Are you my doppleganger, Mable? This is almost our exact circumstance, except we live here and don't rent. We are in a small ranch (in Alaska) and tore down the wall between the kitchen and the living/front door area. We are also on a slab, which limits us to engineered wood if we go with real wood. Almost universally, the local flooring folks are recommending LVT or laminate over the engineered hardwood - even though it would give them 3x more of our money if we went with real wood. They all say that the laminates will wear better/scratch less than the wood for the same water risks and are better with animals or men who don't take boots off at the door. Some of the newer laminates have much better systems for water-resistence, too. We are seriously looking at LVT's, which is a market that has exploded a lot over the past year or two. There are now loose lay LVT options, which are great because if a plank gets damaged you can just literally use a plunger to pull up the damaged board and replace it. There are also floating, click lock systems for LVT now. (We really don't want to glue down after pulling up all this crap from our foundation and hearing horror stories about glues interacting with concrete subfloors, even though glue down has distinct advantages in terms of not needing such a level subfloor and sounding less hollow.) We are still on the fence about it all, but my partner wants to go with a loose lay LVT floor (Kardean, XL Flooring Drop and Done or EZ-Lay). I don't love the look of the LVTs and am leaning towards laminate and taking the water risk to get a little bit of sheen and I think they reflect more light for our small home. I think the laminates look more realistic to wood, too. Currently, I'm researching a product from US Floors called CoreTec One and CoreTec Plus, which is marketed as a laminate with 100% waterproofing that is able to go over uneven surfaces.

OK...so the question is: Can I do it? Yes of course you can. I think the FULL question is: Can I do it without looking BAD? Yes. You can. It is fully acceptable to have different flooring options/colours/presentations on different levels. A basement floor is often quite different to the upper/living/public levels. There is no problem with a wood-look product (faux) in the basement (regardless whether it be laminate or vinyl planks) when real wood is in the living areas. The separation of the stairs is what allows you to do this. The DOOR allows even greater freedom. So long as the PUBLIC space is continuous (visually) then you can do whatever you want in the basement.

I've been part of a Residential Home's purchase of 8mm cork glue down cork tiles in their common area. The tiles were site finished with 2 coats of Loba 2K Supra AT. The cork is thick with natural energy absorbing abilities. The Loba 2K Supra AT is a HIGH GRIP product - even when damp. An elderly resident fell from a standing position. They landed heavily on their hip. They were taken to EMERG for X-Rays. There was no sign of a break. The resident was Dx with a 'deep bone bruise' and sent home to rest. The Home's director stated that previous falls of that nature usually have resulted in broken bones. This was the first time the home had seen a serious fall that did not result in broken bones. The cork was the difference maker. Cork is finicky but can be made super tough without compromising on aesthetics. It can be used INSTEAD OF carpet. In fact it is a 'carpet replacement' product. When done properly it can last 130+ years (Library of Congress received their cork floor in 1890's....it is STILL THERE...in it's original state).

Kristine Kelly, At first I was using premixed Murphys Oil Soap that comes in spray bottle. Supposed to not leave any residue. But after a lot of research am now using just plain water. Works well. Shaw makes a spray that you can find online too. Haven’t tried it yet.