I am remodeling my kitchen, I have taken down the Knee wall that separates the kitchen from the family room to make one space. I want to use one flooring in both areas. I really want wood in the family room, but would rather have tile in the kitchen, Since I would hate tile in the family room I am going with wood. I prefer real wood but it is very costly in such a large space. Has anyone seen or used Mannington Revolution Plank? It is individual laminate planks, they look pretty close to real. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I will try and help a little anyway...

We just installed a laminate wood flooring in my daughter's home, not sure which brand it is but it looks spectacular. Here's what we've learned about wood flooring:

REAL Wood floor is substantially more expensive, and more prone to shifting, cracking, movement, etc. (some people describe this as "character.")
For example, we've been looking for lake homes, and many of the homes with real wood floor are experiencing buckling, because their heat is turned down low. It will go back to normal when reheated, but you will not get any of this with a good laminate.

Also, kids and pets are a big consideration when looking at real wood floors. Some laminates provide a lifetime finish warranty and you won't have to worry about paw scratches or kid accidents. Soft wood floors are very prone to dings, scratches, and dents, which again can be viewed as character, but I know I wouldn't want that after paying a substantial amount of money for it.

On the other hand, no matter how real the laminate looks, you will never have that true deep, rich tone of real wood.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Thank you for your input, I am really struggling with this. I don't like the idea of fake wood, but it does seem to make more sense in a kitchen
Good luck on your lake home. If you find out what brand you used in your daughters home, please let me know. Thanks.

Because of our lifestyle, I chose WilsonArt laminate. It's easy to install and easy to clean; good warranty, plus it is (was?) the only laminate manufactured in the USA.

I've heard pros and cons for both. A friend of mine had laminate in her previous house and said she'd never get it again, she had buckling problems with the laminate after she had a party at her house in a severe rain storm she said the water from peoples shoes caused the floors to buckle. A coworker of mine has laminate and he hates it he said with laminate it tends to look old and worn out fast and it can only be sanded down and refinished three times, he's already done it three times in the last ten years, he said it's the worst by his front door.

We just replaced our kitchen flooring with hardwood to match the hardwood in the rest of our house and we love it. I also grew up in a house that was over 100 years old that had hardwood in the bathroom and kitchen and it never cracked or buckled. If hardwood buckles it's because the contractor didn't install it correctly. The main reasons a hardwood floor buckles is because it either wasn't allowed to acclimate in the house before being installed or it was put too close to the wall and had no where to move when it expands and contracts. That is why contractors remove the baseboards install the wood floor leaving a gap between the floor and wall then put the baseboards back down to hide the gap, some shotty contractors will just put the wood floor right up to the baseboards without leaving enough room to expand and contract and you end up having wood floors that buckle.

I took a look at your before and after photos. I love your floor, what type was it? prefinished?
If you remember the brand, type of wood and color, I would love to look into it. It looks like the right color for my rooms. Thank you!

If Beantown's friend sanded and refinished his floor it wasn't laminate -- probably engineered wood, which is not as durable as laminate. Laminate cannot be refinished but damaged boards can be unsnapped and replaced.

Some laminate flooring can be refinished, some say right in the warranty they can be refinished for a maximum of 3 times. I thought the same thing that they couldn't be refinished but my friend showed me her warranty. Engineered can only be refinished a certain number of times as well. Neighbors of mine had laminate flooring installed in their kitchen and it was nailed down I assumed it didn't have to be nailed down but the instructions on theirs said it had to be nailed down.

marleycat25 my floors are Bruce Solid Hardwood the stain is Butterscotch they were 3.99 a sq ft I have them on my whole first floor, office, bathroom, kitchen, living room and dining room.

After having real solid hard wood, I can immediately tell the difference. To me, laminate just doesn't look, sound or feel 'right.'

I have Junckers (1" thick solid planks) throughout my home and it is fantastic. I would rather put down carpet in the living room until I could save up and afford real wood (or at least engineered wood such as Bruce or Kahrs).

If this is a home you plan to stay in for a long time, I don't think you will ever regret saving up for the best.