Wood Floors

The Engineered wood will hold up very well, and doesn't seem to have as much of drum sound as laminate.  I prefer the engineered to solid hardwoods, mostly because of the cost.  The engineered costs less, and looks just as good if installed right for the fifteen to twenty years it takes the finish to wear out.  At that point you will have to decide whether to refinish or tear out and reinstall.  I think that when the time comes I will probably tear out and reinstall new engineered hardwood.  But, higher quality engineered has a thick enough wear layer that it should be possible to do a light sanding and refinish. 

The laminate is drummy because it is typically a floated floor, and the whole thing acts as a sound board. 

My personal preference is for a staple down engineered hardwood floor.  The correct staplers are kind of spendy.  But, you can buy used ones off eBay, and sell them when you are done, if you have to.  I bought one used a few years back that had 10,000 staples with it.  I've done quite a few floors since then and still haven't bought more staples. 

There are a few places that rent them, and that might be the way to go, but be careful on how long you keep it for because the rentals can add up fast.