Typo, 3".

icenet, which brand did you end up deciding to go with with what wear layer on top and what thickness? I know you have wanted to go with the natural stain. I am looking forward to answers also from others.

I am still going back and forth between a few different woods and hope to make up my mind after my next deadline due in mid-June 2009. I still like Mirage Auburn Maple floors and Mercier Cinammin Maple Engineered Flooring as well as the Brazilian Cherry and the Rose stain on the White Quartersawn Engineered Oak. I love the Brazilian Cherry floors but I don't have any overhead lighting and that worries me that the color won't be as pretty as I see in homes that have a lot of windows and overhead lighting.

Hi Lynn,

I'm looking into these "container" brands because my current installer feels they are a good value. No brand names to be found but I get a 4 mm wear layer. Beautiful wood. Exactly what I want. They are made in China which is more and more common. I'm still debating. I'll get the price next week.

He also tells me Mannington is not worth the money because of their 2mm wear layer. Good luck finding a 4mm wear layer in any of the major American brands.

Rich

http://208.113.135.83/2009/04/this-old-floor/

Try owens flooring .

Thank you Phila_2009 for the link to the video that was long but well worth watching which taught me a lot about what is involved in choosing a wood and installing a floor using products that do not outgas. Owens Engineered Hardwood flooring is a great product since I have seen it in person and it has a lot of real wood on top and very sturdy boards.

Coswick Flooring, Mirage, and Mercier are three Canadian Companies that offer 4 MM Engineered quality hardwood flooring. Owens is an American Company that offers very thick wear layer engineered wood flooring.

Here is a link that might be useful: This Old Floor

You're welcome . they are quality manufacturers .
Don't try and over analyze everything . Just pick a good mill and something you like or you will find yourself on a couch talking about your childhood . Will be attending a one week class at NC state sometime in June or August taught by professors in wood science on engineered flooring .
So i will need the couch .

i wouldn't be overly concerned about wear layer. In your lifetime you will never walk thru the finish down to the wood. I'd be more interested in the veneer being a sliced vs a rotary peel which will look just like a solid. Aluminum oxide as a finish. To address your original question from a design aspect a 3" will evoke more of a formal feel and a wider plank more casual. Its really a matter of design. Either is fine, depending on what you like.

Technically, 5" will look more modern, whether formal or casual. But, don't over-think it. Choose a floor for color ndstyle and go with it. I have designed terrific spaces that had wider and narrower plank floors. It really doesn't make a difference as long as you love the color. ALWAYS o with your gut!

Having said that, your installer may be right. If you choose a floor with a lot of variation between the pieces (like Brazillian cherry) a wider plank will look less busy.

Is your condo at ground level or an upper floor in a hi-rise?

Can you keep the interior humidity levels maintained between 35-55% year round?

What's the substrate.... concrete or gypcrete?

If you desire the 3" width, then go with it. As stated above the wear layer thickness is not the most important aspect. It is quite possible to go too thick and then that engineered product will take on the characteristics of a solid maple.

I'm in the middle of renovating my NYC one bedroom coop (approx. 720 sq ft) and am using Mirage engineered maple in the 3 5/16" width (natural color, select and better). I ruled out the 5" width as I thought the 3 5/16" would make the space look bigger.

I'm very happy with the Mirage product. Here are some pictures of the flooring from my home renovation blog:

Installation Day One
Installation Day Two

Let me know if you're interesting in seeing more close-ups of the flooring and I can post some tonight.

Owen_nyc, I love your Mirage Engineered Maple Floors. The width and the Semi-Gloss are perfect for your room really making it look beautiful. Also the Select & Better looks great. I also find your little doggie adorable. What is his name?

I would love some more close-ups of the floor. I always have loved Maple wood and your flooring is reminding me how much I love the subtle grain and subtle color differences in this hardwood floor.

Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for the compliments. We're very excited about our new floor! Our dog's name is Owen (hence the screen name!), and as you can see, he likes it too.

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Owen_NYC, I really love your Maple floors even more with the close up. I love the subtle interesting grain with some color variation and the tone of the wood. I guess I always loved Maple wood and still do.

Owen is a cute name for an adorable doggie. Mirage has such nice floors and I love the semi-gloss finish also. Thanks for sharing.

Coolmom1, are your beautiful floors 4" wide Rift & Quarter Sawn Red Oak floors site finished?

From pics and from seeing in person floors and from my samples, I prefer 3.25" to 4.25" plank sizes in my home with 3.5" wide to 4" wide the nicest looking but I would go with 3.25" wide if decide on BR-111. I seem to like 5" wide for floors with not much color variation that are very dark like my neighbors' floors but for my home I just like the look of more than 3" wide but less than 5" wide hardwood flooring I am finding out.

lynn2006,
Yes, exactly! They are quartersawn red oak site-finished in natural color. The beauty of my flooring that I really enjoy are the very long planks that were used. Most are over 5 ft long, some up to 9 ft. They only came in 4" width, but I'm very happy with the clean look of the wider plank. I, too, like the rich look of dark floors, but for my family, the natural color was more practical.

Looks nice coolmom . Guys did a nice job racking the floor to . Did a inspection yesterday and the installer had end joints as close as 1/2 " from the next board .

Thanks all! So for a more modern look, 3" or 5"?

coolmom1, Thanks for letting me know that I guessed what your beautiful floors were. I really am getting very good at knowing the different wood species when I should be doing my work and then making a decision. One day I want the Brazilian Cherry rich floors that give contrast to my family room furniture and the next day I want the Quartersawn White Oak floors with the rose stain and that nice Semi-Gloss finish that I have grown to love by having the samples on the floor for so many weeks (at first I felt it was too shiny).

I keep wondering what the 5" wide planks look like. I wish they had the Quartersawn Oak floors in a 4" wide plank since 5" may look too wide in my rooms. I do like the look of the 3.25" width. I love the quartersawn rays but I also love the Maple floors above in the natural finish.