If you " not looking for something cheap and low quality. " then increase your budget..............also is it $3-4 for materials or all in -

There will not be any good quality Engineered Wood flooring for that price. Its about half of what you would need.

@Deb s...the budget I have is for materials only....we have already budgeted for the installation costs (install materials, labor, baseboards, etc)

For laminate or carpet, your budget is fine...for mid-grade. For LVP, tile, wood, cork, etc, you are far too low.

For me, the best bang for the low-budget buck is the HIGHEST END laminate you can afford. With that in mind, you will use a different material in the kitchen and baths.

With a budget is restricted as yours, I'm afraid to say you are looking at two surfaces. As soon as you ask a material to do TWO different things (durable AND water resistant/water proof) you add several dollars per square foot to the project.

But....if you use well made products that have only ONE job to do (such as being durable) then you have a much greater chance of being well served by that material. So...the answer is use different materials that do ONE thing really really really well.

LVP sounds great until you realize the drawbacks to the material...it doesn't like direct sunlight...it must have a SUPER FLAT substrate (you will spend extra for floor leveling), it doesn't like HEAT (you might have to spend $$$$$ on window upgrades, etc). A $4/sf LVP is just barely 'middle of the road' product. Some of the best products are closer to $9/sf (depending on your location).

Laminate will give 90% of your home a GREAT surface. The high-end laminates ($4-$5/sf) are extremely durable. Excellent. Don't forget the underpad = $1/sf. Know that laminate is a great option...while using expensive material/install products in small quantities (tiles in kitchen/bath...or sheet vinyl if savings absolutely must be had) where the product's NATURAL tendencies (water proof) are highly valued.

Of course carpet is one of your best options for bargain hunters. Installation is relatively cheap and subfloor prep is NON-EXISTENT. Yep. Carpet is the only one that gets rid of subfloor prep.

And remember: it never pays to go cheap on flooring. It is the ONE finish that is being abused every second of every day...because gravity works.

That's way too low of a budget for qualify engineered hardwood. Laminate isn't a good choice for kitchens- especially low quality laminate which is what you would get for that price range. If the budget can't be upped LVP/LVP is probably your best bet.

Thanks to all the inputs here (@SJ McCarthy...awesome info. TY!)...I am seriously reconsidering my budget now as a result! You guys are all awesome :)

This is a 150K-200K project if done correctly. You might want to rethink the scope if all you can afford is seconds not suitable for a trailer for for flooring and third rate bubbas for installers.

kal vissa - for what it is worth I will share my experience. I have 20 year old builder grade engineered wood floor in my kitchen and hall way from master to kitchen. I have 2 children and a dog. The wood is in terrible shape and I have been needing to replace for 10 years or so but do to budget have not. Most of the damage is water damage from kitchen use and UV damage from sun as well as scratches and dents from normal every day use. I can't really blame it all on kids and dog but yes that add to the every day wear and tear. I have been looking hard for replacements options that I can afford. I just can't bring myself to put my $$ back into a wood floor as I know it will just not hold up and I can't afford the best wood that can be refinished 2-3 times. For this reason I am leaning towards the spc product that looks like wood so I can have the visual I like with out the stress of normal every day wear and tear. What has convinced me to go with the SPC is mostly a comment I read on this site to the effect that "damaged wood floors don't help your house sell either". And fyi - the spc I'm looking at is around the 3-4 dollar price point + installation. I will be putting spc in my kitchen, laundry, sunny hallway, and study where most of the "life" happens in my house. And to stay continuous with the rest of the house that means I will also put it in the dining and master - which I am not crazy about - but maybe a nice rug will seal the deal.

Thanks for your comments @ V M. Much appreciated!

for material cost I think it is tight, but there are lots of solid wood products that you can find for under $4/sq ft. I think it will mainly be oak products. You can go to the floor and decor website to find examples. We had 3/4" unifinished oak installed to match original oak floor from the 90s and two years later it is still perfect. The wood was probably under $4/sq ft, the total install cost (install + stain + finish layer) was about 10/sq ft.

In the upstairs we went with a prefinished solid brazilian walnut (I think) and it was more expensive wood, but the installed price also ended up being 10/sq ft.

We've decided to go with Engineered Hickory wood ($4.69/sqft) throughout the house...with porcelain tile in kitchen, laundry, fireplace, and bathrooms. We had to significantly expand our budget but after seeing all the advice on this thread, I am confident we did the right thing. Thanks to all for your inputs, once again!

@Kal Vissa Great selection!

Here are a couple of Centurion Hickory Active pictures we just installed at a customer's house in Bloomington. MN. Hope you like them.

.

Centurion Hickory Active · More Info

Natural Hickory · More Info