In my last house we used Lauzon birch ameretto. Very pretty but too much character for me now. Its also rather soft. However, Lauzon is top notch and lays down very well. I hired an installer.

Lauzon is very flat and tight fitting.

I heard that Lauzon was one of the best from research, websites and local store owners.

Which hardwood are you considering Laurie? I am still not sure... I brought home a box of Bruce Brazilian Cherry to see how the planks would look in my home since they had no samples of the BR-111. It is so beautiful in the store but in my home I have no overhead lighting so now I am not sure if I can go so dark. I know I would not buy this wood since it was way too thin of a veneer and keeps splintering. The samples I have of BR-111 from someone on this site are much nicer. I will live with it on the floor and see how I feel getting used to such a dark floor. Maybe the BR-111 would have some more lighter boards. I wish BR-111 sold Kempas since I know BR-111 is quality and I would trust their Kempas that I think is lighter than Brazilian Cherry.

I am back into also thinking I like the Mirage Maple Auburn but I worry no one else likes it so one day when I want to sell my home, everyone will not like my house due to my floors.

chinchette - I have seen Lauzon birch amaretto in a photo posted a while back by suzieca. I think it's very pretty. But, it's good that you told me it is soft.

lynn - we would like something hard/durable as possible. We're still in the early stages of looking. We're leaning towards a light color (natural). dh is set on getting a straight edge as opposed to a bevel or micro bevel. We also want a thick veneer. I will look in to BR-111.

Today in the daylight the Brazilian Cherry looked beautiful. I am now wondering if I can get used to a darker floor. If not, I still love the Mirage Auburn Maple floors. But I am leaning towards BR-111's Triangulo Brazilian Cherry floors that has a 3.125 MM wear layer (1/8th thick). The Mirage Engineered floors have a 4 MM wear layer and the best technology for having a very hard time getting a scratch onto the wood with a sharp knife. The BR-111's finish on top of the wood is very nice also and I like how the planks click tightly together and the micro-bevel is so minute that their is not that space between the planks I am trying to avoid.

Laurie, the BR-111 Amendoim is lighter and natural with no stain and a very hard wood if you like some knots. Their 5" wide planks are beautiful. If I could only see the floor in person... I almost was going to go with the Amendoim.

Laurie, please keep us updated on what you decide to go with since I also need engineered. I am going to install the tile first and then make my final decision on my flooring but I am getting close and finally able to pull away from the image of my light beige rug and go with a little color.

Here is a link that might be useful: BR-111 Website

Mirage Website for Laurie2008.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mirage Website

Mirage Lock - the other type of engineering floor Mirage has that I have been thinking of is only 2 MM wear layer (BR-111 Triangulo is 3 MM thick and Mirage's regular Engineered floors are 4 MM thick) on top but has the same great UV protection and Nanolinx finish and can be installed without glue with a strong lock and it floats. BUT the Mirage Lock only comes in Maple and Red Oak while the Mirage regular engineered floors come in many species. Both come in either a semi-gloss or a cashmere finish. The Mirage lock has a sawn layer and not a rotary cut for the veneer so like their Mirage Engineered floors, the wood will look like a solid wood floor. I had samples here and the boards were a very tight fit of the Engineered Mirage. I have not seen the Mirage Lock in person.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mirage Lock - the other type of engineering floor Mirage has

Lynn - as always, I greatly appreciate your valuable info. I am going to look into BR-111 and Mirage,also...thank you for the web sites!
We are trying to stay away from any type of bevel. That is going to limit us for sure. Looks like the Mirage Lock has micro v joints on all 4 sides of the plank.
I have (in my flooring notes)that Mannington has a product called Atlantis Prestige Amendoim. It doesn't have any bevels.
One slight downside is that I've read Amendoim darkens with exposure to light. We get lots of sunlight all year round in our area.

Laurie, Amendoim is a beautiful floor and only has a medium degree of darkening but it starts out light. It is not like Brazilian Cherry that is beautiful and has a dramatic degree of darkening. In fact the Mannington Atlantic Prestige Amendoim is the first hardwood I fell in love with but then I fell also in love with the Brazilian Cherry. I wish I could see the Amendoim floor in person since it does have small knots and that is why I almost decided not to get it. I still like the fact that when others post their Amendoim floors on the kitchen site and mention that they have not noticed any darkening, I think what a great wood. I like that is is very hard (1910 Janka compared to 1260 Janka for Red Oak), has color variations and has a beautiful interesting grain that is not that rotary peel oak grain used on a lot of flooring.

