We are planning to restore all the original wood floors except for the laundry and bathrooms in our century home. We will lay ceramic tile in the new dining room addition, attached to the kitchen. The kitchen floor which has a 1-2" slope to the back hall and the pantry is also adjacent to the back hall. Our plan was to carry the 8"x8"ceramic tile from the new dining room, over the sloped floor part of the kitchen, in the pantry and out to the back hall. The rest of the kitchen would remain hardwood. We are concerned that the tiles will crack where the dining room and kitchen meet and where the wood floor and the tile meet in the kitchen. Is this likely? We have two options: leave the kitchen, pantry and back halls hardwood and call the slope 'character', or cover the entire kitchen floor, pantry and back hall with a floating wood laminate floor and keep ceramic tiles in the dining room.

Unless your original hardwood floors are in terrible shape, I would not replace them. You could paint them a historical colour rather than replace them. Nothing can replace the look of traditional hardwood. I recently went on a Christmas tour of homes in Niagara-on-the-Lake and many of the homes had slanted floors like yours, which only added to their charm. Also, I don't like the idea of two different materials in the kitchen. It should be all wood or all ceramic. If you do decide on tile, it may be a bigger job than expected. Tile should be installed on a firm level base, so you may need to install a sub floor before laying the tile. Tile also tends to be cold and hard on the feet if you are standing for any length of time. Laminates are very durable and can look quite authentic, but why go to the expense when you already have the real thing?