Wood flooring - most durable and scratch resistant?

[brettjbuckley]

We will soon turn our attention to the lounge/dining room floor. It currently has a carpet, but underneath we have perfect 1960's pine floorboards and have the temptation to sand and wax/stain/varnish them.

However, we really like the look of real-wood oak flooring and because I have fitted laminate before, I feel quite confident about doing this.

In terms of durability and scratch resistance, how wood real wood oak flooring compare to sanded and waxed original floorboards? Also, generally speaking, can anyone recommend any big do's or don'ts to take into consideration when sourcing, choosing and buying real wood flooring?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Original floorboards = pine = softwood
Wood-engineered boards (thick enough to be installed directly on to joist) = solid hardwood toplayer.
Hardwood is more hardwearing than softwood.