What flooring to use

[Jay B.]

Question for all of you regarding what I should do for flooring in a house I am rehabbing for a rental, and targetting the middle to upper middle class of renter.

There is a hallway that connects the entrance hall, three bedrooms, the living room and kitchen, and I am having trouble trying to decide what type of flooring to put here, as I want to install something resiliant to wear and water, but will transition nicely (looks) to hardwood, carpet, and tile.

Bedrooms will likely be carpet.
Kitchen and bathroom will be tile
living room has hardwood that will be refinished.

My first thought is that I would use tile for the hallway - the same tile as the kitchen and bathroom.
Pros
- will tie everything together, and I think it will look nice
- will hold up to getting wet by the front door (from snow on boots etc)
Cons
- it will be heavy on the existing structure (it would probably be fine)
- it is cold and hard to walk on

Then I thought of laminate
Pros
- quick and easy install
- cheaper than tile
Cons
- may not hold up to getting wet by the front door (snowy boots)

There is carpet, but I don't think I want carpet by the front door, or in a high traffic area.

Then there is vinyl flooring, which would be good for the water and traffic, but doesn't look as nice as tile or laminate (my opinion anyway)

Any thoughts?

Jay