I have had it now for 16 months and it looks like the day it was installed. Keep in mind that I don't have younger children, only a 20 year old son and I rarely entertain large groups. My cat also has been declawed. However, we LOVE it. I would never go back to carpeting ever. This floor is a half-inch thick which is perhaps the most wear-resistant laminate on the market. We only have one small damaged spot where my husband dropped a china plate and after it broke, the sharp edge hit the floor and there is a tiny (and I mean tiny) scratch. It took some people a long time to find it and a couple people never did see it. Of course, I know it's there :-( High heels are the enemy of any laminate OR wood flooring. No one should wear them in your home (how rude!) unless they are on carpet or tile. Darker and glossier floors show dust and smudges more easily. But I'm a high gloss gal (all our woodwork is high gloss) so I would rather have that than matte any day. The color is GORGEOUS and as you saw it looks realistic. We had a contractor in the home last month and he thought it was real wood flooring. I had the funds to do real wood but I didn't want to spend that kind of money to do 1300 square feet. And, boxers is incorrect about no repairs possible. If something happens, there is a repair technique to remove just that one board and replace it and you would never know. This floor costs the same as a good quality carpeting but will last 3x as long with no recoating/refinishing necessary. Another reason I decided on laminate was that it doesn't fade. I had talked to so many people who had rugs down that couldn't move them around cuz the floor under them was a totally different color. You can also damage wood with dings and scratches as well. How many people with hardwood floors do you see sanding them down and redoing them but maybe once in their lifetime? That is another additional cost to putting down hardwood. I think you are going in the right direction with looking at this floor because it looks so realistic and you need that with the "real stuff" in other rooms.

Just a general bit of info for you. Wilsonart is very good. Some of the Armstrong Laminates were the highest rated by consumer reports. My point? its a brand and within that brand are many variations of the same type of product made in different ways, with different wear layers etc. A generic is Pergo good? isn't a very good evaluation of a flooring product. The Grand Illussions looks more like hardwood than anything I've seen. Individual 3 -5" planks are way more realistic that one plank showing 3 strips of wood. Go with what you like but keep your expectations realistic.

We just installed Grand Illusions from Armstrong two months ago and it is the most unbelievable floor. According to Armstrong it is 8-9 times more abrasion resistant than real wood and other laminates! It also has an anti-microbial finish so germs won't grow on it. The durability and anti-microbial sold us because we have 3 kids and a big dog and the floor still looks as good as the first day we installed it. They also have a similar product in their Bruce Laminate line called Park Avenue. It is exactly the same structure but just different visuals. We found a dealer close to us just by going on their website (www.armstrong.com) and entering our zipcode. We also installed their handscraped product called Rustics Homestead Plank. It too is gorgeous and extremely durable.

Armstrong's underlay was used... Quiet Step or something like that. I just got off the phone with a floor specialist / consultant / inspector. I like him.... he asked if my installer would be willing to meet him here and together they can take up a portion of the floor and determine what can be done. He said he is not a "finger pointer", but a problem solver. He said he won't write a report at this point, and that 80% of problems like this are, unfortunately, installation related, but that there is always the possibility that there is a milling issue with the product. I told him my installer has been very cooperative during this entire process, and he is the one who contacted the Armstrong rep when all this started and got the ball rolling, so I think he would agree to be involved. We will see. I did not know that a floor could be taken up and re-installed, if that becomes necessary. I am going to wait until after the first of the year to pursue this course of action. Gives me hope though, that there could be a fix without replacing the entire floor. I told him if the floor has to come up, I will put tile in my kitchen / hallway / laundry room and carpet in the master bedroom. I will of course expect to pay for that. Live and learn.... Thanks again for all the replies..... much appreciated. I am hopeful that something can be done.