Black Walnut is more affordable than you might imagine. I found Hurst Hardwoods has a pretty darn good price on it. I got a sample of it, but settled on quartersawn white oak instead. There is no advantage to using random widths, other than the look. It does look really nice!!! If you want more stability, consider quartersawn walnut. Quartersawn boards are much more dimensionally stable and more resistant to cupping, although they do cost more.

Here is a link that might be useful: hurst hardwoods

you also need to know that the installers same time ask more money for random length (more work)

walnut are not so expensive you can find reasonable prices on-line, or look for dark maple

Thanks for the replies.

ccoombs1--Thanks for the link. I hadn't come across hurst hardwoods yet.

jacobfloors--That is good to know about installation pricing.

I am learning so much from this forum--thanks so much!

Just so you know, walnut looks beautiful but it is a relatively soft wood, softer than white oak.

If you want a similar look, you could look at some of the exotics.

Thanks, kev 800.

Are there any exotics that are more of a true brown without reddish tones in them? All the exotics I've seen are more reddish in color or have more of a variety of light and dark tones.