Some truth here, and you do see this in home construction. My parents horrific Formica & linoleum 80s kitchen and hardwood floors still looks the same as they did when I was a child.
My new construction “luxury” condo had serious wear damage within 5 years. I’ll have to gut the kitchen and replace my faux wood floors while my parents place remains indestructible.
I hate fake wood floors with a passion… they are so slippery they are fatal- I had a dog become paralyzed by slipping and breaking his neck, and an Ex break a foot falling on these. They are so hard they hurt your feet, look disgusting even when brand new, wear out quickly, and disintegrate if they get wet. They are a safety hazard and should be illegal.
Dryness is also an issue - we had a lot of people in the building who weren't keeping their units humid enough in winter end up with the planks warping significantly.
The other day my wife spilled, MAYBE 2-4oz of water MAX and took 1 minute to wipe it up.. next thing you know we had a plank warp a full half inch upwards. We had to place barbells on it for days while it dried out to remediate.
Oh and these idiotic faux wood plank floors are also what they put in the kitchen & laundry closet so water damage is basically guaranteed.
I have noticed traveling that in many other countries it is the norm to have some type of totally waterproof flooring in bathrooms, kitchens, etc. so that it can be simply hosed down, and the inevitable leaks don't destroy everything... but in the USA it is the norm to put flooring that cannot handle getting wet, right near or under appliances and fixtures that will inevitable frequently leak.
My new construction “luxury” condo had serious wear damage within 5 years. I’ll have to gut the kitchen and replace my faux wood floors while my parents place remains indestructible.