that doesn't compete with that beautiful entertainment center.

A clean, cohesive look can be achieved throughout the space with material that still survives in the Parthenon, thousands of years later! Totally easy to clean up in a kitchen. Area rugs to make you happy, and you don't have to spend a fortune on them. In fact, I suggest you don't, especially if you have pets. Colors to be chosen. Stay away from anything "pink", and remember this comes from the Earth- so order enough to make sure you get the color you want, throughout.

You could still put hardwood in the master. Anything you want. Brazillian Cherry, simple oak that can be stained any color under the rainbow or- Tigerwood,, if you're adventurous.

We just did that. on stairs and all the way through the 2nd floor. . A peek at that. Contemporary, but I've seen it in traditional homes and it's gorgeous.

I'm not very nimble with Houzz, but take a peek at this, for a Travertine look

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-living-room-mediterranean-living-room-los-angeles-phvw-vp~1987546[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-living-room-mediterranean-living-room-los-angeles-phvw-vp~1987546)

I would do white oak; I do disagree with 902juanita a little though. If you can lay raw hardwood and have it finished in place it will provide a great surface in the kitchen. Most of the prefinished floors show damage and have grooves that collect food and liquids. Prefinished floors also tend to wear much faster than finished in place. We have some photos of finished in place floors in our projects here: http://www.houzz.com/pro/gmbraatz/__public

Our Ohio Beach House project has white oak that was laid raw and finished in place.

G. M, we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I've never had pre-finished wood-site finished premium hardwood in a kitchen, and for me? YUK. Grease, small food particles, water etc is a real maintenance issue. Just not my preference in a working kitchen, but it's a great look. White oak a good suggestion, if that's the choice.

Gosh, 902, the travertine idea is something I'd never considered, and it's gorgeous! That would keep my dressy look, and be updated as well. But, is it practical? Would it stand up to kitchen wear? Your floors are beautiful, too! Which wood did you use--the Brazilian Cherry?

And G. M., the floors in the beach house are beautiful. Do you remember what color stain you used on those? The color is warm, but not too dark.

Yes, it is Minwax early american. Its what we have used on almost every job. Most people love the color since it is not too dark.

Practical, with travertine...I'm searching for some pics of my last traditional home. We chose honed, and for the most part escaped the "pock marks" that can be a feature of Travertine.

Let me get the pics. We had a "crazy 80s" built home, and so some differing flooring, within small, sunken areas. Changing flooring in a straight line can be strange, but in this crazy house it worked. BUT?

Anywhere I had a "workhorse"- hallway, entry, kitchen? Travertine, and it took the test of time.

So glad to hear that, 902, because I think I'm in love! Gosh, those floors are pretty! I think my husband will have apoplexy when he finds out what this may cost, but it's SO gorgeous! I have seen the travertine with the "pocks" and would probably avoid that, as you did, because it would catch dirt. Do you know if you sealed yours with anything? I'd love to see your pix!

Here's some pics of our last house- travertine. It was a crazy 80s home, with different elevations. So we chose to leave the hardwood, down in the "family room/parlor" and also in the dining room, which you can't see but is on the other side of the kitchen.

Don't judge! :) We'd always planned on replacing the cabinets, but didn't get around to it before another job took us away.

But?The floors you're seeing were six years old. Yep. Dogs everywhere. Heels, shoes, cooking galore. This was the day before we closed/left, and we did absolutely nothing to the floors, before we sold. They aren't even "super clean" here. Move-out...

I forget about the sealing process, but there was "something" done, after installation. After that, though- it was "mop it and forget it".

902, thanks for the pix! And I love the little dog ! Your floor is beautiful, and almost indistinguishable from ceramic tile. The original picture you sent from Houzz had the chiseled edge, which would be perfect for us, as it has an 'old world' look. I'd love to find that in a ceramic or porcelain tile. Was your surface slick to walk on? I'm Ms. Clumsy, so that could be a factor, too.........

Surface wasn't slick at all, and had a "give" that was oh so comfy on the back and knees.

I'd bet money that you can find a porcelain that can mimic this, although I can tell you something- nothing, and I mean NOTHING- can really give you this feel/look. But what do I know?

This install was 2002. The impetus was a really hideous, cheap tile job done by the previous owner, who was looking for a "Floridian" look, all over. So she tiled over ORIGINAL hardwood- and it was screwed into the floor. Left us with a couple of dilemmas:

1. The tile install, at that point, had damaged the wood floors beyond repair.

2. The tile install, on top of the wood, left us with an elevation on appliances that made it impossible to replace things like an out-dated dishwasher, because of the "build-up".

3. The porcelain tile was so very, very wrong for a traditional home. Pink tones, and not of good quality.

That was what- 14 years ago? Dang- I love travertine tiles fiercely for how comfy they were- bare feet, and working- for the low maintenance, and for the beauty. Times have changed a bit though. Check into a good tile contractor/seller. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

And? Don't totally shy away from hard wood. Just understand that in the kitchen, you're looking at regular maintenance. I'm OLD (52 :) ) and hate it all.

I'm currently rocking a kitchen that has polished concrete. Not the greatest for my old hips- but something I've gotten used to, and have brought soft mats in.

And can I laugh? The little white dog is a friends. The Beagle? Baby boy is still with us.

Gosh, 902, the previous owners must have really done a number on your previous house! We had a similar situation in Chicago when the previous owners had made some unfortunate choices, and taken some regrettable short cuts. It's a lot of work to undo someone else's mistakes!

You raised a question for me. Is porcelain tile colder and/or harder to talk on than real travertine? I've found a style I like in porcelain, but don't want to do it if it' going to be problematic.

I have porcelin in my bathrooms, and it's lovely. NOW- I live in a warm climate- gets a tiny bit chilly in the winter, that's it. So you might want to consider that.

