I agree with Floortech's post regarding the "furniture like" factory applied finishes on some hardwood flooring. Site finished hardwood can also be problematic in this respect when the finishing contractor produces these furniture like results.

Somerset is a factory finished product.

Ooops...they also produce unfinished hardwood.

My experience is with engineereds. I agree that they are not the same as good old fashioned solid hardwoods I grew up with and see around with their beautiful patinas. They delaminate with a spill sometimes very easily if you're not there to get it up immediately. Little pieces of wood chip out of the flooring with pet claws. The newer ones have the aluminum oxide that scratches unnaturally white. I grew up with a menagerie of pets and kids and this type of thing did not happen with that floor. It was wax and did get some stains but it was good solid wood. Very impressive kitchen store who really knows his stuff says they only do solids and they hold up great. He wouldn't bother with the engineered stuff, pfft. The installs at their store did not look like the furniture type prefinisheds. They were still beautiful with natural patina from years of store abuse.

I'm trying another engineered this time around, out of necessity, but would much rather have a traditional 3/4 solid finished on site. At least they can be restored down the road. Who wants to replace their floors every 15 years. That's not why you get hardwoods. If this one doesn't hold up either, it will be painted if possible.

I've got to step in on the engineered question.

Rotary cut engineered I will not sell. They are the ones with 90% of the problems. Cut or sawn engineered can be the very best choice in wood flooring depending on the manufacturer. A high quality 3 or 4mil. surface layer is as permanent of a wood floor as any solid.

When I brought the issues up, all the flooring stores stood behind engineering and most seemed to say it's better. That these new ALO finishes would not have those problems.

How do you tell if a floor is rotary cut or sawn? I did not come across that when looking.

Check the link for an outline of the processes Samantha. Generally most products should say in their spec how the wear layers are sawn.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rotary, Slicing and Sawning Veneer

The best finish in the world (whosoever that may be) will not protect a floor from denting. That is where the density (hardness) of the wood itself comes in.
Today's choices of incredibly hard woods is a recent phenomenon made possible by modern milling equipment.Today's choices are so far removed from what was possible 50 years ago that we have come to expect performances for all wood flooring that some wood's are just not capable of delivering.

Thanks inspector. I am trying to find out what this new floor is. I don't know where the specs are. There was nothing on the ad. I should have researched the mil before buying but only did my own testing of products based on past experience. This one seemed to hold up well and had the more rustic appearance that I wanted.

I don't mind dents dings scratches. I love patina. The furniture finish floors are unrealistic, imo. It's the delamination (if that's the correct term) that's ridiculous. They shouldn't be allowed to make floors like that, imo. It's a floor. They're expensive and take a lot of abuse as such.