Hardwood flooring in entry way

[Anonymous]

We are getting quotes on renovations on our house and a contractor indicated that we shouldn't get hardwood in the entry hallway and instead should get tile due to the amount of traffic in the area. The front hallway goes past the staircase and the half bath and leads directly into the living area. I think it will look bad to arbitrarily tile that hallway and begin hardwood in the living room. Any thoughts. What do people do in the front hallway or to protect their floors in those areas? This is a basic townhouse with the usual layout.

[Anonymous]

Wood in the entry way is fine. I see it all the time. You should put a nice entry rug and maybe even a matching runner in the hallway area leading to the other spaces in your house. I have also seen tile, but I feel like that is kind of a 90s thing. Nice quality hardwood is a great option. You definitely need something to soak up the wetness from outside though, especially if you don't have people enter through the garage in winter/rain.

[Anonymous]

Side note - labor for installing tile is actually more expensive than labor for installing hardwood, so that may be why your contractor is pushing tile.

[Anonymous]

Our house has 25 year old wood in the entry way. It looks great, no issues (held up better than the kitchen wood floors). We have an entry rug and a waterhog rug to catch the water from outside. I dislike tile.

[Anonymous]

Wood is fine, and we have it. We do have a runner. But tile in the entryway is also classic--many Victorian houses had this so it is not just a 90's thing. If I did this, I would go very classic with the tiles, though.