So far I have only seen BR-111 Amendoim floors posted on the Garden Forum. I would love to see Mannington Atlantic Prestige Amendoim pictures posted. Their engineered wood uses just about no VOCS per their website and a phone call with the company (well at least that is what they tell me) and the product has a nice thick plywood base and veneer on top with a very nice finish.

I will not buy an engineered hardwood floor that has bevels very noticeable due to dirt going in the cracks. BR-111's Bevels are barely noticeable but yes they are microbevels.

I have not really looked at Canterbury Flooring since the local stores I looked at did not have it on display.

Also Canterbury Flooring offers an engineered hardwood floor that has no bevels and comes in many species. On their site they say:

I hate micro-bevels!
Micro-bevel aversion is a commonality shared by end-users and designers who do not like the micro-bevels found in virtually all prefinished floors. Canterbury offers our prefinished Signature Engineered collection in a true square edge style. You get all of the benefits of a prefinished floor, and the style of a site finished floor.

Species
Our standard engineered species include Oaks, Maple, Walnut, Ash, Hickory, Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Teak, Tigerwood, and Santos Mahogany. We will also customize any engineered floor with virtually any of our other fifty species.

Here is a link that might be useful: Canterbury Flooring offers a prefinished engineered hardwood floor with no bevels in my species

What are VOCS?
I sent an email question to Mirage and a rep called me and gave a lot of info over the phone ..spent a long time and I was very impressed. One of the many things I learned is that the Mirage "Lock" can NOT ever be sanded. Also, cashmere finish has a lower sheen (which I hear shows less scratches).I think dh and I will probably open up to the idea of considering a micro bevel. First, we have to decide whether to float the floor or to glue it down.

Thank you for the Canterbury site info. I will look in to it. Also, Amendoim is still a possibility for us.

Most hardwood floors and engineered wood floors I am finding out from samples and calling manufacturers are made with glues that have as minimal VOCS in it to not make much of a difference. None of the samples have been bothering me and most of the laminate samples also have been fine with me except for a few of the cheaper brands. I am very chemically sensitive so that means I will be fine.

Thanks Laurie for letting me know that I can rule out the Mirage Lock since I really want a floor that can be sanded down.

I am very impressed with Mirage's thick veneer wear, their choices of plank width, their choices of Semi-Gloss and Cashmere finish and the quality of their product with the planks fitting very tightly on the sample boards I got from local stores to look at and return.

I also liked the BR-111 for the thick wear layer (just not as nice as the Mirage but I think less costly).

Someone from the Canterbury site wrote me back that samples are $10 for two foot long boards to help make a decision and their wood is made to order. I did not ask about the price which is important to me.

I wish someone would have an Amendoim floor locally for me to see since I still like that wood species also.

Here is a link that might be useful: VOCS definition

Hi gals. I had the Lauzon floor with the true square edge, which is great. However, now I have the Mirage with the micro bevel, which I thought I would not like. I was lucky because I saw it layed down at a friends house and loved it despite micro bevels. I think that some brands micro bevels are not so micro, but Mirage really is micro. Lauzon is a VERY sharp square. Even that will show some amount of gapping in the winter when there is not much humidity.

The BR-11 is also very nice and true, its less expensive. It doesn't have the cashmere finish, so on a dark wood, it will have more up keep.

If you are going to get a very hard species, its doubtful that you are ever going to refinish it. You'll just do a 'screen" and re-coat.

The cashmere finish is great. Looks really natural. Some finishes tend to look like plastic.

chinchette - You have great insight to pass on to us because you've had two brands of floors. Can you give us details about your Mirage floor? You said it has micro bevels & I assume it's the cashmere finish (low sheen). How about wood species, color, & plank width. Also, is it glued down or floated?
Can you post pictures? Thanks!!

Its cashmere braxillian cherry, glued down. One thing about a floating floor is it sounds hollow when you walk on it.

The thing about Mirage is that the lengths are rather short, but it would be a fortune to get as good a quality in longer lengths these days. When I saw it layed down it looked so awesome that neither the lengths nor the bevels annoyed me.

My Lauzon was in birch aneretto, which is very pretty but due to the character, I think there are better neutral choices now that I've had more experience.

The Lauzon was a very square edge and fit together very tight, but I am in Florida and there is that humidity factor. I could see a bit of gapping in the winter. Not much. I get a bit of gapping on the Mirage on a few boards in the winter. Its really slight. I sort of think the micro bevels hide that more.

