@Alan Ward I also noticed the Max is 8mm thickness and heavier, while rigid is 5.5 mm thick. Not sure how that affects things. @kaycreighton1 thank you! Initially we were just looking at Max. the stairs themselves we are carpeting and thankfully the hallway/loft upstairs is mainly above the garage, so not TOO worried about a lot of noise. From what I've read Max is still more soundproof than Rigid as well right?

Just a fellow consumer here, but just went through this same evaluation a couple of months ago. Two kids (13 and 11) and a dog (1 year old lab). We have laminate in the family room and it's pretty bullet proof. But we were replacing everything else down stairs and went through the wood/laminate/tile evaluation. We eventually decided on Adura tile from Mannington for the kitchen and powder room (tile look not wood) and Mirage engineered wood in the foyer, living and dining rooms. Actually swayed back and forth between laminate and wood where we eventually installed the wood. In the end it came down to wanting real wood in those rooms and we'll just have to see how it goes. My wife and I were just talking about this and had a laugh that we should have gone laminate because when the wood was just installed I had what you would call "new car" syndrome. Don't skip on the floor, don't place that on the floor, and donÂt even breathe on the floor. The anxiety issue is passing with time and we're happy with the decision and the look and feel of wood. When we get scratches (not if) we'll deal with them. Unfortunately you can't run this through an analysis and come up with an exact answer. In the end if you really wanted wood the laminate will probably be a disappointment. But, if you can't deal with the anxiety (at least initially) of wood not wearing as well then laminate may be the better choice. Our dog romps more in the kitchen and family room so that won't be seeing wood floors. We're not the most indecisive people but this took a while to finally come to a decision. A rather long post without any real direction but your not alone. Dom

lite1, did you install the Adura tiles? Just wondering what your experience was.

Ah, what I'd really like is some some low key abstract pattern LVT (like we could have for decades in sheet vinyl), but it seems that's not readily available in US markets now. I'd settle for a ceramic tile imitation in a light color, but haven't been able to find that either. Can't use a fake wood, since the room has real wood paneling (1980 limed oak veneer). Anyway, GD, thanks for the alert about the grout lines. Oddly enough, the website for this product includes this comment: "The flooring shown in the bathroom image is grouted which can only be achieved with ADURA®Flex, one of our other vinyl plank flooring options. " Arrrgh. Why include a photo of a different product??!