we've had wood floors in two houses--and both of them are GORGEOUS quartersawn oak wood floors. and our kid basically abuses them, our dog skitters around with her claws, and, really, unless you really try by looking at the floor at just the right angle, you don't really notice any scratches or marks.

we like an older look, so we haven't ever refinished the floors, and they're not glossy shiny. but they always look great, even with kids and dogs.

you want a hardwood look? get hardwood.

once they're really trashed, you can always refinish them.

If you chose a wood, vinyl or laminate, I find if you get a lighter color, it doesn't show the scratches so easily.

I think there's actually less of a headache w/hardwood than with vinyl. We had a top-of-the-line vinyl floor in our kitchen that was gorgeous (but white & light gray--our uninformed choice 13 years ago LOL!). I couldn't believe how quickly it started showing scratches and dings from my brother dropping knives (for some reason they always dropped point down!), scissors (he cuts hair for a living), and other sharp/pointy things! At least w/wood it (1) develops a nice patina and (2) someday it can be refinished!

Your other option is ceramic tile. Don't they make ceramic tile now that mimics wood? However, I would not recommend it right now b/c you have small children--b/c of the head-banging possibilities when (and they will!) fall...the reason we had that white/gray vinyl in the first place!

[A good friend's sister's young son was running in their house when he slipped and fell and had a minor concussion....nothing lasting, but it scared me enough to veto tile back then! I wish we could have afforded wood then, I would have just made the whole 1st floor wood!...something we now plan to do over the next 6 months to a year!]

I put down Hartco acrylic-impregnated engineered hardwood Provincial strip Sienna in my kitchen. It's a beautiful red/brown. My 2 year old grandson is like El Destructo if left unsupervised and this was the deciding factor on my decision.

It's been down a few months and no scratches, dents or dings so far, trucks, cars, dragged toys, dirty sneakers, thrown toys and all.

Best of all was the price--I researched and researched and found it almost as low as peel & stick. The company was great to work with, no problems at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Carpet Wholesalers

Not sure why so many folks perceive hardwoods as a headache or high maintenance. My whole house (except for kitchen & bathrooms) is hardwood and we will be getting hardwood in the kitchen during the remodel. I have 2 boys - 2 1/2 & 4 1/2 whose play area is wood with no rug or anything and the floors are fine (and they are VERY rough and tumble). They run their trucks over the floor all the time and it never scratches. I'm sure if I got on hands and knees I'd find a scratch or 2 but nothing you can see with the naked eye. In my experience (which is pretty good since we've always had all hardwood in all our homes) the biggest danger to hardwood floors isn't kids or their toys or even spills (provided they are mopped up quickly) - it is dragging heavy furniture over the floors - that is usually what causes the scratches. They can always be refinished too!
Anyway, just my $.02. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from laminate - just trying to clear up what I think is the myth of the high maintenance nature of hardwood flooring.

Wow! I almost went with that Konecto, too. Good thing it happened with the sample. I'd be giving my 2 yr. old a little hug for that scratch. The deciding factor for me was COST. Hardwood, where they finish it after laying it, was only slightly more than my 2 vinyl quotes. Refinishing a wooden floor is always an option.

gardenwebber, no matter what choose, it will show wear in 10-20 years. Hardwood can be refinished, laminate and vinyl can be replaced. Nothing is forever!! Whatever you choose will look great - don't sweat it!

Gardenwebber, I've been considering a vinyl plank floor also. My kids are big but have 3 dogs and Wisconsin weather to contend with. And, I've been looking at Konecto but haven't ventured out to find samples.

Anyway, I'm curious. Which collection did you have the sample from? The Prestige, Sierra or Country collection? Prestige & Sierra are both 4.5 mm w/ a 12 mil wear layer whereas the Country collection is a bit thinner at 3.8 mm and a 6 mil wear layer.

Also, did you inspect the sample and make sure it was in pristine condition? Asking this because I subject samples to abuse to see what how easily they scratch, etc...

