@ patriceny- Absolutely! :) Dogs are family! @ Fori - Lol Same here, my doodle always slide when he sits on the tile floor. So a 'sit' command ends up in a 'down' position. It happens on smooth hardwood floors too! @ nanj - Thanks for reminding me with regards to the clicking sound from their nails touching the laminate flooring! I wonder if the new laminate flooring still has that hollow sound. @ Anglophilia - Solid hardwood floors are always so beautiful. Would love to have that if budget allows! At this moment, we are looking into laminate or EVP (Engineered vinyl plank) flooring for the main areas of the home. Tile flooring for the bathrooms. In my research yesterday, we found it hard to take in that the 12mm EVPs from Coretec actually cost more than laminate and engineered hardwood flooring. I ordered some complimentary samples from Coretec through their website, hope to receive it soon for comparison.

I seem to be in the minority, but I really like the darker, especially in Groveraxle's mock-up. It looks like a textile look, which I am particularly partial to. Is it by any chance Daltile's Kimona Silk tile? I do agree that it's best to have a plan before you start. Every choice you make will influence what options will work well in your subsequent choices. You don't have to pin down every detail, but you having a general vision will help avoid future problems. Especially if you have a particular idea for the color or pattern or style of some item that you won't be installing until later.

@Judy Frank are the ”saw” marks these textured stripes that run horizontally throughout the planks? my sample board of Finally Mine has them and wasn’t sure if defect of sample or true of the floor overall. Does anyone have experience and insight on these ”saw marks” sometimes I see them referred to as ”cut marks”

If you go with wood look I would lean towards a medium to darker floor... A tone similar to the dark knots in the wall..... It could look really nice, just have to be more careful when pairing a fake wood floor up against a real wood.... It can be done, just take your time and maybe take an extra wall board with good color variation to help you select a right match. The colors in this floor are nice as it gives you more options with a blend of medium and darker tones...