David, we are in the throes of a large ground floor kitchen/laundry/powder room remodel. We had so many different floors that we decided to do wood everywhere except for the entryway & powder room (original slate is there) and the laundry room (new hex tile that looks like grey linen fabric). Although it has been a nightmare for so many different reasons (including two 6+ month delays and a complaint to our state attorney general’s office), the end result with almost all wood is fabulous. Having a single floor throughout really helps unify your space. We also have darker stairs and banister than our wood but it’s o.k. The only thing I’d urge you to do is use unfinished hardwood (we used prefinished, color is pretty but would not do that again). You’ll need to refinish all of the wood once the new flooring is laid and laced in, but the end result will be worth it. I’ve had dark wood floors in another house and they were a royal pain - every bit of dust shows; I drove myself mad vacuuming and dragging the swiffer around. A lighter color that looks like the choice was intentional would, IMHO, look better than trying to match the dark banister and treads. Wishing you the very best with your project! Make sure to have plenty of patience and good humor in tow for it 😁.

Perfect spot for the magic of linoleum. Check out Forbo sheet Marmoleum. It's expensive but works so nicely in the kitchen and plays well with wood floors.

But EAW is right about doing ALL the floors in oak and refinishing to a shade you like. It's a good look--not too much oak overload at all if you go with a lighter, more natural shade.

It is customary to have all wood on each level be the same color and not recommended to put imitation wood products next to real wood, so do what the previous suggests. If you don't like the color of the rest of the wood on your main floor, now is the time to change it. Get new wood in the kitchen and refinish the existing to a color you like and have the new match.

The other option is to just get new porcelain tile in the kitchen. There are hundreds of different types to choose from. Just don't get the tile that imitates wood. While wood floors are popular in kitchens now and have been for a while, I still like tile, and I don't think I'm the only one.

Thanks for the replies so far. We could keep the tile with some minor repairs, but it looks pretty dated. I have a cork floor in a downstairs bedroom/office, so that's a possibility, but probably going to go with wood - and I get the benefit of having one finish throughout vs breaking it up.

When we had to re-do the family room floor, we used a satin finish that looks very nice for that room. I also have to re-finish the dining room floor (before my kid moved out, he had a computer chair and wore the finish down to the point it has to be re-done....so that leaves the living room and hallway that would need to be added to the project if we kept the same color and type of finish thorughout.

It would also allow me to to go with a dark color cabinet for the island and not compete with the floor color...so there's a thought.

Also, I agree on not getting tile that looks like wood. In the basement, I went with an LVP that looks like wood, but that's because it's the basement, on a concrete slab. Everywhere else, material should look like it's supposed to.