I can only give you my experience. I've lived for over 20yrs on real hardwood floors. And every time I stand on any kind of laminated plank it looks and feels like cheap plastic. There is just no comparison to actual wood flooring. Timber absorbs vibration, feels pleasant underfoot either barefoot or shoed. It looks real, because it is. Timber planks are 20mm thick, laminate ones are 5mm. Laminate flooring looks like a printed piece of plastic because, well it's very similar except for the top 2mm of veneer stuck to it. It may fool us in brochures and magazines but I've never once been fooled by laminate in person. They can give it all the fancy names they want like 'engineered' but at the end of the day it's all the same stuff. Laminated veneers on cheap plywood. But not one person on the planet has ever fooled that it's a real floorboard. Does timber scratch? Absolutely. So don't put a piano finish on it then. Stick with satin and matte finishes. It shows up the marks a lot less. Does timber dent? Absolutely. But those dents become part of the character of the home over time. I recently lived in a home with floorboards over 100yrs old. They had dents everywhere and yet those boards just looked lived on, they didn't look terrible. Does timber suffer water damage? Yes of course. But before you worry about it, go and check out the thousands of 100yrs old hardwood homes sitting on flood plains in this country. Every single one of them has been underwater more than once in it's lifetime. The original boards are there, strong and unfazed. Unless you plan to flood your home for weeks on end the occassional spill and overflow won't damage the timber at all. I'm a quality over quantity type of person so of course I'm going to rate going with the lifetime option over the rip it out every 5yrs option. If I had the money for hardwood I would not even consider plastic planks.

Your tile will co-ordinate beautifully with the timber if you can pick one of the darker colours out of the timber and select a tile in this family of colour. The trick to making a colour concept work is to either co-ordinate or contrast. If your timber is as busy with grain and colour as the image you've shown, then maybe co-coordinating is the best way to go. Never chose materials independently of each other - always take a tile sample home to see in the natural light, next to the timber. I hope it all works out the way you envisage it. Cheers, Michelle

I have came across waterproof laminate floor with 15 years waterproof warrenty. Please see Quick Step Laminate Impresive Ultra floor boards. They look quite impresive. I am trying to decide between waterproof laminate and hybrid floor. Please see my post here https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/6004056/laminate-vs-hybrid-waterproof-floor-board#n=0 Can you please give your input?

Affordable laminate floors offer the luxurious look and hard-wearing durability of natural timber. Laminate floors are a hygienic and low-maintenance choice for family homes, commercial properties and office spaces. Browse our extensive range of laminate floors and other high quality flooring solutions. Benefits of laminate floorings Who doesn’t love the natural beauty of authentic timber flooring? Now, thanks to state of the art manufacturing and laminate materials you can get the aesthetic appeal and timber flooring look for a fraction of the price. Here are just a few laminate flooring advantages. Laminate floors are affordable Laminate is scratch, dent and stain resistant Laminate flooring is hygienic and easy to clean Laminate flooring is water resistant, making it suitable for almost any room High durability makes laminate flooring ideal in heavy foot-traffic areas Click-lock installation is fast and cost-effective Damaged planks can be easily replaced Cost of Installing your laminate flooring Quality laminate flooring lasts for decades so it’s important to install this flooring correctly. This floating floor can be placed directly upon ply, chipboard or concrete, and is also suitable to be used with a sound-absorbing underlay for even greater comfort and warmth. Laminate floors are relatively quick to install, and the best laminate floors come with an extended warranty for additional peace of mind. We can even visit your home or commercial premises for measure and quote to ensure there are no unwanted financial surprises along the way. We get the job done on time and on budget at Flooring 2 You. Flooring 2 You 0452 563 018 https://flooring2you.com.au/