If you are selling - staying with a tight pile carpet will be your best bet from a $ perspective. Just avoid a heavily plush carpet. Has a flooring pro weighed in on the wood floor condition? Worried that the condition of those floors might hinder the sale? Hope your hubs is doing well!

If you are going to sell the home immediately, put back carpet as it is the cheapest covering, and you will lose the least amount of money. Get a thin pad and low pile, and he will still be able to manage if not stay in other areas of the house with more suitable flooring. Your strategy right now needs to be getting out with as much cash left in your hands as possible. Also, if you are a US resident, your husband should qualify for a couple of months of in-home physical and occupational therapy provided by Medicare if he has qualified for that coverage. The therapists can suggest appropriate techniques and equipment to avoid another such disaster. If he is too young to automatically qualify for Medicare, he should be able to get an exception based on his condition. Check with a social worker at a local home health agency to learn more, and best wishes to you. I hope he was not injured too badly in the accident. I care for my severely disabled, heavy mother-in-law at home and sympathize a lot with your predicament. We use a combination of Bath Buddy, Hoyer lift, and sit-to-stand lift to get her safely transferred.

Thank you for your input. I'm a realtor, and in my market, it is very common for buyers to replace carpeting in a house immediately because they think it has the sellers' family's germs. That's why I was looking for a hard surface. We are probably going to be in this house for another 90 days and his handicapped shower I had built for him is in the basement so he will have to navigate the new floor. This is an insurance claim, so I won't be out of pocket any money. Of course I'd like to stay within my budget (yet TBD) because I don't want to upgrade if we won't be using it!

Then yes you want to look at a glue down LVP. Your insurance co should be able to refer you to the flooring pro's in your area to view products.

You are selling so go with a quality berber carpet. As you say most new buyers remove carpet anyway so you might as well stick with a product you KNOW they will be pulling out.

My question is: Would you have changed the basement carpet out if you HAD NOT had the flood? If you answer 'No', then go with carpet.

Trying to predict someone else's tastes is tricky. If you can PROVE to yourself you will get the money back from the new surface (100% return of monies) then go for it. If you KNOW you will never see 100% of the money put out, then go with carpet. It is fast, easy and cheap. And the insurance company knows that as well. They will only be willing to replace 'like with like'. If you want the upgrade you will be paying out of pocket for it...I guarantee it.