Engineered hardwood floors are real wood veneers laminated to a plywood core. They have been perceived by many to be lower quality and in fact some are low quality but the reason they were created was to allow for a wider plank with good stability. When you have a wide plank solid wood floor it tends to move with relative humidity changes. Quality engineered hardwoods will have a thicker wear layer so the floor can be sanded and refinished multiple times. Laminate floors are plastic with a printed photo of wood on the surface. They can look nice and be quite durable but definitely not a real hardwood product. They are much cheaper and less "high end" then quality engineered wood floors. Shad Gates - Avant Garde Wood Floors, Gig Harbor, WA.