Construction is finishing on our new home and the builder called today looking to find out whether we wanted tile or hardwoods in our second floor laundry room/closet. It's essentially an oversized closet, not really a room...slightly wider than a washer and dryer (maybe a foot or so) and slightly deeper (maybe two feet or so). We told him tile but by the time he got back to his subcontractor he had already installed the hardwoods. That being said I really did want hardwoods, I just figured the machines would wear on the hardwoods, either due to moving them in and out or the operation of them over time. I am going to tell him to leave the hardwoods, I'm just trying to think of something I can put under the machines that will protect the hardwoods...something cheap and easy to cut and fit into place like maybe laminate flooring or those adhesive backed vinyl tiles. I want to install something that you barely see, if at all, once the machines are in place. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks much!