Good question...I'd probably go with a white oak, no stain and an acrylic finish so it won't yellow. Walnut is great too, but a little dark. Hope this helps.

It does help. And, I meant to say maple not walnut. yes, walnut is too dark. Maple seems to light/bright. just picked white oak today (in my mind). if you see this and have thoughts about maple, wld be much appreciated.

spooky- was just wondering to myself what quarter sawn meant when I saw your post? what does it mean and is it more expensive? thanks!

:-) Quarter Sawn takes longer to produce and reveals a more beautiful cross section of the tree. It is is also about 50% more stable than typical flat sawn flooring. In the old days before HVAC that added dimensional stability was a nice bonus since most floor were wide plank. The top two pics are QS as is the bottom left. The one on the bottom right is flat sawn/plain sawn.

thank you, sir. tell me this, do unfinished solid hardwood floors need to cure in place for two weeks!? That's what I just read on Shamrock's website. That adds serious time pressure to my project. I thought they needed to cure for a couple of days on site. Eek.

No. They can be walked on within a few days. Talk to your installer and ask them what their finishing products recommend.

Gavin, Also, Maple does not take stain well. It is a very hard wood. Typically, not always, it is best to leave it natural and apply a quality, acrylic clear finish.

Ended up going with 4" premium white oak long boards with a (just new on the market) matte poly finish by vermont coatings. turned out great!

and thanks everyone for your input.

Gavin, Congratulations! Glad it worked out well for you. All the best.

Gavin, could you post a photo of your new floor? I'd love to see it.

Here are some new shots and my new email. joel@oakandbroad.com