I have to agree with Lynn. Laminate flooring is great for starter homes, maybe basement flooring, etc. but it will not last like hardwood. You can have extra coats of finish applied to your hardwood if you are concerned about the dogs and kids but it is a "renewable" product. It can be sanded and refinished over and over again! I just don't understand why people want to use laminate when it is just a "faux" product; of course price is a factor but every laminate floor I have walked on looks and sounds so cheap! I have hardwood floors with dogs and grandkids and have never had a problem. There are scratches but they are not noticeable and are not deep. Engineered floors are a little bit better than laminate but, there again, they can only be sanded once or twice then you have to replace! Good Luck!

labor for wood or laminate is about the same. The variable is floor prep. If the wood and laminate are floating there is minimal floor prep. if you glue down the wood floor prep will be a factor. Vinyl planks if glued down will require floor prep. If floating then it would be less assuming you have a solid surface to install over.

I made an error about the Grand Illusions. It is not carried by Premiere. The flooring they are carrying is also Armstrong but it's from the Flooring America line of Armstrong and they sell it to Premiere. It's called Hampton line. I can't find the Hampton except at Premiere. The Grand Illusion is the same floor, looks and feels just like hardwood, but you can find it on-line at different sites. They are both absolutely beautiful and unless someone tells you, there is no way you can tell the difference between it and hardwood. This laminate is like none out there. It has a satin sheen just like hardwood. I have one sample I'm not going to use so if you'd like me to send it to you, I will. Just send me a personal e-mail with your mailing address. Or you can go to the Armstrong site and get a sample for $5. The Grand Illusion link is in the margin or I suppose you could search for Grand Illusion. The color in the Grand Illusion that I like is an exotic, number L3025 and the name is Cabrueva. Good luck. Let us know what you decide on. My DH, being the sceptic that he is had to do the ultimate test on the GI sample. He took a kitchen fork and with all his strength tried to scratch it and couldn't. He's sold!! Also, I was able to get the guy at Premiere to go down .50 a foot on the Hampton line. Since we need so much that's a savings of $800.00. Just mentioning this should someone want to try to get a better price. I'm sure my 1600 sq. ft. order helped. LOL The salesman informed me that he can get the Hampton in the exotic color same as the Grand Illusion. They recommend a padding that is .60 sq. ft. It's the best of the two paddings and you don't hear "clicking" like you normally would on a laminate floor. If nothing else, I highly recommend you see these laminates in person before you make your final decision. You will be amazed.

I'm a fan of Hickory. Love it! I love it's STRONG variation! Yep. Variation is the word that can be used for Hickory. If you are going for "mid-tone" then it means the Hickory is stained. No problem. That's fine. Hickory takes a stain very nicely. But it will still have plenty of variation. The stain will even that out a little bit, but not entirely. The finish is UV cured urethane. I'm not very excited about that finish. If you are going for factory finish, you will want to work with the TOUGHEST finishes on the market (that's why you go with factory finished...for the TOUGH finish). The UV cured urethane is a ho-hum type of finish. Average would be the best way to describe it. The thickness of the plank is 3/4" = normal for sold. The plank width is 5" with random lengths UPTO 60" (5ft). That tells me there will be many planks in the 3' - 4' range. Again, this is ho-hum average. And with a wide plank product, it will need "glue assist". And Hickory certainly needs it because it has a bit more movement (less stable) than white oak. And then there is the "low gloss" format. The low-gloss finish on this depth of colour = nightmare to live with. It will show dust, etc as well as oily foot prints, sock prints, paw prints and will look hazy at certain times during the day. The "haze" is part of the chemical make up of the finish itself = that's how they take away the gloss...they haze it with a chemical additive. The haze goes away when you sand and refinish the floor. That's the only way to fix it. If you must have a mid-tone floor, I would recommend a TOUGHER finish (aluminum oxide or ceramic infused polyurethane) in a satin. Satin is FAR MORE livable. It offers a lovely glow without being shiny. It hides skin oils (like paw prints from dogs) because it is the same gloss level as skin oils....it isn't hazy....you get the idea.