My parents put oak flooring in their kitchen about 10 years ago. I'm now getting estimates for new flooring for them. Kitchens are high usage rooms. A lot of time is spent there, and there's the potential for a lot of spills, drips and drops. They need a tough flooring with a tough finish. And wood just ain't it.
My sister had oak in her last kitchen. Within 3 years the finish showed wear in front of the sink. Then in front of the stove, as well as the pathway to the dining room. When she was 50 she built her 2-story dream house. The bottom floor is mostly ceramic tile over concrete. She requested that shoes be removed upon entering. Within months her hips began to ache and pain her. Then she started wearing slippers with well-padded soles around the house and her pain disappeared.
A ceramic tile floor is too hard on Mom's arthritis. Hips, knees and feet can suffer with the hard unyielding surface. And she can't maintain all the grout lines. She loves the look of wood, but but is now considering vinyl with a wood look for a little more softness underfoot, and it's easy to clean. Alternately, a glued-seam laminate would be great if she could find the color she likes, but it's a bit more expensive.
I put ceramic tile in my entry and on my hearth. My DH won't tell me what he dropped, but I now have a large piece broken off a corner tile...