Talk to me about the lovely flooring you have in your kitchen and hallway.

[PriscillaQueenOfTheDesert]

And please don't say Karndean. I know lots of people here love it and I want to, I've really tried but I just can't.

My hallway runs through to the kitchen diner so I want the same floor throughout.

I love the look of real slate tiles but obviously they aren't the best idea in a kitchen. I have 2 toddlers and we're not wanting to decorate again any time soon so need something that looks good, is easy to clean and will last.

Any ideas?

I have travertine and I love it. It's easy to clean, mottled in colour so never looks dirty, and it's very practical with a toddler and two cats coming in and out of the garden. Toddler ride-ons like the wheelybug and toy cars etc run really well on it, so she's happy. We have underfloor heating which stops it getting cold in winter except the patch where it's broken that is always like a little corner of Siberia.

I hated Karndean with a passion and refused to even think about having it until I did some research.

I now have it in my new kitchen and I am totally baffled about my previous prejudice. Fantastic stuff.

Sorry I said Karndean.

I have pale paln porcelain tiles and they are a nightmare - show every speck.

What's Karndean? Is that basically lino?

Wide Oak planks for me. Love it. It's Beautiful. Off to Stroke it.

Karndean

We have something like travertine ceramic tiles. Great with dog/kids/DH tramping stuff. Easy to clean. We don't have underfloor heating but we do have good insulation under the floor and they don't get cold.

Only problem is if you drop something is will break and scatter a long way.

Bamboo
its got scratches and dents - we are a boots household - but still looks wonderful.
It could do with buffing up at some stage
but at £13 a square metre, and 13mm thick it can always be sanded back

I'm afraid its travertine here as well.Its very easy to clean and its difficult to see the dirt.But it can chip as it is quite a soft stone,especially honed and filled travertine.

Bamboo in the hall and reception rooms. Marmoleum in the kitchen. Both look fab. We've had the marmoleum down for 11+ years, and it still looks as new. The bamboo has only been down a year, but looks beautiful.

Well our hall is not done yet and is manky old floorboards, no idea what to put on that

The kitchen is green and cream ceramic tiles in a chequered pattern which I laid myself, I'm in love with them, they're smooth, easy to clean and not freezing cold at all.

We've slate (that multi coloured random stuff) in the dining room and I find it beautiful but very hard to clean as it's only been sealed once or twice and it's very kind of bumpy, with ridges and holes and stuff. Maybe we got crap slate

anyway at least you don't see the dirt too much.
Slate breaks everything that falls on it, as you probably know.

Ooh I was going to suggest marmoleum but wasn't sure how it stands up to cleaning/spills/broken crockery etc.

Is it good then?