Porcelain tile kitchen floors and splashes, dark granite counters, medium tone "shaker" wood cabs. natural wood is easier to touch up with Old English when damaged.

Lots of porcelain top options out there.

My personal favorite is porcelain tile as it's practically bulletproof and aesthetically acceptable here in Texas.

Do you suggest using acrylic showers/tubs or porcelain over steel?

There are new commercial "super thin" porcelain tiles marketed for tile over tile commercial applications....so the cutting edge in building science apparently is buying in.  

There are fewer seams for water to seep through and the corners will be held in place by the baseboard around the perimeter.But to answer your question, you could probably just take pointers from a regular ceramic/porcelain tile video.

Is porcelain more durable than ceramic?

Our thoughts are to finish the full basement and add a bathroom there, knock out the wall leading to the kitchen to insert a breakfast bar, replace carpeting, repaint, and take off the siding and replace with brick or granite for an exquisite finish.

If any odor/urine lingers in surfaces, any coating/painting/repairing work you do may only mask the odor ...temporarily.I'v already replaced all flooring with porcelain tile ( on slab that was probably not cleaned good enough), Kilz ceilings and wall surfaces, replaced windows and all base boards and odor still lingers. 

SteelI want something that is going to last awhile, but not forever; as I will eventually have to update.2 Kitchen: Porcelain Tile vs Vinyl I like the idea of tile, but I feel like with a rental unit, the upkeep might be difficult.