I'm having a difficult time with making a flooring decision--I've gone back & forth on the engineered hardwood/ laminate/?something else?/ debate. Need something as close to bullet proof as I can get that isn't tile, that works for a great room with a stained wood Shaker/ Mission kitchen...

This is such a timely thread for me. I am weighing options as well and am all over the board with it. DH likes the no refinishing option of ceramic, I hate dealing with grout. I love the look of wood but in South Florida only engineered wood is an option. My cousin remodeled her gorgeous beach condo with engineered wood and with just the two of them and two small dogs it's scratched like crazy from doggie nails, electric brooms, daily living (it's a deep rosewood). I also considered cork but DH doesn't want to have to poly anything every three years or so... told me no way he wants to move everything and deal with that. Now I"m looking at high quality laminate with some kind of cork/sound deafening underlayment so we won't hear the click click of little nails like I hear now in the master bedroom of my current home. I started to look at the vinyl wood or ceramic wood but am worried about "fake" looking wood for a large expanse. Whatever I choose, will be going down in the entire living area of the house. The living area is completely open and will include family room and large kitchen/eating area, and hallways. What's a girl to do? I'm looking forward to reading more feedback on this.

I want to support what one poster said about getting a lighter colored wood -it doesn't show the scratches nearly as much as a darker colored. Also a matte finish shows scratches less than a glossy finish. And finally, if you like the look, a distressed style is going to show things less too... Just an idea. We have Brazillian cherry which is beautiful, beautiful, but.... the first week we had it, we dragged an ottoman over it repeatedly, not worrying about it because the bottom of the ottoman was felt. Little did we realize that the felt was stapled on and the staples made big scratches in our brand new floor. We've just had to live with it, but what a heartache. But since then, I've become more aware (mostly from going to friends houses) that lighter floors show scratches less, matte finishes still less, and distressed helps too... Good luck!
Lynn

I'm a big fan of stained in place hardwood floors. I had my oak floors down for 15 years before I decided that it was time to refinish them. 3 kids and 2 dogs really didn't do much harm to the floors. The digs from dropped pans were hardly noticed. I think the stained in place hardwood is more forgiving then the enginered wood. The trick is to use a light color stain and a low sheen poly. I also have ceramic in the foyer and bathrooms, and I've had to replace tiles over the years due to chipping and cracking from dropping heavy objects. The hardwood is much kinder on the body and has a warm feeling underfoot compared to tile.

Have you tried a good quality laminate? Vinyl is softer. I'm thinking of wood look laminate for my kitchen. Everyone here seems to prefer hardwood, but I can't see it in my kitchen and all the floors I've seen that are laminate look beautiful. I believe they are more rugged than wood. Ceracmic is too too hard and the grout would be a bear to maintain, imo.

One word why I am not excited about refinishing hardwood:

Dust.

I'd rather pull out an old floor and put in a new one in 15 years than to put up with all that dust on my furniture, carpets, window treatments, and in every nook and cranny of the kitchen cabinets and pantry.

Thanks for all the great GREAT advice. I'm off to look at a couple more stores - I will look into hardwood also. I'll be back with my finds and I'll take a pic of that scratch from the Konecto and post it.

(yes, whomever asked, it was a pristine sample, it is a brand new product for this floor dealer) I am interested to see their reaction when I show them the scratch.

I just feel the need to elaborate a little more detail on my son's truck-play. He has an oversized monster truck that he actually sits on (not meant to be sat on, but he sits on it anyways) and he scoots around the house and does spin outs. He is 6, and probably weighs at least 50 lbs. So... perhaps that wouldn't be considered normal everyday play?

I have two grown boys and by my standards that is most definitely every day boy play.

Thanks remodelfla - I thought so, too. I just didn't want anyone to think that we got the scratch from him running a small .5 oz hotwheels over it or something.

Forgot to mention in my last post that this konecto plank was from the Prestige line. The top of this line.

