I put laminate in our kitchen about 7 years ago. Over time it got a couple of scratches, which we covered up reasonably well, but still could be seen if looked carefully. But the BIG problem was water - we got water on the laminate through normal use, never a big spill or a long-term issue, but over time it caused the edges of the laminate in those places to curl up and look awful. This was a name brand (Mohawk) laminate, and looked good initially. I personally, will never put laminate in my home, and most definitely not in the wet areas. We replaced all the laminate with tile this year and are very happy with the result.

Ok now I'm getting somewhere. Thanks for that info as well.

You will find that engineered wood is the superior wood-look product. Will stand up to water.

Tile on the diagonal throughout and carpet in the bedrooms.

We did engineered wood in living/dining room, tile in kitchen, baths, front foyer and laundry room. Love the wood in living room because we put a barrier under neath to help with sound since with tile it does seem to echo a lot (found out in last house). Both are easy to take care of and seem to stand up well to the traffic in the house.

Do you have it in your kitchen as well?

Did in the last house, will in this one when the carpet wears.

Allow me to confuse you even more. I love the look of hardwood, Like the feel of carpet, but after research and experimentation, we went with all tile due to the humidity and temp of Central Florida. I just seems right for us.

Yeah, thanks for the input, thinking of going that way too.