I have wood throughout my entire home and the kitchen is no problem. I am building a new home and plan on wood in kitchen

But is it engineered hardwood?

lucyleriche mine is engineered here in Florida and actual wood in my northern home both are in my kitchen and most baths

engineered wood is all wood. for some reason people think it's substandard to solid wood. It's not. In some instances it can actually be better.

I love the black slate idea. Why don't you do that in the foyer and kitchen, and wood everywhere else? the black against a med toned wood looks beautiful. I have had slate in my kitchen for 10 years and love it. It's not like tile. It remains an even temperature and never gets too cold. as for lighting, it won't be like a cave! (once you pull down those cabinets, it will open things up quite a bit). you will have your lighting above, along w/the windows, so don't worry about it being too dark.

I love this one

or the Basalt

I've had wood in 2 kitchens and stone in another. Wood has been much kinder on my feet and legs as I've aged. Wood is more forgiving when you drop something on it, stone it's likely going to break. Wood will show dents from those things that are dropped on it or if someone wears high heels. And pet claws can be an issue on the wood. I have had no issue with wood in the kitchen and is more choice for flooring.

That being said, what color are your new cabinets going to be? That should also be taken into consideration.

Cabinets will be white. Flooring decision will drive counters. Thinking darker if I go with wood, white or light grey with the black slate tile. Have you had engineered hardwood in your kitchen before? That is what I will need to use with the radiant floor heating. Regular hardwood is not recommended with radiant because the heat can cause warping, twisting and too much movement. My contractor is just concerned that the thin veneer on the engineered floor won't hold up to heavy kitchen activity.

What you have to find out with the engineered that you select is how many times can you get a sanding out of it since there are different thickness. "Hard use" is subjective so if one of the flooring people don't show up here, take the time to go to a REAL flooring store and have them talk you through it. I prefer to educate myself by talking to people that deal with the product day in and day out and then make the decision if the product fits my needs or not and not base it on because the contractor is a fan of tile.

you can use the radiant heat under slate, or porcelain. is the heat going throughout the dining area too? if you do wood in the kitchen, do you have to have radiant heat? do you live in Iceland? lol . slippers anyone??

slate shows everything??? lol. uh, no. I have it. just the opposite. hardly shows anything. I apply a sealer once every two years. that's the only maintenance I do. wood floors are more work, IMO.

In response to Beth, I live in Vermont, so yes, heat is obligatory, lol! The radiant heat will not be going in the dining room however. Baseboard will remain in there. My concern with the slate is where to stop. I love the flow I am creating by busting out the wall, so I think some continuity with flooring will help that. But if I go with the slate I really love (black) I am afraid it will just be too much blackness, especially if I continue it into the dining room.

lucy, the slate doesn't have to be black. it comes in a medium gray that's nice.

and sorry! being a Cal person, I don't know what cold floor are!

Wood don't belong in the kitchen floor.

Hmm, sealing slate every 2 yrs is less maintenance than wood?

Though I love slate but based on the photos I agree with your thought that slate is going to be too dark based on the lack of natural light. Though it looks like you got killer views of mountains? And you are right to think about chopping up the flow with different flooring. Not a good look IMO. I think your dining furniture looks better on wood than it would on the slate.

I hope that if you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore near you that you will give them your cabinets if you were planning to trash them. If your contractor isn't willing to take the cabinets out without damaging them, some ReStores will send out volunteers to remove them at no cost. Which could save you some demo fees.

ted, the sealing takes all of 5-10 mins. I brush it on and wipe it off. really not a big deal. Wood doesn't like water. I can scrub my slate tiles with a scrubby brush, water and cleaner (any cleaner) and just wipe it up with a towel. Cleaning grease residue off of wood floors is a bit more work. If I drop jars or glasses, don't have to worry about scratches and dents. Plus wood shows every crumb, hair, dust, water droplets, etc. . I like the look of wood, but not everything that goes with it.

I guess it's just a matter of personal choice.

Thanks beth. And no one said they had to use slate or stone. There are literally thousands of maintenance free tiles they could use. ceramic or porcelain.

I have wood floors in my kitchen and I love them! I probably would go with the tile option if you have pets inside though.

I think we are missing a rather GLARING issue: in-floor radiant heat. The TYPE of radiant is going to dictate what type of flooring you can put over it. The electric heating = cheaper (relatively speaking...it is still quite expensive) but has FEWER floors that are allowed over top.

Hydronic heating (expensive and adds plenty of height to the floor - unless you have the luxury of installing it from underneath a wooden subfloor) is the most forgiving of all the heating options with the most amount of floors allowed to go over top.

So...my question becomes: Which heat source do you have planned? Electric or hydronic (water/gel/oil)? I would say your answer will dictate what is going over top.

To be clear, there are many hardwood floors that do NOT allow install over electric. Too many times we have issues with the wires scorching the wood. And very thick wood can be enough of an insulator to melt the wires. My cork floors will do just that.

