Sorry for coming to the conversation a bit late, but a couple of thoughts; first of all, putting laminate over hardwood is like putting a tee shirt over a tuxedo. You've got the real stuff right there in front of you and you're about to cover it with fake wood. second, laminate is really a bad idea in a kitchen in any case, because it is not waterproof...or in most cases even water resistant. And the core of the laminate is fiberboard which will expand like a dried sponge if it gets wet. Between plumbing and washing and food spills and mopping, the floor may be short lived. If you are totally convinced that you want to cover the hardwood floor, get vinyl planks. And don't use a cement based leveler.
