You have a walkout basement with lots of natural light, so it wouldn't seem a problem. But I confess I prefer dark floors to light ones anywhere--except for a small space with light walls where a dark floor would emphasize the smallness of the space. I would avoid using any vinyl directly on a basement floor to avoid mould problems. See this thread for some further comments on basement flooring.

I've installed the Novalis gunstock in two bedrooms so far and planning to the do the third. So far, we have just installed directly on the existing concrete. The hallway has ceramic tile which sits about 1/4" higher than the Novalis. I am planning to put in a wooden reducer moulding in the doorways to join the two floors. My question is this... I have a large area in my living room that also has the old, nasty carpet, and I would like to put the Novalis in there, too. Two sides go up to the wall, but two sides go up against the tile, and I have the same uneven floor height problem. I would really prefer that the two floors were the same height in this area. Not only for looks, but practicality... there is a lot of foot traffic and dog traffic here (including a 100-lb Doberman) and I think any sort of floor transition moulding would get ruined pretty fast. It also causes problems with the baseboards meeting together properly at corners, where one side would have tile and the other would have the Novalis. So, the question is, can anyone recommend an underlayment that would go over the concrete, be easy to install, and work with the Novalis? I've thought about plywood, but the plywood at Lowe's/Home Depot doesn't seem to be very flat, it's kind of wavy looking and I don't think it would be very good for the flexible vinyl. Is it possible to use cork underlayment? Or is it too squishy for vinyl planks? Also, if it would work, do you still put primer on it? I've used Henry's primer on the concrete, which works great, but cork is probably too porous for that. Any suggestions for underlayment would be greatly appreciated!

I never come over to this forum, but peeked in today. Personally, I would never consider purchasing a home with the laundry in the basement. I have always had mine on the first or second floor, with the second floor preferred, as it is closer to where everything needs to be put away. Since you are combining two bedrooms, is there any way that you could put a small laundry on the second floor, even if it is in a closet, and get the fourth BR on the 1st? We had a previous home with a flex room with a full bath on the first floor. It could be used for an office, BR, nanny suite, children's playroom, etc. The other option might be to put the fourth bedroom in the basement, since you are finishing it off anyway, and leave the laundry on the first floor. In our area, for a basement level BR, you need egress and a closet.

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.