Our high end laminate didn't scratch from trucks, or anything else my kids put it to the test with...But aluminum oxide coatings will wear out socks in a hurry. But they're cheaper to replace than floors. :-)

I've been struggling with a similar decision. We have Pergo in two of our rooms, which I thought looked just like hardwood until I discovered this sight. I've grown to love the look of reall hardwoods, but my Pergo floors are indestructable. I don't think there's any way a toy truck could scratch them.

Laurie

rhome, what brand is your "high end laminate?" I'm trying to settle on a brand for my kitchen floor and I've never had laminate before.

Please take a look at Berry laminate floors. We put their wide cherry planks with beveled edges in our great room and dining room. We put their Tourraine slate tiles in our entry, office and kitchen (which is open to our great room, and the transition looks wonderful). We've lived with them for about eight months with no complaints whatsoever (except from our Bichon who, at 16 years, doesn't always get a good grip). The floors have a wonderful texture to them. Get the best underlayment and you won't hear any noise. We're so pleased that right now we're installing the same cherry planks throughout out second floor, even including our staircase. I forget all the details about thickness, etc., but do look into them because they're a terrific and beautiful product.

The price wasn't so far off from some hardwoods, but the extra install cost for hardwood over our slab (about 1400 sf) added on quite a bit. We did debate back and forth about the extra install cost vs ability to refinish down the line, but we were working on an extensive remodel and had to rein in costs by the time we came to flooring. Honestly, we have no regrets. Folks who've seen our floors do a double-take when we tell them it's not wood. I think it's a lifetime warranty, too.

Our cherry planks are from the Castle Rock line linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Berry Laminate Castle Rock Planks in Cherry

We put in wood-look laminate and that stuff is pretty industructable. We have two cats with claws that scramble around and chase eachother, and the floors are scratch free. (Wish I could say the same about the coffee table...) The first time we dropped a screwdriver on the new floors and saw it was undamaged we were glad we picked what I call our plastiwood floors.

I really wanted to put in hardwoods, but our budget preferred laminate. So the compromise was that we selected affordable laminate with the idea of replacing it with real wood in ~10 yrs. We don't have kids yet, but we will in the next few years, so this way we'll have the "toy truck" days behind us by the time the real stuff goes in.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Ours was Wilsonart Estate Plus. I wish I had it now instead of our Braz Cherry floors...I had absolutely no worries about how that floor was treated or what came in on it. I think the kids could have walked around on it with metal cleats and not hurt it...Not that they did, nor would I ever let them, but I think it could have handled it.

Thank you so much for the follow up information, Gardenwebber. I think. I'm like, Crap, now what do I do?

oofasis - Do you live near True Hardwoods or did you order your floors from them? I love the River Oak floors, but I would want to see them in person before I ordered.

alku05 - I've seen your kitchen before and I had no idea they were laminate. They're beautiful!

Laurie

Cilantro - you're welcome, I think? I feel the same as you - "now what?"

I brought home two more pieces of laminate yesterday. I'll put pics up later. They are $5/sq ft. They are from the Mannington "Revolutions" line. Has anyone heard of this line? Also, I am just wondering - is a $5/sq ft laminate really that much better quality than a $3/sq ft laminate? Or am I paying for a name or a new pattern?

These also have aluminum oxide coatings and the floor dealer said that Mannington really stands behind their product, so we are leaning towards them.

Gardenwebber--I'm wondering the same thing and really don't like the idea of paying hardwood prices for plastic. My husband likes the laminates but our install is difficult because the floor that needs replacing is three steps up from the entry and has railing. Makes for real problems with a floating floor to conceal the edges. Not an easy 'leave a gap & slap baseboard over to cover it up' thing.

Back 3-4 months ago, we looked at a new Carpet One laminate line. We both really liked the looks of it (excellent warranty, etc.) and, IIRC, it was in the $3> price range. But it was so new then that they couldn't answer some questions we had particular to our install. I'm going to go back & have another look. They've probably done a few installs by now & will be able to provide better info.

msrose - I ordered my Berry floors from America's Finest Carpets here in SoCal. Several places carried them, all at around $5/sf. There's much better pricing available online, but after they add shipping charges the cost equals out. ABC was the only store willing to negotiate price with me, down to $3.50/sf not including underlayment.

alku05...beautiful kitchen and floors! Is your laminate wood or vinyl? And what is the brand?

