Brazilian cherry, bamboo, and cork are among the growing array of flooring options as manufacturers push faraway names and greener claims. But you may want to stick with conventional hardwoods and other familiar flooring when it comes to withstanding scrapes, scuffs, and other wear and tear.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

You'll find wood and woodlike flooring at flooring suppliers and lumberyards as well as at home centers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menards. Flooring suppliers tend to have the widest selection, particularly for exotic woods, while home centers usually offer better prices.

Hardwood. Oak is still the most popular and readily available choice among the hardwoods, though interest in Brazilian cherry has grown fastest because of its attractive grain and wide palette of hues. Others include maple and hickory. (Pine, a softwood, costs less.) All can typically be sanded and refinished more than once. Major brands include Anderson, Armstong, Bruce, Tarkett, and Shaw, among others. Price: about $7 to $12 per square foot installed for prefinished wood flooring.

Plastic laminates. These are the fastest-growing wood-floor alternative. It's essentially dense fiberboard with a photo beneath a clear protective layer, and can mimic nearly anything from oak to marble. Installation is easier than wood, since most laminates can be clicked together and laid in place "called floating" rather than being nailed like solid wood. The best also withstood wear and other damage much better than wood in our tests. But while you may be able to do minor touchups, plastic laminate must be replaced when its outer layer wears through. And some can have a repetitive pattern that compromises realism. Brands include Armstrong, Mannington, Mohawk, Pergo, Wilsonart, and others. Price: about $4 to $8 per square foot installed.

Engineered wood. This option uses a thin veneer of real wood, bamboo, or cork over structural plywood. It can typically be floated, nailed, or glued, and can be refinished once. But it didn't wear as well as plastic laminate or even solid wood in our tests, and bamboo and cork can change color under the sun's UV rays. Brands include the same as for solid and engineered wood. Price: about $5 to $10 per square foot installed.

Vinyl and linoleum. Premium vinyl flooring is designed to more closely resemble stone, tile, and even oak, and can be especially good at fending off wear, dents, scratches, and other abuse. You'll also find more styles and colors for linoleum, which is mostly linseed oil and wood. But even the best vinyl still looks like vinyl, and linoleum can be vulnerable to wear and scratches. Brands include Armstrong, Congoleum, Mannington, Nafco, Tarket, and others. Price: about $3 to $7 per square foot installed for vinyl; $4 to $9 per square foot installed for linoleum.

Ceramic tile. This classic choice tends to resist wear, moisture, scratches, and other abuse. But dropped cups and dishes can break its hard surface. It's also relatively hard to install and can be expensive. Price: about $8 to $15 per square foot installed.

IMPORTANT FEATURES

For prefinished solid wood

Narrow boards are called strips; wide ones, planks. Most are 3/4-inch thick or less. An outer finish layer protects the flooring from spills, stains, and wear. Flooring is usually nailed or stapled to a plywood subfloor and can also cover above-ground concrete using a vapor barrier. You'll need a manual or pneumatic nailer for nailing into wood.

For plastic laminate

A clear outer wear layer protects against spills, stains, and wear, and covers the pattern layers. A fiberboard core supports the top layers, while a foam layer goes between the laminate and the subfloor. A vapor barrier is recommended between the subfloor and the foam layer if moisture is a concern.

For engineered wood

Here, too, a clear wear layer protects the wood veneer "usually 1/8-inch thick or less "which goes above construction-grade plywood. It's usually stapled down (more secure) or glued to the subfloor, though sometimes it can be floated. You may be able to lightly sand and refinish engineered wood at least once depending on the thickness of its veneer.

For vinyl flooring

Peel-and-self-stick tiles are clearly the easiest to install and repair. But sheet vinyl offers a seamless look. Among sheet vinyl products, you'll find perimeter-bonded floors, which are glued down only around the edge of the room and along any seams, and fully adhered floors, which are laid in a coat of mastic spread over the entire subfloor. Both cost and perform similarly. Perimeter-bonded floors hide small subfloor imperfections, since they aren't stuck down. Fully adhered vinyl lies flatter and is less likely to bubble up.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Decide where the flooring will go and how much traffic, sun exposure, and other wear and tear it will get. Also determine whether you'll install it yourself or hire a pro. Then keep these tips in mind:

For solid wood, consider the finish. More of it is factory-finished like the kind we tested. While unfinished wood costs roughly 40 percent less, installation can offset those savings, since the floor must be sanded and finished over several days to seal it from moisture. Prefinished floors should also hold up better than site-finished floors, and their warranty comes from the manufacturer, not the installer. But the beveled-board edges on many examples may not be for everyone.

Consider spills. Vinyl proved tops in our moisture tests, with linoleum, plastic laminate, and solid wood nearly as good. But some engineered-wood products buckled, warped, or separated after 24 hours, even with little moisture.

Copyright © 2003-2008 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

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