Disclaimer: I know I won't like this as much as the old, sheet, stone-look vinyl that my husband tore up last month. I loved that floor!!! So did everyone who ever saw it in person. It was unique and very pretty and very easy to maintain. It was "my" taste.

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MOVING FORWARD

When looking (both on-line and in-store) at hundreds and hundreds of flooring samples (both ceramic tile and luxury vinyl), we found less than half dozen possibilities during the past month that were worth even taking a sample home. Since we're keeping our traditional, solid cherry (natural stain) cabinets (because we like them), the new floor will have to complement the old cabinetry's toning. Out of the samples possibilities of either of LVF or ceramic tile that we finally bought home, only one of them looked pretty good.

That one also checked all the boxes of what we need in a kitchen floor. The floor installer will be in tomorrow to look at the kitchen again. However, the new flooring won't be installed until after the new refrigerator is eventually delivered. Hopefully, that will be before the end of the month.

I need to have the new floor down before I can move on to deciding on a new countertop. All the elements of this kitchen makeover have to fit together. It is easier to select everything from scratch like we did when we built our house. However, I like certain things, currently in my kitchen, that I'm not willing to change. So, the new will have to work with the old. Modern meets traditional.

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Although I really like ceramic tile and have it in our 3 main level bathrooms, plus ins our large foyer & the airlock, I finally decided that I really don't want ceramic tile in the kitchen. Looking for a design that came close to the old kitchen floor, I kept going back to the idea of ceramic tile in the kitchen. However, the cons of tile finally outweighed the pros for me.

So, that brought me back to looking at luxury vinyl flooring that has its own set of pros and cons. The pros of LVP then won me over.

The floor we purchased (that looked the best with our cherry cabinets) is GREENGUARD Gold Certification. That was an absolute must for me. The certification ensures that the products meet strict chemical emissions limits, contributing to healthier indoor air quality. Vinyl planks, especially new vinyl plank flooring, can give off harmful gasses and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These emissions can cause nausea, skin, throat, eye irritation, and even brain damage. COREtec vinyl plank flooring has been tested to prove that it doesn’t emit high concentrations of such chemicals. The vinyl planks are coated with natural oil that’s VOC-free, and this coating doesn’t wear off.

Our chosen vinyl plank flooring is about five inches thick. The wear layer of these vinyl planks is 20 mil, which is good for this type of flooring.

More expensive (at $10.49 per sq ft) than many other luxury vinyl floors on the market, our chosen kitchen flooring, however, is not as high priced as the different, imported ceramic and porcelain tiled floors in our other rooms. This doesn't matter one way or another to me. We weren't looking for a "cheap" floor. Nor were we concerned about $10 a sq ft for luxury vinyl vs $50 a sq ft for ceramic tile cheapens the kitchen. In this case, it doesn't.

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We bought this luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring for its durability and comfort. Here are some key features:

*100% Waterproof: Ideal for areas prone to moisture, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
*Kidproof and Petproof: Designed to withstand the wear and tear from children and pets.
*Comfort: The thicker WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) construction provides a softer, warmer, and quieter floor. (This was where ceramic tile fell short IMHO).
*Stain Resistance: The floors are highly resistant to stains, making them easy to maintain.
(We'll see). But again, I moved away from ceramic tile in the kitchen because I didn't want to deal with the grout. I know how much work that can be.
*Realistic Wood Look. Okay, it won't look exactly like the real wood floors that we have in 3 rooms of our home. I don't expect it to. However, wood look LVF is what is in style right now in high end homes. More people are currently going in this direction than with ceramic tile.

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Once my first two necessities for a new kitchen floor were met (No off gassing & safe air quality, plus complementary toning to the cabinets we're keeping "as is"), I looked at what else this flooring has to offer. Being 100% waterproof, kidproof, and petproof, makes it a durable and practical choice for kitchens. Additionally, the flooring features a cork underlayment that provides thermal insulation and sound dampening, enhancing comfort and reducing noise.

All sounds good now, but we'll really see how things go after the floor is laid and we're actually living with it. For now, the material for the new kitchen floor is sitting out in our garage next to our new freezer: https://pbase.com/britestar/image/174881590