What floors will survive longest in a home with pets and kids?
I'm so completely frustrated with trying to choose flooring. We have pets and children, high echo-y ceilings, open floor plan, and I need new flooring in the living room, dining room, entryway, hallway, family room, and kitchen. We have travertine in the bathrooms and carpet in the bedrooms which will stay, but everything else is up for change. We have birch floors in the entry through to the kitchen which look horrible and have been refinished twice already (they're too soft for our lifestyle), and we have carpet in the hallway, living room, dining room, and family room. I was thinking of replacing the carpet with hardwood, but am afraid the noise will be too much, and while I love hardwoods we're hard on the floors and they won't look nice for long. The carpets are a constant chore to keep clean and stain-free which is why I wanted to replace them with hard surface flooring, but I wonder if anything is really going to be "the answer." We live in the PNW mountains and cold winters are also a concern. HELP! I need your suggestions and experience!! Thanks!