With 2mm wear layer you should assume it CANNOT be refinished (Uptown mentions it is *possible but I'll just say it is not a likely scenario so assume the worst). A wood floor that cannot be refinished has a life expectancy of 15-20 years and then it will need replacement (remove and replace). That being said, like ALL WOOD FLOORS, that means the first 10 years it will look "good". And then it will start looking "tired". That phase will last for another 5-7 years. And then it will look "worn out" and ready for replacement. At the "worn out" phase, many homeowners start saving for the next floor - which can take 2-5 years to gather enough funds together. There you have it. The life cycle of a wooden floor that cannot be refinished. The wood wear layer has nothing to do with how it WEARS during this life cycle. The FINISH (polyurethane/urethane/oil/etc) is what takes ALL THE ABUSE. The daily tromping through the house. The midnight snack runs. The dog dancing at the door to go out...all of it is taken by the FINISH - not the 2mm wood itself. The 2mm wear layer is the actual "hardwood" that you "want". Everything else is filler (structural filler...but still filler). As soon as you find 3mm wear layers you can start looking at a SINGLE sand and refinish. That means your 15 - 20 year life-cycle floor just became a floor that can survive for 40 years. Once you get to 6mm thick you have a floor that can out live a human being (60 - 100 years). If your BUDGET tells you that you cannot have the 100 year floor, then don't do it. If you budget tells you that the 20 year floor is acceptable AND you feel that 20 years is "good enough" - then go for it. And remember, a HIGH END laminate ($4/sf) can give you EVERYTHING you want for the visual and still give you 20+ years of EXCELLENT service (they rarely look "worn out" like hardwood - especially the top of the line European laminates) without being a budget killer. Some people will tell you a high-end "low-grade" product is more valuable than a low-grade "premium product". You can purchase an entry level BMW for $$$$ and have nothing in it (no leather, no heated seats, no automatic transmission, no A/C) or for the same money you can buy a high-end Hyundai with EVERYTHING IN IT for the same amount of money. The argument becomes which car has more VALUE....the one with "BMW" on it and nothing else or the one with EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK in it but it is lacking a signature identity. Budgets can be manipulated to include everything you envision....it may not come with the packaging you where hoping for.

IMO, if we were just looking at a floor sample, the one on the left is my favorite. HOWEVER, we are talking about a floor in a room.. so I'd choose the one on the right. My 2 cents.... Even though I prefer dark floors and like the floor on the left because it's so dramatic and interesting, we just chose a floor that is very similar to the one on the right! I have a couple of friends who put in a floor that looks similar to the one on the right, too. They have an oil finish and they are very happy. It looks stunning and shows off the real wood. They are in homes with big budgets and great designers, fwiw. Ours wont be an oil finish, but not for any good reason.. it's just not what our floor person chose to give to provide the very matte look we want. For their homes and ours, we like floor that is less formal and lighter because they are easier to live with. My designer said you want the floor to be a beautiful backdrop to your home and you don't want it to compete with what's inside (depending on your style of course). He also said that the lighter and more natural look will be more timeless. It's not to say he doesn't do dark floors, but it just depends on the overall design. He did a black floor for a friend that is stunning. Floors have been really really light lately, but the tone on the right and what we are choosing is a safer choice VS the danish almost white floors that I am nuts over. You are right, lighter go better with MCM or more causal homes. They'll hide pet hair better. Darker floors are stunning for a more formal home. As someone else mentioned, the floor on the left won't be great with walnut furniture. Too much prominent grain competing. The floor on the right, again, is a gorgeous backdrop to whatever you do. I can't imagine you getting sick of it. The nice thing is that a floor with an oil finish that shows the real wood, as mentioned, will look much better with wear and tear. When a floor is perfect, every blemish will stand out and drive you nuts. When it's wire brushed and left fairly natural, each scratch will just look like it's supposed to be there and part of the wood. We are starting out with flaws on purpose just so I don't go batty when someone drags a chair across the room :)

tryingtounderstand, the sales people might actually be saying the truth! I brought a lot of engineered wood samples home, from many different brands, and when you can compare them side by side, in normal lighting, you start to see the difference. Even the ones labeled "matte" had a 10% gloss. Some brands had a "matte" with 20% gloss. So I can see how a sales person might have made that statement when talking about several different lines they carry. I didn't love most of those labeled "matte" because they just seemed like unfinished floors to me. I've grown up with wood floors having some type of shine, so a flat looking floor just seems wrong. The finish I liked the best was one by Mirage Floors, called Cashmere. Not too shiny and not to matte.

They are VERY wide. I would expect these planks need 100% glue spread. And that has more cost than you would think. Be prepared for that. Go with the thickest wear layer.