First, we would try negotiating the price down for the flooring you like; see if you can get it closer to your budget. Sometimes there is a little wiggle room, especially when you are ordering such large quantities. If not, have you considered doing this tile that looks like wood? Not only is it more durable, but the cost is significantly less. There are also many colors to choose from so you can pick your variations. It looks pretty realistic.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/MS-International-Redwood-Natural-6-in-x-24-in-Glazed-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-9-69-sq-ft-case-NREDWNAT6X24/203168463
If you don't like that, what about a reclaimed hemlock wood floor? I don't know the cost where you are located, but it may be worth looking into. Hope this helps! Best of luck.

-Chelsea Construction

Have you tried other options such as vinyl, laminate or cork? I have a high-end printed cork (not trying to sell...just pointing this out) that looks similar (though not perfect) to this floor for half the price of the floor you are looking at (with installation you could be looking at a total of $6.50/sf).

This is an engineered hardwood that shows 5 different profiles ("OK" up to "Very Best Quality"). Is it possible for you to "mix and match" the quality of the flooring to suit the situation. Example: High-end product in the kitchen and hallway. Medium end product in living room and office. Low(er) end product in bedrooms. It looks possible to do this finish in so many different profiles that you could mix-and-match to produce a flooring budget that could "even out" to $6-$7 per square foot or even better.

I recently easily self installed Allure Vinyl plank flooring from the HD for less than two bucks a sq ft and it has a textural look and feel of wood, and it is waterproof. They have a color called Alpine Elm that has a similar look to your example. Would leave a lot of room in the budget for fun stuff.

Have you considered porcelain wood tile? Not only do you get the benefit of no-maintenance but there are alot of lines out there that replicate this look beautifully for around $5.00.

Best of Luck,

www.northcountytileandstone.com

Have you been to a flooring store?

There is not much available in hardwood at $5 / sq ft. If I was you I would be looking at maybe engineered or laminate there are some very good laminate in that price point. I have luxury vinyl tile in my lower level and I love it , it looks like wood and cleans up like a dream. Just keep in mind whatever you choose unless you are handy you will have to factor in install, maybe new subfloor in the case of porcelaine wood tile the install can more than double the price of the tile itself, also walking on tile all day is not great on the legs or back.

Does that total include or exclude labor?

Thanks for all the feedback.

To answer some of the questions, we do not want to do laminate since this is a historic home and it is also in Florida so laminate would not be the right choice due to humidity/moisture and resale.

The Du Chateau that we fell in love with is an engineered wood.

I have been scouring websites and flooring stores looking for a better price and while we have found some that almost work, we can't give up the search for this particular look.


The price I mentioned was for materials only! Installation is crazy too, but that's a whole other discussion!

Thank you again, I'll keep looking for input here.

Did you ever find a match? Here I am 11 years later going through this exact drama with my St Moritz.