Thanks!

I was going to go with engineered hard wood--BR111, amendiom fooring. I LOVE it. It is beautiful. I went back and forth to the stone yard, etc., to make sure it was the one I truly wanted to go with my kitchen cabinets and granite. Then, I heard the final quote from Lowe's for my kitchen, dining and living room area and hallway, which desperately needs new flooring. I figured since I was redoing the kitchen I may as well....I also wanted to eventually do hardwoods in those rooms as they are all open to each other. I wanted to make sure the the hardwood would be the same dye lot, etc.

I was going to go with the engineered hardwood in the kitchen, dining area, living room (it is all one big room) and the hallway area. The quote for the engineered hard wood, materials and labor was almost $10,000! That was a far cry from the $3700 Lowe's first quoted me (of course, not on paper). I could have just cried! Now I am too looking at laminate again.

I have had wood laminate in the kitchen, (before the demo), and the bathrooms and laundry room. I have an Armstrong one that looks like tile--25 year warrenty. My CG hates laminate, but he won't live with it (I will be the one, not him) nor will he install it. His, in his house, was ruined by a water leak in his kitchen. He has forever sworn off the stuff.

I have had my wood laminate for about 5 years. I have loved it! It is easy to clean and maintain. Still looks new. If there is a ding in it, it comes with a putty kit to fill in the ding. I have only had one ding, put in by the installer!

I don't have small children nor pets, however, my neighbor has wood laminate in her entry way, dining and living room area. She loves it and has grandchildren and a rather large golden. It looks great and she loves the upkeep as it is very easy.

I really, really wanted the engineered wood for resale value. Once you see the depth of real wood, it is hard to go back to a "picture" of wood. It just doesn't have the same depth.

The installer who came out to measure my house stated to go middle of the road with the warrenty for engineered wood. Don't pay more for the 25 year one, go for the 15 year one. Said the finish was the same for engineered wood, only difference as the thickness of the wood. He stated in 15 years, I would probably be tired of it anyway and would want a change. Also, even the 25 year warrenty floors will show wear and tear after 15 years. (Don't you hate the "throw away" mentality? But I probably won't be living in this house in 15 years and will be in a skilled nursing facility by then) However, you can refinish the thicker engineered wood a couple of times if you want.

So, I am looking at the Pergo and Armstrong wood laminate floors. For the Pergo floors for the 30 year wood laminate, it does have a thicker coating on it. I took a screw to the samples this morning to see how they scratched. I didn't press real hard, but no scratches--or at least none that I could see. I am looking at a medium tone walnut.

I do know that when I have inadvertantly dropped things on my wood laminate in the kitchen in the past, (glass bottles of things like grapeseed oil) they didn't break. They would have on real tile and I would have had to worry about keeping the grout clean. Ugh!

So, I am trying to soothe my broken heart with the laminate and will ask again why the engineered wood (same price as the laminate or cheaper) costs so much more to install. I know they do level the cement slab prior to install. My GC stated one of his wood floor people he uses, could install a distressed wood floor in my kitchen for about $500 total cost for material and labor. I just didn't like the "distressed" floor samples he had. I am very tired of the country look and am going for the transitional look instead. I have done country for the past 35 years. I need a change!

I have a very small kitchen and the flooring size is about 9 X 8 feet. Lowe's price was $1600 for the cheaper (15 year warrenty) engineered wood (materials and labor)! I am not sure the person there knew what she was talking about. Stated the vinyl that came with the house, which is glued to the slab floor of the kitchen would have to come up for the wood floor to go down. Then she was stating it might have asbestos! I said, oh please, it is the same cheap stuff they happen to have as one of their samples at the store! I thought the last part in my head and didn't state that out loud. I don't know what haz mat thing she was thinking! I showed her the cheap vinal I had. I asked if Lowe's sold something that had asbestos in it.

