Thanks for afterthought, @Wigwam Well understood point. My current cork stuff has a goodly number of scratches caused by badly cornering dog! Went to a tile warehouse/shop yesterday to assess the vinyl stuff. Sadly, do not think it is a starter for my kitchen. Too thin, hardly any texture to give a “soft” surface. Even the salesman said that it would scratch and maybe fade in direct sunlight. Not really suitable for high-usage cooking area.
Hi Tharg. Was it proper stuff you looked at i.e Amitco or Karndean or standard vinyl what the shop said was LVT. As I see it nothing is going to be as soft on the feet as a carpet material.
Porcelain/ceramic tiles will be the most hard wearing and you could put electric underfloor heating on the most walked on area. Unfortunately they are not the softest material to walk on. I always wear slippers with gel insoles as I suffer with my feet indoors, which counteracts a hard floor.
if you go the tile route I would recommend getting at R9 slip resistance tiles.