Water on the floor was more of a problem on the Lauzon for me than the Mirage. Once or twice a small amount of water left of the floor not noticed caused a little bit of puffiness on the edge of the board that did not completely go away. That never has happend to me on the Mirage.

I like them both. The cashmere finish is incredibly care free. A lot of people do not like dark floors because of the care factor with the semi gloss.

I fretted over the Lauzon floor more, mostly because birch is rather soft and my dogs nails would indent the wood very easily.

Dirt in the bevels has never been an issue, except when we were still renovating. I don't even vacuum much. I mostly use a microfiber cloth on a swiffer type mop. However, on a light colored floor I am not sure if that would be an issue.

If you are looking for a light colored floor in a square edge, Lauzon white oak might be what your DH would like. A friend of mine has it. Its very nice, and classic. Suggestion: try and see the actual floors layed down.

Chinchette's Beautiful Mirage 2.25" wide Cashmere Finish Brazillian Cherry Floors are almost in the middle of this post.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chinchette's Beautiful Mirage 2.25

BR-111 Engineered Amendoim Pics near bottom of this thread

Here is a link that might be useful: BR-111 Engineered Amendoim Pics near bottom of this thread

Just read the thread and thought I would chime in. We are redoing a condo and needed an engineered wood floor that could be floated. It was really hard for me to find a high quality floor that I liked that could be floated. After much anguish we ended up buying Mirage's Maple Auburn, the one that locks. Unfortunately we can't install it for a few months. I'll try and post pictures and let you know what I think when it is installed. I hope you all don't go through as much anguish as I did. The manager of the store I bought it at has visited Mirage's headquarters and was very impressed with their management and attention to quality and detail. Good luck with your search.

Hi Pam, I have not totally ruled out the Mirage's Maple Auburn in the Mirage Lock since I just read about this product again and I love the 4-5/16th width, the nanolinx finish on top, the coloring of the wood, the choice of semi-gloss or cashmere, the 5 lengths of the planks, the sawn cut on top, the ease of installation without glue, the way the floor can move moved at a later date, the exclusive grade for full range of color variation which I like when choosing a stained Maple. I just wish the floor could be sanded down once in the future. I do not know why it could not be since the real wood is 2 MM that I thought meant it had one refinishing in the future.

Did you buy the Cashmere or the Semi-Gloss finish. Please post pics when it is installed. I feel Mirage is a very reputable company that I trust.

Lynn, I bought the semi-gloss finish even though I had said all along that I wanted the cashmere finish. In the end I decided that I really preferred the color of the stain with the semi-gloss finish on it. It seemed to have a lot more life to it than when it had the cashmere finish. I can't tell you the &%*$ I went through finding a wood floor. My first limitation was that it needed to be able to float. I brought home alot of samples of BR-111 and Mirage in both exotics and regualar woods. We loved the look of some of the exotics but when I put them near some of our furniture they didn't quite look right. The Maple Auburn really looked best even though I fought if for quite some time. My husband liked it from the beginning. We'll be installing about 1500 square feet of it so I hope I like it. Also, as to your concern about not being able to sand it, if a board does get ruined it can be taken out and replaced. Anyway, after we put it in I'll put photos on and let you know what we think.

Pam, I prefer the Semi-Gloss finish look so that is the one I would buy if I get the Mirage Auburn instead of the BR-111 Brazilian Cherry. I love both since I love the colors of both and the finish of both but the Mirage has a finish that is great for scratch resistance.

I can't wait to see pics!

You are right since the locking system can be unlocked and locked again, having extra boards could prevent refinishing. Where did you buy your floors? What padding did you get with it?

Lynn, I bought it at ProSource. Are they where you live? They recommended Ulti Mat for the padding, or underlayment as they call it. Also, since you mentioned scratch resistance...I had boards from BR-111 and Mirage with me one day and the contractor took a small piece of plaster he had from tearing down some walls in our condo. Anyway he rubbed it, not too hard, against both brands boards and the Mirage fared far better. I also figured with the Mirage I shouldn't have to deal with color change nearly as much as with the Brazilian Cherry. With that I was going to have to keep moving furniture around and I wasn't looking forward to that!