I still may have to go with carpet in the dining and living room from Lowe's. They are having a special right now and I am just broke from my remodel of the kitchen. I will find out the cost of the laminate this morning when I am over there in a few minutes. I am sad about the whole thing. I was so happy to have finally made up my mind on the engineered wood. It really was going to be very pretty.

There can be a huge difference in quality between the different prices. Check the construction info...Each kind should have a brochure or something on line that shows more technical info rather than just patterns and colors. I was so sold on high pressure laminate, which Wilsonart high end laminates were made of, as well as some Pergo, that I'd stick with that. Other laminates were made with a lesser wear layer over a thin flexible plastic 'picture' and softer substrate...Not necessarily anything akin to the laminate you think of on counters. This was several years ago, so I hope more manufacturers offer the higher quality for a possibly lesser price.

As for spending wood floor money for laminate...Why not, if it meets your needs better, and might then, be more 'valuable' to you? After having both, quality is quality and worth paying for to have something that lasts and doesn't need replacing, refinishing, or look like heck in just a few years. I could have felt assured of that with the laminate floors we had, but I'm not so sure of that with our hardwoods. Not that we're trashing the floors, or are careless, but our house is too full and too busy at this stage of our lives to baby the floors. I think it's going to shorten my dh's life, the way he gasps every time someone drops something that could possibly dent the precious floor, or sees a new scratch or a tiny pebble... ;-)

Oh, Rhome, it's cuz I'm a real wood snob and if I settle for laminate, it oughtta' at least be cheaper! That's why. :-)

But I do agree. I've been telling myself the same stuff and, really, given my family--honestly, living with 3 men, sometimes I think the dogs are more civilized--I'd be nutz to put hardwood on the floor knowing that I'd be reacting exactly like your DH.

Joyfulbliss, our floors are laminate. They are the Harmonics brand brand from Costco and we got them on special for ~$1.25/sqft. When we were researching them, we found the brand was manufactured by Quickstep, but now that the costco styles have changed, I don't know if that's still the case.

alku05...thank you for the information, I appreciate it!

CiLantro...wood snob here, too, believe me. But sometimes real life gives you a lesson, and having the laminate was an eye-opener, especially now comparing it to the new wood we have. (We had 30 yr old oak in that last house that we couldn't afford to match, so did the tile-look laminate.) DH isn't here 24/7 with 8 homeschooled kids to experience things the way I do. I'm still not sure I could do the wood-look, but I don't have the same snobbery about 'real tile.' ;-)

You know, its funny. I think that people sometimes try to talk themselves into real wood because they are afraid of someone finding out that they bought laminate and "went cheap". So, if high-end laminate is just as expensive (or in some cases, more expensive) than the "real thing" then what is there to be embarrassed about?

...unless people are embarrassed about being "found out" for "going easy" and not necessarily "going cheap". Are there bragging rights in choosing a floor despite the added challenge it creates in your home (if you have kids or an uptight attitude about the condition of the floor)?

Its too bad that laminate doesn't have a pattern of its own so could no longer get accused of being a bad imitation of the real thing. Maybe if it just came in solid colors or something? LOL...

amusing point gardenwebber... for me, I don't want to end up regretting my choice. This will be my final remodel and I want to LOVE everything I pick. As an example, I redid my 2nd bath last summer. Refinished an island I picked up for $75 into my vanity, found all my items either online or at stores after MONTHS of research and vigorously shopping prices. Then had a guy do the work. It was so exciting watching it come together since everything was from a different source. When I walk in there, I get a little charge and don't think I"d change one thing. I told DH, that I may replicate the look of it when we do our whole house remodel. I"m getting a little long winded here! Anyway, flooring is the one choice I'm stressing most over.

Gardenwebber: For what it's worth, I decided on laminate for my new kitchen. I wanted the look of wood, but wanted the dirability of laminate. I really like the look of Pergo American Cottage, Golden Butternut color at Lowes. Not sure if that's the look you want, but you may want to check it out.
Barb