Hi guys! Did you think 
This has been tough trying to pick out something that I might have to walk on for years! This photo has some beautiful laminate flooring but........... everything looks so good in the showroom. Now you might think i'm just being picky-and you are correct; I am!
When I get these samples in my home, either they look too dark ( I am trying to brighten up the room ) or they look too fake.
I have built houses, but this is new to me, and while Mrs.
These are some of the basic tools; you need a tapping block to gently join the flooring boards. A pull bar for the outside edges that has a place to tap the bar with a hammer to join the end of the board with the previous one, and spacers because the floor will expand and contract, these are placed on all outside edges of the room. I will actually cut 3/8 inch wood spacers because my baby cat WILL eat these!!!!
So here we are.....
Left : Engineered "real " Red Oak laminated on 3/8 inch plywood. They tell me solid is not so stable in high humidity and we do get that in the summer!
This is only 3/8 of an inch and I have read a lot of bad reviews....
#2 from left: Smoked Hickory Pergo Extended Wear laminate
Beautiful, but probably too dark......
#3 from left : Vermont Maple Pergo Extended Wear laminate
beautiful, light and this will make the room look bigger, and it will hide dirt and scratches, but it might be too mono color-no definition.
#4 from left: Country Natural Hickory Pergo Extended Wear laminate.
High gloss, could have more texture.........
I still have a box of engineered "real " Hickory flooring coming within the week; it too is 3/8 of an inch, but it does look very nice on the display in the store, we will see.....
So for the moment, these last two photo's of Country Natural Hickory this is the winner!
Or.........#3 Vermont Maple.........?????
I guess
Then there is that little voice that is saying.................. Put In SOLID REAL Hickory, you are going to be walking/looking at this a long time! LOL!