Terry, as a consumer of flooring, who owns beachhouse(s) that have been in my family for years, both where we lived and as rentals, this discussion would not be happening in my family. Tile is the way to go. If you think it's too "hard", then have plenty of rugs to soften it. Hardwood? No. I think about open windows (not perfectly de-humidified in every season, as hardwood would require), not worrying about the inevitable entrance of sand into the home. Who would want to live at the beach like that ? A little bit of sand on a hardwood floor will destroy the finish--unless you are talking about a purposefully rusticated, perhaps engineered wood floor. But you mention renters: all bets about maintenance are off. Your renters are going to maintain your de-humidified house? And they're not going to leave windows open to catch the fresh air? And they're going to both remove their flip flops and shower outside, every single time they enter? With kids? No, no, nope. Beachhouses make me think of carefree summer-y lifestyles, where kids run in and out wet and sandy, where guests come to live the indoor-outdoor lifestyle, with boogie boards, flip flops, and beach walks. With bbq's going all summer, and people going in and out to use the restrooms, the kitchen, etc. I would not mess around with LVP, especially in a sunny place with coastal sun. That is not what flooring stores near our So. Cal. coast would recommend (and we bought flooring within the past 2 years). And listen to the flooring pros tell you about window film! I love you flooring pros, but in a sunny location, after-market window film voids many a double-paned window warranty, and the reason is because it can cause a heat build-up and lead to cracking. Yes, you can choose to spend even MORE money on window film, chasing after the protection of your brand new wood floor--but you surely can't keep the renters from opening the windows on a sunny day. The best bet is tile.

Nc, what style kitchen are you doing? if going w/a porcelain tile, and you have a large enough area, go w/the 24x24 or 30x30. 12x24 can look a little choppy, depending on the type of tile used. for instance, I love these (first 5 are all from Tilebar. you can get 5 samples for $5) oh, and this is a large porcelain tile that when laid looks like a wood inset design. it's porcelain and comes in many colors.

Wondering what you ended up going with, I'm trying to make the same decision with a remodel of our 17 year old home.

Is Shaw Floors Paragon Plus the same as Home Depot’s Shaw line?