Hard floor for kitchen & family room... ideas pls!

[FrumpyPumpy]

In our house there is a large kitchen/diner/family room at the back with doors onto the garden. The kitchen part has vinyl, which is OK. The diner/family bit has very light cream carpet which also goes into the hall and the loo downstairs. We want to replace this carpet, it has done 3 years and we have an 18mth old, there are stains everywhere (and I dropped a bottle of calpol so there are dark grey streaks across it too ).

Options are:

1. change the line between so there is hard floor into the hall (and if poss same floor in hall) then carpet in the diner bit.

1. hard floor everywhere

1. hard floor in kitchen and diner but not hall (would need a thick rug I think for floor -playing).

I think ceramic tiles too hard and potentially slippy when wet out/paddling pool is being used in garden.

I'd use wood but kitchen has crappy 3year old fake-wood doors that i can not justify changing. The inside of the cupboards is the same stuff so I can't just change the doors.

We don't want to spend a fortune!

Any ideas?

Real wood parquet isn't suitable for kitchens anyway, but you could lay a sealed laminate over the whole area which is a doddle to clean and not as cold and hard as tiling.

Kardene.

Hmm think its kardean actually.

Nope, its karndean. Anyway tis very good!
www.karndean.co.uk/site/gallery.cfm

I like real terracotta, not as cold as tiles and really nice.

But agree that laminate wood can be really practical for babies and toddlers. Can look quite good too if you choose a nice one. Could you paint the kitchen units? That way you wouldn't have so much of a fake wood overdose.

I think it might be the only option. don't like pretend stuff though - you know, pretend wood (ignore kitchen, not my fault, well it was but I was pregnant long story), pretend tiles.
Thanks!

If you get good quality laminate it actually has a thin layer of real wood on top of the chipboard type bit - so it's not as fake as all that. Just very thin.

I know what you mean, though. I am a total snob when it comes to building materials. Am even reluctant to use plasterboard except on ceilings! (total nutter)

OK , have ordered some samples from Karndean and some Amtico.

Thanks!

I have engineered oak. It's lacquered about seven times, marks just wipe off and stilettos don't make a dent.

I think Karndean is ugly (sorry I know it's really popular on MN)