I would refinish the upstairs hardwood and replace vinyl and carpet on the fiirst floor with hardwood.

That is where you will get more bang for your buck. “Hardwood” is the magic word when a potential buyer comes along.

Go with hardwood downstairs, too. To me, luxury and vinyl are an oxymoron.

I think you'd get the most bang for your buck if you matched the downstairs to the upstairs.

But if you are definitely doing the entire downstairs in LVT I still would be hesitant to cover hardwood.

It depends on where you are located. Here hardwood or engineered wood and ceramic tile bathrooms rule even in entry level construction and LVT would be down market even though it's expensive, and laminate would be down market. But in some areas and some suburban builds LVT would be perfectly fine.

I think LVP will scratch a lot with dogs.

No buyer is going to pay you more for vinyl. They may calculate what it will cost them to rip it up and install wood.

People have had wood floors with kids and dogs for a very long time. They can be refinished. If they’re not in your budget now, maybe get cheap sheet vinyl until you can save up for real wood.

I would go all hardwood, especially when buyers hear "hardwood through out" and the original floors that have been restored will add a lot of original character to the home with buyers love especially when that character is hardwoods and not something obnoxious like 50 pocket doors- ha!

I just tore up the carpet in one bedroom and my home office and put down LVP. I chose a style that will match (pretty much) the hardwoods in the hall. I've got hardwoods in my den as well and will never cover them with LVP. I think that down the road, hardwoods will be as big or bigger selling point as LVP. I'm trying to post a picture but having a hard time getting it go through. I will as soon as I can.

Here we are:

On my screen, the color with arrow underneath seems to have some gray/blue in it. Is that right or is it me?

Do the stain patches have a COAT OF FINISH over top??? If you answered "no" then do NOT make a decision! The finish coat MUST BE THERE before you choose. You would be astounded at how many people found their beautiful "gray" floors turned ORANGE after the oil based finish was applied! Ohhhhh that is heart breaking.

Please make SURE they put down a coat of finish over the patches. BTW: I can't see any indication of finish over the patches. That's normally a sign that it didn't get done.

As for vinyl over hardwood, it is a NO-NO! Vinyl has a chemical reaction to the FINISH on hardwood floors - and vice verse. That's why you cannot use vinyl/rubber backed area rugs over hardwood - they stain EACH OTHER.

The surest way to RUIN that wood is to lay vinyl over top. It is an absolute NO-GO! Do the sand/refinish. You have hardwood that other people would die for.

And just for fun...dark hardwoods are very particular. Many people either love them or hate them. The colour you are looking at might be a put-off if resale is in less than 20 years (the normal time to do another sand/refinish).

^ if you are considering resale in your choices, do NOT stain your wood gray.

I would put wood into the downstairs also. Basic red oak (I think that is what you have upstairs) isn't that expensive, is very durable, and looks good with most décor.

The red oak floors in my 70 year old home have survived countless children, dogs and cats. Yes, scratches and dings can and will occur, as with any living surface, but they blend in, really aren't obvious, and can be repaired. On the other hand, I do have to worry about scratches and dings on my good quality LVT that I put into the addition -- they will show and aren't fixable.

Gray floors are already fading out in some areas. Gray is very trendy - which means when it is no longer popular, it will become the dreaded dated. That is not a big deal with things easily changed out like a wall paint, cheap flooring, or even a backsplash - but to sand out the gray stain and try to revert to the natural wood tone down the road - that could get expensive. It also does not matter if the color goes out of style but you absolutely love it and will for the next 20 years. Most new design pics I am seeing are natural or lightly stained floors. These tones are more versatile as to style. Here are some examples:

Round here,you would hurt the value of your house $ub$tancially by covering the hardwood and turn off many potential buyers.

I think gray is the last color I would ever want in flooring and after having many types of flooring, I still want to cry for the wood I used to have!