I was just talking with a flooring installer today about putting Adura planks on stairs. Adura planks are wood-look vinyl by Mannington; they are similar to the Novalis, I think. He said it could be done, but that they would need to be glued down (not "float"). He showed me a special metal thing that would be put on the edge of each step (comes in different color metals). It is cut to fit and nailed down with special nails with rounded heads (not big ugly regular nails). The strip also has ridges in it for traction. The metal strip is about an inch wide. I don't know what it is called and I don't have a picture, but he had them at the store and said it is a pretty standard installation, so they shouldn't be hard to find if you contact a flooring store.

We did our whole basement a few months back in luxury vinyl tile (that's the lvt above :) ) and just love it. I think it's a no-brainer if you have dogs that will scratch up hardwood or need waterproofing (we put it through our laundry area and mudroom). On a main floor, I'd still do hardwood, because all of the other options feel fake underfoot (barefoot). But if that's not an option, the lvt is warm, soft, and has some awesome looks these days. I really think it's going to completely replace laminate pretty quickly.

I’ve been on the same wild goose chase! The best I’ve found is coretec Calypso oak, I priced it at 4.49/sq ft and am getting installation quotes

I would consider a good quality WPC(6 to 8 mm) for basement since it is warmer and more comfortable than SPC. I would go with 20 mil wear layer. More importantly, make sure your concrete is leveled within 3/16" in 10 sqft.