Whatever you do- you care enough to obsess! :) Obsession, for the dedicated, almost always leads to a perfect breakthrough, in design.

Keep me posted.

Don't skip over the new luxury vinyl planks and tiles in your search. Especially the tiles, we are currently going back and forth over a few of the travertine designs but I think we will end up with one of the Karndean designs.

Gosh, Dorothy--I never even heard of this product, and it's beautiful! It looks just like the stone I'm looking at. What does it feel like underfoot--softer than tile, I presume? Have you found other companies that make the same look? Any information you can share would be appreciated. And thanks for introducing me to another avenue to explore!

I would not do tile floors everywhere unless you live where it is hot and humid all the time . It is really hard on legs and backs requires a lot of work to make sure the base is solid and IMO in your home wood would be a much nicer choice. As for wood in the kitchen no matter what flooring you use there it needs to be wiped up after cooking.

Thanks, Patricia. We don't live in a hot climate, but we do leave a lot of tile now and it doesn't seem to bother us. Maybe that's because the house is not on a slab--it has a basement beneath. We've considered heating elements beneath it as well. But, hardwood is still in the running. We're just worried about too much wood....

I'm hoping Patricia will give you some good stain options to complement the existing wood.

Patricia- of course all kitchen floors need to be cleaned. By "maintenance", I refer to the uneven wearing that these areas experience, as compared to other areas in the house. For me, it was something I always noticed. Doesn't bother everybody, though.

Thanks, 902. Are you referring to the need to resand/ screen the hardwood? We do have very predominant traffic patterns in this house that would be affected. And yes, I hope Patricia will recommend some colors, as that's been our issue with hardwood.

With your move plan, travertine cost you will not get back. I would go look at some of the new porcelains because they are really nice and very reasonably priced. Just do min grout lines. Look at the wood looks in porcelain too. Those would give a wood look but be easier to maintain. The redish wood tones such as Brazilian cherry are out of fashion. Stick with your traditional vibe and get mid-range rugs so you either pitch them when you move or take them to next house. So much will change in next 5 years today's choices will need updating by buyers anyway.

You are so right, Flo--things WILL change! It's impossible to keep up with the styles at the cost of these remodels. I've always kind of thought that homes that are well done will appeal to buyers, regardless of their own personal tastes. I am definitely considering porcelain, but the wood look ones still leave me in a quandary about color. Any suggestions?

There are some that are multi-tones with some browns and some grays. I would look at the ones that tend more brown but still have some grays so you can be happy with the combination of kitchen woods and flooring. Remember, rugs will cover a lot anyway.

This is nice look, although in a bathroom, but just for the color.

This is wider plank with brown/gray look. I think this would look good in your place. If you look up Emser's Tile on line, you can see if they have a showroom near you. That is a great place to find what is available in the market and their products are good quality and good pricing. There are other sources of course, but I use Emser's all the time. You will find Emser's tile displays in most showrooms, etc. Go on line and look at their website and search "wood floor porcelain tile". You will see their lines and selections. You can also see what else is available. But you must go see this in person of course. I'll check and see if there are a couple I like for you. Be back in a jiffy.

Thank you, Flo. Some of the wood look tiles are amazingly realistic. I found this one in Marazzi tile. What do you think of this, vs the travertine look?

Check out wood floors with various grain colors, like acacia. They go with everything.

I like that one papillon2. Key things to look for "porcelain" not "ceramic". Porcelain is stronger and will resist cracking. I have looked on Emser and you can check out Heritage and Grove. But they don't have the one I'm looking for on their website, so if I get by there next week, I'll grab a name for you. but there is a lot of product out there. I would also resist the super long slabs. Those are very difficult to lay and your subfloors have to be really perfect, or you will get cracking. Of course that is true with any tile, however, the "grout joints" are where the "relief" is, if you know what I mean. I think you should not try to "match" your other woods. That would not look right. I would go for some contrast, with the more brown/gray looks. The opposite side of that is to go for the porcelain travertine looks. The price of travertine has come down some, and for my money, I would do the natural stone. So much better. But it does cost more. It is a challenge. Tile would be my pick for you since you will be "selling" in the relative near future. Just hate for you to put a ton of money into that space and then, not get any return. That is why builders install carpet. It is the least expensive product and installation cost. I might do carpet, because if you do tile or wood, then you have to buy rugs too. So, you could do carpet, and when ready to sell put new carpet in for "show". You have to weigh what is most important to you. Life is short, so I kind of figure, do what makes you happiest!

Thank you, teamaltese and Flo. I think the acacia wood has too much variation for us, but is pretty in other settings.

Flo, I do have rugs already (you can barely see the oriental rug in the first of my pictures on this post) There are several others in the house, as well. One reason I gravitate to the travertine look is that the oriental rugs--especially the one in the living room--have a definite light and dark side. Therefore, a darker floor would obliterate the rug. I wish I could use dark floors, as I love them.

Forgot to mention, Flo, that I looked up Emser, and they have their own showroom not far from us! I'd never heard of them, but will surely check them out! Thanks!

We found many of the companies like Armstrong, Mannington, etc that make luxury vinyl tiles have some fantastic tile patterns. My favorites so far have been the Karndean which I found out about on Houzz but my husband is in love with one from Armstrong... We have the original oak flooring in most of the house but the kitchen had vinyl asbestos tile laid in it and the original floor is damaged so we decided to go with a stone look in there rather then try to match the old floor.

Great. Hope you see something just right. I think the travertine in porcelain might work for you. The more modern look is for a very slim grout line. So ask if the tile is "resolved". That means it has a very straight edge and can be successfully laid close together and with that thin grout line. The chiseled edge requires larger grout line which most people don't want. Hope that helps. Good luck.