My parents are re-doing a lot of things in their home, flooring included. They have an open-flow floor plan (hallway and dining room are now hard wood, living room carpeted, and kitchen vinyl)...they are considering a new hardwood throughout for ease-of-care, etc. Has anyone had experience with hardwood in the kitchen? Pros/Cons? TIA for any of your wonderful advice! PS(They have a dog and a cat....and a man! So spills do sometimes occur...);)

By Tripletmom on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 01:00 pm:

We did the wood laminate in our kitchen and I love it.I was unsure at first but I'm glad my DH talked me into it.Its easy to clean and it takes alot of abuse.Its scratch and dent resistant.I think it really looks nice.Our cat adjusted right away and our dog took a couple of weeks to adjust.As for spills, they are ongoing in my home.

By Debbie on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 01:16 pm:

I have hardwood in my kitchen and love it. I have 2 young boys, so spills happen. I just spot clean them, but I would do that with any type of flooring. Mine has a hard commercial finish and doesn't really scratch. I usually dry swifter every other day to pick up crumbs. I really only clean the entire floor every 2 weeks. I do have a few small dents, where I have dropped things(like cans). But, they aren't noticable. I find them easy to take care of and they look nice.

By Colette on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 01:35 pm:

I've got hardwood in my kitchen and I love it. It's easy to care for and we have the same kind of finish as Debbie so scratches aren't a big issue.

By Yjja123 on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 03:28 pm:

I love my hardwood/laminate floors. I have them in kitchen, dining room, & living room. We bought a Eureka Boss smartvac--recommended by consumer reports for hardwood floors. We vacuum every other day (with kids, 3 dogs & 4 cats it is necessary). Once a week, we use the pledge wipes on the swiffer. I had tile in kitchen before. The hardwood is much nicer and easier to clean. Spills are no problem--just clean up right away.

By Melanie on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 06:42 pm:

We have hardwood floor in our kitchen. We are going through a remodel right now and considered pulling them out, but decided we love the look and want to keep them. They have been in the house for 15 years and this will be the first time they have been refinished. Long overdue, but they have actually held up remarkably well! We don't have pets, but we do have three kids...so spills definitely happen in this house.

By Babysitbarb on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 - 03:06 pm:

I have hardwood flooring in my kitchen and dining room and I like it but, with a home daycare it's hard to keep clean. It is very touchy when you drop stuff on it and it can be easily scratched.

By Sandysmom on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 - 03:13 pm:

I have hardwood on half of my kitchen floor. I do like it, but it sounds like your parents have a real big space re-do. On bigger spaces, I LOVE the larger planks of hardwood.