For all its beauty, hardwood is pretty high maintenance, especially if you have a lot of foot traffic, not to mention small kids and pets, who can scratch it up and leave hard-to-clean messes. But if traditional hardwood is oh-so-20th century, the desire for its warmth and naturalness remains. My new piece for the San Diego Union-Tribune's Home & Garden section explores options including engineered hardwood, laminate, porcelain tiles, luxury vinyl tile, and bamboo for a hardwood look without the cost, maintenance or vulnerabilities of true hardwood floors.