Hello. As a tile professional I am of course biased toward tile or stone flooring. I have ripped out many commercial carpets that were torn, stained, and faded from excessive wear and replaced them with tile. Tile and stone are very durable and easy to clean and maintain. If you want maximum durability at a reasonable price, go with porcelain tile.

Thanks for all your opinions. I think we are leaning toward the warm look of hardwood floors, we just have to decide what species we want to go with.

Thanks Jim.  I will do that!