Thank you Pam for the information. I found a Prosource Flooring place about 1/2 hour from me that I requested a quote from and since I am not a member, they may not honor it or maybe they will refer me to an installer that is a member so I can get my job done. I asked for a quote of both BR-111 Brazilian Cherry and the Mirage Lock in Maple Auburn (love the pictures on the Internet and the fact that it will not change color much and the Nanolinx coating it has on the finish). I guess your builder was a member so he got you the prices at wholesale. Mirage has no prices anywhere on the Internet so I have no idea what the product cost. Did you do a price comparison? Which cost more, Mirage Lock or the BR-111 Triangulo Engineered Floor? I do love the 4-5/16th width. I just wish the veneer was at lest 3 MM instead of 2 MM but maybe you are right that with the great finish on top maybe it will not matter.

I guess I should have asked for a quote for the Ulti Mat padding also but first I will see what their reply is.

It looks like you were looking at the same two pieces of wood species I was after I spent a long time also narrowing down my search.

Are you installing the Mirage Lock in all your rooms including the foyers and kitchen except for the bathrooms? I am doing tile in the foyers and kitchen due to having a home office with some traffic and due to having 4 small dogs. It amazes me how I ended up with four but it is a long story. They range from 4 lbs to 8 lbs so I am not worried about their nails but I want tile in the foyer to put puppy pads on a puppy tray when I am not home to take them out in the backyard.

Lynn, I must have thrown away the info I had on the price of the BR111, but as I recall the prices were similar and maybe the BR111 was a little bit more. I don't remember price being a deciding factor so they must have been close enough. You are right, you need to be a member to buy from ProSource but it turned out that the company I work for has an account there and employees are able to use the account, so that's how I bought there. Check and see if that could be a way for you. Their price was the best I could find. Are you by any chance in the midwest? I really like the woman I am working with here.

I am installing it in the entry hall, great room, dining area (really just a niche off the great room), kitchen, back hall to bedrooms, and my husband's office. I was going to tile the kitchen but then decided that due to the layout wood made more sense. I thought it was going to look funny if two of the barstools were on wood and two were on tile. Got to head to the airport to take my son back.

Pam, Unfortunately, I live in Northern NJ. I wish I lived near you to be out of this rat race around the NY Metropolitan area and I wish I could work with the woman you are working with but I think I need one of the local places near me to work with me. I would need to find an installer who has an account with Prosource Flooring.

I am off to drive 1/2 hour to another local store that will let me bring the Mirage Auburn Lock big sample board home and the BR-111 big sample board home. I will put the sample boards next to the new tiles I am considering for my foyer areas since the Rialto Beige darker tiles I did not like as much as my two lighter Rialto Beige Tiles from a sold out lot. I may use the Rialto Beige in my bathrooms since I love the tile so much with the Mushroom grout but for my foyer areas I am leaning towards the Petra Ambra Fiorita Porcelain tile that looks nice with the Brazilian Cherry wood next to it and now I want to see if it looks nice with the Maple Auburn next to the tiles.

Pam, I love my new tiles with the Mirage Lock Auburn Maple floors! Now I am sure about the tile since it goes well with the Maple Auburn, the BR-111 Brazilian Cherry, the Mirage natural oak (I did not want oak but this Mirage oak is so nice) and amazingly with the Armstrong Grand Illusions natural cherry. These are my favorites with surprisingly the Auburn Maple my first. I liked it a few months ago but now I really like it in the 4-5/16th width plank that is so modern without being too wide. The BR-111 Brazilian Cherry would be my first choice if it did not have such a dramatic color change. But so far the Mirage Lock cost more so I have to hope that the Prosource Flooring emails me back or calls me and finds an installer for me at a better price than my local store.

I got two return calls from two tile professionals referred to me by the store I am buying the tile from and one guy owner is coming tomorrow morning and one owner is coming tomorrow night to give me estimates. Both businesses have their offices near my home so I am so happy that my tile job will finally get done so I can then find the right installer for my hardwood floors. The tile guy my client referred never showed up so many times so I gave up on him. I should have given up on him last month.

This message is for Chinchette. I saw your BC floor that you posted in another post. I think they are beautiful. I just had a quick question: How long after the floors were installed was this picture taken?\

I have been told the colour change/maturation is quite dramatic in BC, which has made me a bit reserved on purchasing this type of wood. Could you give me any insight on this? Have the floors darkened more since the picture?

Thanks for all your input to the forum...it has been extremely helpful.

Another wood species that I like is Santos Mahagony, but it is a lot pricier than I would like to spend.

Jazzyb, Last week, I visited three homes with Brazilian Cherry floors that had been installed for at least 2 years and under the carpets was lighter but on the floor was the color of Chinchette's floor.

I also love Santos Mahagony and the fact it only has a mild change in color since it starts off darker so under the furniture will not be that great of a change but I also feel it is a lot pricier than I would like to spend.