I'm a wood flooring snob...I readily admit that to those who ask. I can spot an engineered hardwood about as quickly as it takes to open the door.

The thing I dislike THE MOST about engineered hardwoods = the bevelled edge. It is rare to see bevelled edges on solid hardwoods (they are out there...the eased edge plank is a stunning, high-end product which is a completely different look than engineered hardwood).

I love the look of a smooth, flat, beautifully stained/natural hardwood. This is hard to achieve when working with FACTORY FINISHED floors. The bevelled edge is there to assist the installer.

It is possible to purchase/install unfinished engineered hardwoods that are site finished....but that's another discussion.

If you like the wire brush finish, then have fun. These floors will look more rustic. The hand scraped looks are on their way out as trends.

Just be aware that these dark floors (and both of these are considered DARK....there is nothing "mid-tone" about them...they are DARK) show dust and dirt and shoe prints BEAUTIFULLY. I mean, "right after you clean them"!

I always say a dark hardwood is a Diva. And like all Diva's they should come with a live-in maid who's sole purpose is to keep the floors looking "clean".

If being a slave to your floors isn't your thing, feel free to go TWO (2) steps lighter. A mid-tone floor will DARKEN the space they are going into. That means a slightly darker mid-tone will give the APPEARANCE and the DRAMA of a dark floor...without being a dark floor. Win-win in my books.

Thank you so much for your kind response. I am glad you are a snob. I love it as it can only help me to understand what to look for. I have never had engineered and just accepting that I have to choose them has been a tough pill to swallow. Our new place is down south and is on a slab which means if we go with solid wood it is going to have issues long term in this humid wet area of the country. It has been advised by many floor people to go with an engineered hardwood. Real wood is out of my budget. I only have $30grand set aside for floors. In fact one guy suggested we do a floating floor over the ugly saltillo tile we currently have. I refuse to do that.

So I am stuck. I have to choose engineered hardwoods and I am lost as to the direction of surface. I don't love hand scraped just thought it might look more natural. Ha Ha I am wrong. And Beveled edges? I never even thought about it until you mentioned it. Now I am going to notice every floor I see. And I will probably wind up with the exact beveled edge you detest. Being a novice I have no idea which looks the most real so have to just dive in and chose something as a backdrop for the space. The Vorges looks the most real. The wood on top of the engineered is 1/2 inch thick and has the texture of oak. It can be sanded and stained comes in wide plank and various sizes. Not sure if that matters? But maybe that would be the one to go with.

I had dark white oak (solid wood not this engineered stuff) in my last house. I loved my floors, I guess I must be a slave to a diva as I did not mind having to dust them every other day. Was I a slave to my floors? Yes, i guess when you love the look of something it is easy to accept the labor. However this time around I like your idea of going a shade or two lighter. Medium non orange or red toned flat matte soft brown floors is what I am going to search and hopefully find.

Thank you again., If you can recommend an engineered hardwood floor that you believe to be one of the prettier ones of all the uglys, share it. As I trust your snobbery and appreciate it. Your knowledge is exactly what I was searching for.

Regards,

boxerpal

Sometimes the place where the floor is being installed dictates solid or engineered hardwood so that plays a part for sure. Get your flooring from a good flooring store and they will be able to answer all your questions without bias. As for the finish that depends on your style often IMO a handscraped look is just ugly but I love contemporary design so that is a personal choice. I hd adrk floors in my last house and IMO if you love them then you make a swiffer your friend we had 2 big golden retreivers and they shed like crazy took me less than 5 minutes to give a quick swiffer .Every floor gets dirty the same the dark ones just tell you when just like white cabinets. I would choose my floors before choosing your counter top.

@boxerpal....you are on the path to beautiful floors. There are "site finished" engineered hardwoods out there - if you have the budget. They have a THICK (1/4" = 6mm) wear layer that can be sanded as many times as a regular hardwood. They are installed "raw" and then lightly sanded and stained on site. These are stunning floors and can be found more easily on the east coast because of so many flooring factories on that side of the USA.

The other thing I would caution you about would be the "matte" finish. The low gloss stuff looks really good in photos, but can be more difficult to live with because the SOCK PRINTS (skin oils) are SHINIER than the wood. That means foot prints ABOUND. And sweeping/swiffering does NOTHING for them. A damp mopping is the only thing that cures the oil prints.

I have always said a satin finish is the lowest gloss level that most people can handle. It offers a soft glow that is appealing while at the same time offering the "low gloss" that people are looking for in their modern flooring choices.

And like all floor finishes, the satin will dull down over time. It will lose a bit of the glow which means you will end up with a "low gloss satin" or a "high gloss matte". Either way you will eventually end up with a floor that has the lower sheen.

Please google the "oily foot prints" on matte finished floors. You will be astounded by the complaints (thousands upon thousands of threads/complaints about this gloss level). And then look up the 'haziness' of matte finished hardwoods. Again, tens of thousands of complaints.

@Patricia Cowell Consulting, Thank you. I am not a fan of hand scraped but was thinking maybe it would not show dents, or scratches or wear as much. I prefer the look of the smooth but would be willing to have some texture if it were better for long term use. I agree it is easier to choose floors before counter but they need to go together. I have been carrying around floor samples when I visit stone yards. I had dark floors in my last house. You might be able to see them as I was boxerpups back in gardenweb days. I spent weeks trying to find the right stain mix Jacobean, Ebony, Walnut in various parts to get the color I loved. Still searching for floors and then I can commit to a counter.

SJ McCarthy, Thank you, Thank you! I don't think I could afford site stained floors. I have budgeted about $30 thousand for 2200 sq feet of just the floors. This includes ripping up old saltillo tile in some space, old engineered hardwood and carpet. I need to stay in that range, maybe going up $5,000 but I have lots to do with this space (kitchen cabs, counters, appliances, moving a wall, paint, electrical, plumbing... ) So, with this tiny floor budget I am not sure the options I have for a good floor. I am not asking for the best just something mid range that will last 20 years and look acceptable. I really APPRECIATE the tip to stay away from Matte. I dodged a bullet there, I thought that would look great. I will get semi or even shiny gloss floors to avoid that error. I am reading all those posts now. Thank you for your direction in that, I was clueless and now truly grateful. I am grateful for all tips, recommendations, ideas or thoughts on this matter. Again, I thank you for your help.

Very pretty .

@Boxerpal, how did your wood flooring turn out? Looking at Naturally Aged Flooring now.