I love my 12 x 24 porcelain tile in medium grey with off-white large Beijing. It rarely looks dirty eve with kids, dog, cats and canning projects. Grout is matching grey and always looks good. Flooring has been down for 5 years and only issue is I needed a work mat to make standing a long time easier.

my favorite is the old pine floor . it was uncovered under some sheet goods and found unfinished. kept the color natural and lots of clear polyurethane. I'm surprised how easy it is. sweeping regulary....sponge up a spill...and a damp mop for more cleaning.....we track in sand and all kinds of stuff ...if you tend to things you wont have an issue. Hardwood w just basic 3 in width boards/ a factory finish w a subdued brownish tone will add value and its less worrisome than you think. Next floor I do or replace will be vinyl planks ....this new product is pretty amazing to see evolve. Why are you on hands and knees ? keep a bucket and mop out in the garage and damp mop it every so often. You shouldnt have to torture yourself to clean . I keep things up but I buy the gear to make it go along without trauma to myself.

Taking notes, thank you! And herbflavor, this current tile is ridiculous. I’ve lived in student accommodations with decades-old flooring, wwII era military housing, and cheap apartments and never met anything like this current tile. We’ve mopped, scrubbed, used a steam mop - nothing cleans the grout except harsh chemicals and a scrub brush and within a week it’s back to dishwater grey. My hatred for it is deep as the stains.

Getting tile that can be cleaned using a mop will be the best Christmas present I could ask for.

Real multicolor 16" x 16" slate with light gray grout, done around 2005. I had a macaw and we'll always have a dog and the floor withstands a lot of abuse. It's not slippery. If I drop water it's no big deal. If I have my hands full and I drop an ice cube I kick it under the frig. It withstood a dishwasher leak with no ill effect.

Negatives: It's hard, rough and uneven so I often wear rubber soled sandals. We use a long gel mat that runs in front of the sink and regular food prep area (which would not be an option on many wood floors). It's not suitable for someone who wants a slick look or operating room level of cleanliness. A few pieces have chipped out at corners and required grouting.

One might achieve a similar look with a slate-look tile and improve cleanliness but I like the natural variation in the natural material.

grout sealer ?

Hardwood. Wouldn't have been my choice, but it was here when I moved in, and it does look very nice. I prefer tile of some sort in the kitchen, though, because it can take a beating and all sorts of spills, debris, mess, whatever -- never had to worry about damaging tile. Some say hardwood can take all that, too, but I don't know....I'm wary of that. Hate to say it, but I've turned into the Floor Nazi of the house. :0(

I like my stained white cork so much that when we had a house fire and could have got any flooring we wanted, we chose cork again. It's mottled enough that nothing really shows, and it's so warm and soft underfoot that my kids' heads remain unmarred despite bouncing off it many times as they learned to walk.

I have Marmoleum tiles (real linoleum). It's warm underfoot, comfortable to stand on for long stretches, comes in many color options and is naturally anti-microbial against C-Diff, Norovirus and MRSA due to the constant low-oxidation of the linseed oil.

I plan to install it again in my next house (if I ever get one).

Oh yeah, forgot to say I despise tile in a kitchen. It GIVES me back pain when I have none. I can be in a kitchen for many, many hours during marathon baking weekends. Tile would absolutely break me.

I share your hatred of tile. Even sealing the grout didn’t help much. I despise the stuff. In this home now, I have engineered wood in kitchen, dining, family - it’s middle to low quality. But it’s actually held up very well. My next home will have zero tiles and grout. Ok, maybe not zero. But dang close to zero.

My favorite was sheet Marmoleum. Didn't require special care. (I feel like I should mention that because some people insist that it gets waxed or polished or some such nonsense.)

Currently I have a nice unsealed gray-green slate with dark grout. I'm sure it's filthy but I can't tell. I like it quite a bit. If you get slate, be sure it doesn't flake or stain. Some do.

We still love our 35 year old white ash flooring. It is natural finish with several coats of poly. Our kids were 2 and 3 when we moved in along with a couple of cats. It looks great and works with all styles. Wipe us drips and spills as they occur, vaccum regularly, and sometimes do a complete wiping with a slightly damp cloth.

Love my white oak hardwood floors. They were installed about 35 years ago and were great and problem free through two kids, etc. Now I’m renovating my kitchen so just had them refinished, and they are gorgeous.
I’m not a fan of tile, although I really love the way it can look. It’s way too hard on my feet. I like comfort.
I don’t care for the look or feel of LVP I’ve seen in person; I remain unconvinced that it looks like anything but plastic. Laminate seems worse.
I’ve got marmoleum in a small utility room, and I like it a lot; I’d consider it for a kitchen floor if I couldn’t have wood, perhaps in a checkerboard pattern.

I have rift and quartered white oak in my current kitchen. I had marmoleum in a previous home, which was awesome. I hate tile in a kitchen because It hurts my body, even though I’m young (30s.)

I love my LVP, easy maintenance. I had tile before and HATED IT. my favorite kitchen floors was the solid oak floors in my mom’s home when I was growing up. Kid proof, beautiful. I would have solid oak floors if it was an option in my home. I do not like engineered

Love my wire brushed white oak. Very forgiving regarding first, dust, dog paws etc, and so nice to walk on.

I have Marmoleum also, but in sheet form, Asian Tiger pattern. As mentioned above, it's warm, comfortable to stand on for long periods, and antibacterial, which is why it is installed in hospitals. The local IKEA store has linoleum floors Just sweeping regularly, with a steam cleaning a few times a year is all the cleaning it needs.

I had Pergo laminate flooring installed about 12 years ago in my kitchen and it still looks great! No scratches or dents. Nothing sticks to it. I have dropped items on the floor and no dings or dents. I love my Pergo flooring so much that when I had my kitchen renovated a few years ago, I kept my flooring. Everyone thinks it is oak wood. Clean up is easy with diluted vinegar as recommended by Pergo.

Sheet marmoleum, for the reasons listed above. Don’t listen to anyone who claims it requires special care. Love the feel and the look!

@kculbers, that’s so good looking!

White oak. Have had in two houses.

Birdseye maple. Looks and feels beautiful, hides dirt amazingly.

Maple in 3 different widths, which is really pretty. Its what was there when we moved in. But the polyurethane started wearing off in one are (the busiest prep area). So after a renovation when the floor was refinished, I bought (expensive, but lovely) vinyl runners in a rather rustic design and problem solved. I love that crumbs and splatters just kinda disappear.