I have to join this discussion of Hardwood in the kitchen. I am a little biased in this discussion because of being a tile contractor for almost 30 years. I have seen alot of hardwood kitchen floors. I have to give you the cons of putting hardwood in. Hardwood floors look great. As far as durability I am not sold. Hardwood floors look great when they are first put in. Depending on the traffic in the kitchen I give them about 4 to 5 years is when you see significant wear. I have seen alot of hardwood floors in kitchens with water damage. Now I know you think you wont have a leak from your dishwasher, refrigerator or a general plumbing leak. Well these things do happen and when it does the hardwood needs to be totally removed. Some times this is not so easy if the hardwood goes under the base cabinets. I am not saying do not put hardwood in the kitchen I think you should look at whats going to work for you. There are plenty of porcelain tiles that will give you the look of hardwood but give you the durability of a porcelain tile. Tile installed properly will last a long time. Hardwood will last but it will look warn to the point that it would need to be refinished at a cost around $2000.00 depending on the size of the room. I don't want to upset the hardwood floor lovers I have it all over my house except the bathrooms and kitchen. The floor is 20 years old 4 kids 2 dogs and still looks great. I am sure what ever you choose it will look great.

What I have always thought is, if you try to "match" an existing floor it looks like you tried and missed. When you go with something completely different, the result is yes, I wanted something different, and here it is. Especially if you lay it in a different direction. Does that make sense?

Kitchen's suffer from extreme humidity variation, so you should fully adhere the solid or engineered flooring to avoid a bowing/warping floor in a few months time However, here's another viable option; luxury vinyl tiles (LVT). Generally, LVTs are 2.5mm thick, made from 100% pvc (therefore waterproof), come with a thick polyurethane wear layer that normally is backed up with a manufacturers warranty, with a wood or stone effect finish. LVTs are great with underfloor heating and unlike ceramics, they don't break when heavy objects are dropped on them and unlike wooden floors, once laid, LVTs need no further maintenance other than regular vacuuming and washing. LVTs are almost indestructible! There are many options available but us Flooring Gurus recommend going for a recognised brand. The whole idea about an LVT is for it to look authentic. They need to genuinely look like the wood or stone flooring they are mimicking. Cheap alternatives, when installed, look ... well ... awful! Try looking at Polyflor's Colonia and Camaro. We sell these products online at www.flooringmegastore.co.uk and if you made contact with us, we'd be happy to despatch a few free of charge samples to you, plus a glossy catalogue, to help you research the products a bit more. We're the Flooring Gurus!

You mentioned 12mm laminated floor yet you are asking about 'wood'. These are often two different floors. Are you asking about an engineered HARDWOOD that is 12mm thick or are you talking about a 12mm LAMINATED floor (fibre board with a pretty picture of wood on the top)? Engineered hardwood works well in a kitchen (just like Oak & Broad points out). Laminated flooring normally DOES NOT do well in a kitchen. That means the answer to your question could be "yes" or "no"....depending on which floor you are talking about. Please clarify.