Hardwood, laminate , engineerd wood

[rotjong]

We had laminate flooring through out our house , but after the flood most of it got wrecked and no match could be found.
So now is a good time to upgrade our house with new flooring, but this is a big decision. We are thinking of laminate again, but a lot of it I find cheap looking, Hardwood looks amazing but it is not as durable, then there is egineerd wood flooring and I don't know much about it to me it looks like a mix between laminate and hardwood.

What would most of you guys go with?

I hate carpet, you don't want to know what kind of cuddy's get trapt in there.
Vinyl I hate too tacky.

[coolspot]

Hardwood - get a good quality one. Oak hides scuffs, damage, etc well due to the wood grain. Maple being very clear, shows imperfections quickly. Hardwood can be refinished ~3 times; not sure about engineered hardwood.

A good quality hardwood is surprisingly durable; you may have a ding here and there, but it usually won't chip off.

Laminate is a cheap material that adds no value to your house; only use if you expect floor damage (rental, pets, kids, etc.)

Engineered hardwood, I would only use it in the basement or a location where it's suspectible to moisture. It in essence is still like laminate :p

[boyoflondon]

After just finishing a 5 bedroom house, I would not put anything in the house but good quality hardwood.

Engineered hardwood I can't even justify ...

But then again, there is a huge thread on Hardwood by pete where you should find all of your answers.

[canuck88]

Not sure why you guys hate engineered so much - some of the engineered stuff, like the Vintage Solid Sawn, is superior to solid wood in many ways (especially moisture control).

If nailed or stapled down, I doubt you'd to notice the difference between a good quality engineered and a good quality solid.

[patrob]

Not sure why you guys hate engineered so much - some of the engineered stuff, like the Vintage Solid Sawn, is superior to solid wood in many ways (especially moisture control).

If nailed or stapled down, I doubt you'd to notice the difference between a good quality engineered and a good quality solid.

Agree 100% :)

Yes some engineered is garbage but like canuck88 said, Vintage Solid Sawn is better than anything out there :!:
It's 3/4" thick like solid hardwood, with a thick wear layer & you can refinish it just like solid.

It can be nailed, glued & floated. We have installed it in houses, condos floated on concrete, banquet halls glued to concrete & ceilings, so it's very versatile.
You would not be able to tell the difference between solid & engineered from Vintage ;)

http://www.vintageflooring.com/images/solidsawn-plank.jpg

Here are some example of Vintage Solid Sawn:

http://floorwood.webs.com/photos/100_0610.JPG
http://floorwood.webs.com/photos/Photo%20Gallery/Waseem1-1.JPG
http://floorwood.webs.com/photos/Photo%20Gallery/IMG_8071.JPG
http://floorwood.webs.com/photos/Photo%20Gallery/IMG_8149.JPG