We have had the sheet Marmoleum in our kitchen and downstairs bathroom for 5 or 6 years and it still looks brand new. It is easy to take care of and warm underfoot. That said, I have friends who have it in their kitchen and it looks scuffed and scratched. They don't wear outdoor shoes in the house (neither do we) and they only have one kid, but they do have a dog. I would have a totally different impression of the stuff if I had only seen theirs. I absolutely love the stuff, though-- it cleans easily, too-- I do the super-thorough clean and condition thing maybe twice a year.

Color has a lot to do with how much scuffing will show.

What color do you have vs your friends? Our designer suggested something darker. What kind of super cleaning do you do?

It's a floor covering...it's supposed to get walked on and show use. Scuffing is to be expected. It's the nature of the beast.

We have one of the swirlier neutral colors in the kitchen. Mostly I just wipe up spills and vacuum the crumbs, but a couple of times a year, I get up close and personal with it, crank up my iPod, and sit on the floor with a bucket of warm soapy water and a nylon scrubbie and go after those marks and stubborn sticky things that have materialized. After it dries, I rub on what I call the 'conditioner," but I forget what Marmoleum calls it. It makes it look brand new.

And I guess there is some scuffing on my floor, too if I look up close with my glasses on (why would I do that?) but you really can't see it under normal conditions. My friends scuffed-looking floor is virtually the same color pattern as ours. I'll have to ask her what the heck she's been doing in there.

I think oak flooring because it looks beautiful and it is very easy to clean. Thanks.