All wood flooring (and your cabinets, doors, frames, paint, drywall, etc) have these types of requirements. The "range" is up to the individual manufacturer to specify. I've seen bamboo that has the narrowest requirement of 45%-60%....for good reason. The GLUE that holds bamboo together is RIGID whereas the grass (bamboo is grass) is ABSORPTIVE so it MOVES. Engineered hardwoods are more specific because the layers create layers of glue...and glue acts and reacts DIFFERENTLY from the wood layers. If one expands but the other does not, you get DELAMINATION. The companies have tested their specifications under laboratory conditions and have found the BIGGEST window for "success" with their floors. They have then written those down. As for solid wood floors in old homes, remember this: the wood floors CUPPED and/or CROWNED and/or SEPARATED early on in the life of the floor. It could have taken more than a DECADE for the home to find it's equilibrium. The original owners SIMPLY PUT UP WITH IT (imagine having to 'put up' with crowned floors for 10 years...today's consumer REFUSES to accept this....so we have warranty requirements now that SPECIFY the 'happy place' for each wood product). Once the first sand/refinish occured (25 years later) the "problem" (the visual issues) with the wood were sanded away. One generation later, it looks GREAT. But no one took selfies of the floors in the '60's. And the cuts and widths were different (there is a BIG reason why 2" strip hardwood was sooooooo popular....and it wasn't because it looked good). And the wood was often sourced (and dried/racked) from local mills. And it sat longer on site before it was installed, and, and, and, and....you get the idea.

@ TONYA FOSTER Kentwood is a good brand that we show at both our showrooms. The look and feel of their products is quite trendy and attractive. I wish wear layer of their engineered floors could be thicker and 2 mm. Sample boards matching actual floor order has been a challenge to floor dealers in the past couple of years. This is why you heard DuChateau sent approval box their dealer/home owner before shipping the actual floor order in the previous part of this discussion. Could you post a picture of sample board and picture of your floor received?

Please tell us which brands/lines you have looked into and (roughly) where you live. Your budget will also be a factor. Not everyone can afford the best of the best ($15 - $20/sf) engineered hardwood. Please tell us if you have been shopping local Ma and Pa stores or if you have been using the Big Box stores (like Lowe's or Home Depot).

I had tile in my last home, my sister had hard wood in her last home and my other sister had tile and carpet in her home. All three of us went with LVT/LVP in our current homes. Susie was the first, about 15 years ago. She did a grouted, stone look tile. It has stood the test of time and she loves it. I bought my home about 4 years ago and loved Susie's flooring. I knew that tile was hard on my joints and wood would be a problem with my dog. I did a ceramic tile look LVT and love it. My third sister is just moving into a new home in June and picked wood look LVP for her new home. I know some people who need to have hard wood or engineered wood and wouldn't be happy with anything else, but for ease of cleaning and care along with the price I have to agree with Patricia.