I need flooring for my basement, which is concrete and partially under grade. I am getting conflicting advice from my contractor and others. Initially my contractor suggested bamboo because it does well around moisture. I started to do research on-line and this didn't really seem true. So, I started to look into wood. Ideally I would prefer solid wood. Several places I have talked to (Timberknee and Carlisle) say that solid is perfectly fine to use in the basement, however no where on-line can I find anyone else that says that. So, I started to look into Engineered wood. I had one place that said that cherry would be the best, because it is good in humid areas. Another that said it wasn't a good idea in humid areas. I had one flooring guy who told me that carpet was the best choice because it was cheap and could be easily replaced. My contractor is now suggesting tile (I think he has forgotten that he originally suggested bamboo). I suggested the wood looking tile, but he says that is very difficult to install and costs a lot more.

Now I am just confused. If life was perfect and I didn't have to worry about moisture and money I would get solid hardwood. But, I am really concerned that if I go with any type of wood it will be destroyed by the moisture and then I would have made a really expensive mistake. On the other hand, I am having a lot of trouble visualizing how tile will look in my basement.

Has anyone used engineered wood in their basement and how did it turn out? Is there a particular species that does particularly well? Or is it really just a disaster waiting to happen? For people who have used tile in their basement, is there one that you used that ended up looking really terrific? Is there another type of flooring out there that I should consider?