Keep in mind, you only walk on the top of the floor. The finish quality is what you are concerned with. 3/8" is plenty. I always had to emphasize to my salespeople not to really talk about refinishing wood floors, as it probably won't ever need to be done for as long as you own your home.

As an example, the owner of the flooring store you were in has hardwood throughout his home and has four kids. The only place in his house where the floor has a scratch is where he tried to move his couch by himself.

To another point, which do you think would be easier to break...a solid piece of oak 1/2" thick, or one that's the same thickness but made up of five plies of wood with the grains running in opposite directions that has been assembled under high pressure with glue holding all of them together? It's a perception that the solid piece of wood would be stronger, but it's not. The engineered wood will also be more dimensionally stable, meaning it's much less likely to warp or dent and handles changes in humidity far better.

Lyle is less than half my age, but he knows his stuff, doesn't he? Likes to four wheel, too. That store has to put up with the Sun City crowd, so they're really patient and low-key, too. They're good people, like I said.

And lastly, an independent store is likely to be selling things that they know from experience will be supported by the manufacturer in case something goes wrong, or else a product failure could spell big trouble for them financially. If a product they sell gives them trouble, it probably means it gave the homeowner trouble and the manufacturer was cutting corners and will make excuses to not cover their rear ends. A big-box store doesn't care, it's all about price.

From a point of a manufacturer's rep, I would go to bat for the little guy, too, as they are my customer and I value their business and want to keep them happy. The big box wants to save money, so they negotiate with my home office for the best price and tell them they don't need anybody to call on them, therefore they don't get any representation from me...they're my dead-last priority as they don't pay me a dime to do anything for them. The little guy earns my attention, too, as they do pay me, even though it might only be dimes. That's why they give reps so many accounts...more dimes. They might pay a slightly higher price, but just slightly, and they have access to everything we sell, not just the stuff they are buying trailer-loads full of and foisting onto the public. And since I'm on a roll here, who do you think we ship the best quality goods to? That's right, the ones they know are going to be able to have the most leverage with us, and that's not the one that pays the least amount...regardless of quantity. The rep (again) is going to go to bat and cause a stink for the ones he believes in.

Hope that made sense.

John B.