Hardwood is a popular choice for kitchens. Many people like them because the color choices make it easy for decorations and that its easier on the feet sine you tend to stand a lot while in the kitchen.

You hear stories of scratching easy because you spend a good portion of your day there and also things tend to get dropped more often in the kitchen.

The thing about water is while is if your kitchen floods then you could be looking at replacing the entire floor is the damage is large enough.

But generally when water leaks the damage is caught earily and it can usually be sanded and refinish.

The scratching depends on the species of wood you go with. We have pine floors throughout our home and they are much softer and scratch easier than the oak we had in another home. But, we love the patina...(that's what I keep repeating to myself over and over anyway, hoping I'll believe it one day!)

We've had oak floors in the kitchen for 12 years. Scratching is not an issue, but sometimes my fairly new Whirlpool Gold dishwasher leaks. Do not buy that brand! I haven't had to replace the floor (yet) and I ususally put a container next to the dishwasher so the water can go in there instead of on the floor. I recently had the floor refinished and it looks very nice.

Most people are very happy with wood floors in the kitchen. However, you have to choose one that will be relatively easy to live with. For example, I would not specify a dark-colored, engineered, prefinished exotic wood for use in a kitchen. They are way too unforgiving of minor scratches, dents and scrapes and they show everything.

Here's a tip...if the wood flooring sample looks like something you'd see on a dining room table top, you don't want to put that on your kitchen floor.

You must accept visual wear and tear with any wood floor you decide to install in a kitchen...nature of the beast.

I have oak hardwood in my kitchen. Absolutely no problems. It's warm and feels great to my feet. I HATED the ceramic tile that was originally in the house. Cold, hard and painful! No regrets about hardwood!

My house was built in 1985( we are the original owners) and have hardwood in the kitchen, and powder room. We have had no issues with them. We just did a kitchen remodel and kept the floors.