Hi Bonfahey, I'd avoid vinyl and tiles because they can be cold and quite noisy and some tiles can be exceptionally slippery when wet. With kids I'd lean towards cork because it's a lot warmer, it's got some eco credentials, it's fairly easy to keep clean and if you're having it in the kitchen it's kinder to your back and legs than the other options. The issue is whether you'll be able to find the look you want with cork - although I've seen some that have looked stunning.

Hardwood looks great and as they say, you can repolish it every five years. Personally I really love the hardwood tiles at Tile Boutique. They are truly amazing. Can't pick them from the real hardwood. Definitely worth a look. I'm tiling my house with them because I have to put up with kids and dog and don't want to worry about my floors. Don't show up the dirt and low maintenance.

Spotted Gum is a great hard wearing timber with a Janka rating of 11. This means it is high density timber and won't dent as easily as softer timbers like American Oak. A polyurethane finish is the hardest and most durable timber floor coating and it comes in gloss satin and mat. The lower sheen's are more forgiving if you you have pets and young children. Bamboo is another hard product but only comes in short lengths so you would need to take that look into consideration when selecting. Some clients don't like the look of the short boards and consider it a cheap look. Others prefer the longer floor boards of timber. If you do choose bamboo make sure that you find out the coating used and whether it can be sanded and re coated down the track, as all timber and bamboo floors will need a touch up especially if you have pets. Some bamboo floors can not be sanded due the coating used. Hope this helps. Our website may offer some inspiration. Good Luck http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/

Is it possible that there are floorboards under the carpet that can be polished? This would be ideal. Otherwise, as much as I love my bedroom floorboards, I think you should stick with carpet. You’ll never match the hallway exactly so it will always look a bit odd.