help with flooring please

[pleaserewind]

my question is, laminate or real wood for the kitchen?? whatever i choose i will probably eventually go for the same in the living room aswell. is it worth paying the extra for real wood, does it scratch or mark easily? the door opens on to a gravelly area outside so some obviously may get trodden in.
sorry such a boring question but the man is coming to measure up tonight!

we have laminate but soon getting hardwood as i personally think laminate..looks so fake and cheap although im sure most is not.
also in my hall you can see where has started to raise because of wet shoes and umbrellas, the amount of floor washing going on in the kitchen could cause the same problem.
hth

I would say neither! We had a lovely laminate floor fitted in the kitchen when we moved here and had a flood. After 2-3 days the joints on the floor started rising and bubbling and the whole lot had to be chucked out! (The flood happened overnight and the water was on the floor for a few hours) My advice would be ceramic tiles.

why not try a rubber floor? v hardwearing, esp in a kitchen area

Laminate will warp when wet. Real wood, if protected well, should be fine. Just be careful about gaps, food can drop through them and attract mice etc. Wouldn't worry about wood getting scratched etc, all part of the charm. Think there is no comparison between real wood and laminate.

Laminate soon looks worn, real wood just gets better..

aounds good for real wood then! dh will be pleased
how does it get better?

There are some quite a few threads on this subject, try a search..

Ceramic tiles for kitchen adjoining real wood in living room, I think.....