I put vinyl in this house I inherited. It was much less expensive than stone/slate/whatever and will last as long as I will. Easy to clean, too.

I wish I could be helpful, but I’m a hardwood girl from way back.

My kitchen has a stone looking laminate flooring that I love! It’s easy to clean, easy on the back for standing long periods, doesn’t hurt the grandsons when they crawl, and doesn’t lead to smashed plates as easily as a stone or ceramic tile floor would. I have a refillable Swiffer-like mop thingy which I fill with hydrogen peroxide to clean the floor and it does a great job. I also alternate cleaning with a steam mop. I love the floor and its so much better than the old linoleum we used to have. Good luck with your hunt.

We put “resilient” vinyl in our kitchen three years ago and love it. Ours it CarpetOne, but their styles were limited. I googled “padded vinyl” and got a lot of hits – try looking at Stainmaster, for instance. It was perfectly affordable and really makes a difference under the feet.

Wish I could add to the suggestions, but a couple of them there bear looking into. When we moved here the kitchen floor was linoleum. I suppose it still is. As you may have noticed, we are carpeted throughout, including the kitchen and the bathrooms. Good luck.

Our floors here are stone or hardwood with area rugs. We put the grandbabies on the rugs. We had a greenish slate entryway (with the grout lines painted white) which we replaced. The front step has slate tiles, and they do chip. The granite tiles become slippery if they are wet, so you should be aware of that. Are engineered laminate floorings also out? My parents like their engineered bamboo floor. Good luck picking something appropriate and comfortable.

current house has ceramic tile in the kitchen/hallway/bathroom downstairs, carpet in the living room/dining room and Pergo in the family room

I like the Pergo — more forgiving than the tile, easier to clean than carpet

I admit though, I’d have hardwood throughout if we could afford it — and the look of the Pergo (looks like wood) puts another plus in it’s column from me too

We have birch, and love it for the warmth. It may not do given your water table – but what about cork? It is supposed to be moisture resistant. I would love to give that a try for the comfort it is supposed to give to those standing on it. It may, however, be a bit spendy as we say in MN.

I second (or third) the comment on laminate. We are currently remodeling our kitchen. Home Depot has a Pergo laminate that looks like slate. It has a bit of a texture, no slipping, but not enough to make the floor uneven. That’s what we are using.

I was told by friends to steer clear of wood as it doesn’t wear well, and our contractor said to stay away from tile, as the grout is difficult to keep clean.