Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to post a review of our flooring. I am sorry that this floor was not what you were expecting. This is an engineered hardwood floor, it is not a laminate floor. An engineered hardwood board is made up of layers (plies) of real wood that are adhered together to make the board more structurally stable than solid hardwood. A laminate floor is a realistic picture of a stone, ceramic tile, or hardwood that is printed on top of a high density fiberboard (HDF). To get a better idea of what the actual color of the floor is, we always recommend getting a sample of the floor prior to purchase, as pictures online can look different in color than the actual product. Again I do apologize for any inconvenience. Have a great day.