. :-)  I don't take dogs AT ALL, and the last move-out had a cat which dug a hole in the rug (first time ever), BUT NEVER had any damages attributed to children - - over 18yrs, 'taint bad.

Tenants can put down throw rugs if they want...

Another option is if you're already doing other flips or are definitely planning on doing more, you could take some time and shop for some deals on buying your own furniture and accessories (remember, great staging is much more than just plopping a rug and a couple couches in the living room-its really setting a mood with little knick knacks, accessories, art, etc) but often on craigslist you can find barely used decent furniture for some good or even great deals.

Our demo just started yesterday.I know they have heavy duty rugs for fireplaces but will look into the code for the hearth.

The coast north of S.F. and up to Crescent City is more rugged and has beautiful redwoods, but lots of fog, making it less in demand.

I'd never seen a painted wooden floor in the living area of a house (other than a little checkerboard thing I had in a bathroom) before getting into this business, but they're quite common in lower end and Section 8 areas in these parts, done in a chocolate brown typically, with area rugs, it looks pretty good and is very cheap to re-do at the turns.

Overall, if its just one room, I'd grind it down and epoxy over it, and have a 10+ year floor for my rental that would look great with area rugs.  

That was a pretty rugged looking first deal! 

And I kind of think people who like carpet might think, "Hey, I guess I'll have to buy some area rugs," while people who hate it have no way to get around wall-to-wall.

Easy to repair or replace, don't make it too nice or you'll be paying high dollar all over again after tenants trash stuff, use rugged materials.