You can get decent quality hardwood for much less than $13/sf. Shop around.

If you want a flat floor instead of beveled edges, then you need to install unfinished flooring and have it site finished, which includes sanding out any lippage. Bevels on pre-finished flooring compensate for lippage.

I'd go with solid hardwood in your case. That's what they used for decades in Detroit (before engineered was invented) after all. Engineered hardwood has a limit on how many times it can be refinished. Do make absolutely sure that your wood acclimates in your house before being installed, and that the moisture content matches that of the subfloor before it is put in. That will minimize the cupping/gapping with the seasons.

FWIW, we live in the midwest and bought 5" unfinished solid walnut from a local sawmill for $5/sf. Local flooring stores sold the same thing for $7/sf. We DIY-ed the install, but they had a guy they worked with that installed and finished it for around $3/sf. I believe they did offer pre-finished, for a couple dollars more per sf, but we didn't want the bevels, so we site finished it.

Champion Floors and Weedyacres

Thank you for your detailed and prompt responses. The two reasons I was preferring engineered wood was that, in the Mirage Nevada Maple that I liked -

a - the sales guys at the 2-3 stores that I went to scared me into thinking that the solid wood would gap up, cup, etc due to Michigan winters/humidity etc.

b - the engineered comes in 5 inch widths while the max that the solid comes in is 4 1/4 inch. I understand this is only cosmetic and your suggestion caught my attention - "Solid flooring will give you a structural improvement value on your home that you will not get from an engineered floor" - Can you please kindly expand on this.

PacerWaala,

I just went through this same process as you and ended up with 5" solid hardwood boards (White Oak Rift & Quartersawn) for about 2000sq. ft of hardwood in my new build. I purchased my product from a very well known distributor in the area and by far is the best way to go.

www.QualityHardwood.com - Dave is the owner and a great guy who could point you in the right direction on everything from product selection to who to call for installation, etc.

I also went through the whole LL, and retailer dance until I decided to cut out the middleman. The distributors source directly from US based mills, and he's NWFA. Humidity is a function of how you monitor the interior climate of your home through your furnace as well so keep that in mind. Any idiot who 100% says hardwood floors in "Michigan Winters will gap" is just that.

Anyways, hope this helps and good luck.

Andrew

I just want to throw this out there. We have 7.5 inch engineered hardwoods in our home. They were about $ 8-9/foot. We are in the Canadian prairies, so I'm sure we get similar weather. They are absolutely gorgeous, and everybody, I mean everybody who comes in comments on them. I did not feel like I was compromising at all getting engineered, especially since we wanted such a wide plank. Our floor is by Dansk.

Now unfortunately, while it is a Canadian company, and nowhere could I find anything bad about them, the floor boxes said made in China. I actually had a post about it. I was so sad as I try to get local whenever I can. I did get it from a reputable flooring place who did say that the wood (it is oak) was Canadian but finished in China (no formaldehyde or anything).

So it's good you are doing your homework. Had I known about the made in China I likely would have bought anyways as they are amazing floors and we love them.

There are only two (okay, three if you count stone separate from tile) flooring materials that add a structural improvement value to a home; tile and solid hardwood. Everything else, engineered floors, carpet, laminate, etc, are all considered floor coverings. That's not to say that putting in an engineered wood floor won't add value to your home.

Usually, these changes are upgrades from old carpeting or vinyl that needed replacing because of age or damage, so certainly you are gaining a more aesthetically pleasing home. That will add value. But if you installing a solid hardwood floor (or new stone or tile floor) you are adding to the structural integrity of the home - thereby adding to the structural value of the home.

Hopefully, that helped :)

Thanks again to all for the suggestions, comments.

Andrew - I will contact Dave and see what options he has/suggests. Can you let me know which manufacturer of 5 inch solid wood that you went with. I live in Pittsfield township (near Ann Arbor). If you are using 5 inch solid wood planks, it gives me hope. Thanks.

Regards

Pacerwaala