Type of install that you are looking at for engineered hardwood? Floating is an option. A glue down install over electric can be TRICKY and INSANELY expensive (imagine having to use the most expensive glue on the market because of the heat resistance that you need).

I think you have many more discussions ahead of you. The type of radiant heat, the type of install for the engineered hardwood. Does the hardwood manufacturer allow their floors to be installed over electric? If so, what are the installation options? Do you want that type of install?

So many questions.

I vote for wood. I have engineered in my own kitchen and it's holding up great with 2 crazy young boys. Wood will never be as invincible as tile but tile dates a lot faster and is a real pain to remove. Be careful with very dark colors- it can get a little oppressive and heavy. Good luck! :)

@cancork, you are correct. I have hydronic heated floors in the concrete in my whole main floor. I was considering putting hardwood over it so I did my research. The only way you might get away with putting hardwood over radiant heat is using quarter sawn hardwood floors. Its specially cut so the wood expands vertically rather then horizontally. Its expensive and still doesn't guarantee it will be fine. Tiles are the best thing to put over radiant heat cause it disperses the heat evenly and holds the temperature efficiently.

Still think slate is less maintenance Ted?? lol. for sure it's cheaper! And as I posted, the slate comes in a very light gray. Won't be any darker than a wood floor would.

So, I guess it comes down to the OP. Since you want radiant heat, sounds like the up front expense and choosing the correct materials may be a bit daunting. Or, wood w/no heat. Or some type of tile, w/the heat.

Cancork, is there any issues w/the radiant heat going over slate, or similar type tile? I'm guessing it's pretty easy for that?

@Beth I dont understand your question? of course slate is less maintenance. I dont think its cheaper. Hardwood is fairly cheap. Unless you go to luna and ripped off to all hell with garbage prefinished floors.

Tony, Ted didn't think it was. that's why I posed my comment at him. did you read Cancorks comment? how could wood possibly be cheaper? The OP wants radiant heat. That's the expense, not the wood itself. Slate is cheaper than wood. You can find slate for 2-3 bucks sq ft. I don't know of any quality hardwood for that price.

but, here is a slate look alike done in porcelain. In price, it's compatible to hardwood.

The heated floors are luxury and its gonna cost regardless. They should actually be thinking of which type of heating they want then which floors. Basically invest now, or pay later. Hydronic heat costs more but is cheaper to run because is works much more efficiently. Electric is cheaper to install but they will dread seeing their electric bill. especially if they have cold winters.

they said they're in Vermont. are those on a thermostat so it's constant? or how does it work?

Yes all heating has to have a thermostat so you can set the temperature. hydronic heat uses either copper or PVC piping and is run in the subfloor (in my case in concrete) Water flows through the piping and the furnace heats up the water while a pump circulates the water. (kind of like a radiator for a car except the opposite, it cools the engine) So it only uses gas every so often to maintain the temp of the water. Only actual benefit to electric is it gets hot in a few seconds. But it could also be on most of the time do to inefficiency. Hydronic takes a few minutes longer to heat up. In the winter i just set mine to 70 and leave it like that all winter.

So for kitchen flooring I've had laminate, ceramic, carpet (we won't discuss that mistake!), flagstone, slate, travertine and wood. And not all in the same house-lol. So I had some experience regarding wear and tear and maintenance of these products. I think wood is the easiest to maintain based on MY experience and would not hesitate to install again. And yes, every crumb, dust, etc can be seen if the wood is dark but that is the same with any type of flooring. I would never put a dark floor in a kitchen no matter what the material. Did that with the slate and would never do that again. Glad that isn't an issue for you, Beth.

Not all hydronic systems are a like. I'm only bringing this up as I don't want someone to read the comments and think all are the same.

I was planning to install in my new build Warm Board which is a hydronic premium system. Quarter sawn wood is not necessary with this system but keeping the plank 4" wide or less is important along with the wood being engineered. It also is important that the humidity in the house is kept at a certain % for any of these systems as that is what helps with keeping the floor movement down.

"Warmboard is a giant leap forward in the evolution of radiant heating. Every aspect of the design and manufacturing of Warmboard has been implemented to maximize performance. Our patented design is the industry-leading low mass radiant heating panel. Our high conductivity brings the lowest water temperatures, decreasing energy use (and energy bills) while extending the life of your mechanical equipment. Warmboard provides the fastest response, heating your home in minutes, not hours (or days), ensuring your constant comfort. And our even surface temperatures allow access to a wider variety of flooring options, from thick carpets to ornate hardwoods – something other systems just can't offer."

You guys have worn me out, I need a nap....

Really wonderful space with beautiful flooring. I liked your
kitchen cabinets but you have to maintain it by regular mopping and dusting.
With a damp mop you can keep your engineered floors looking their best. By
proper cleaning this floor will last many years.