Some of the best hardwood flooring brands are: Armstrong, Shaw, Mannington, Anderson, Mullican, Mohawk, Mirage, Hallmark, Mercier, Hearthwood, Somerset. There are plenty of good ones available.

Some companies offer a room visualizer that may help you choose based on how it will look in a similar setting to your own.

I just installed Mirage floors. They have a website with lots of pictures including rooms with the installed product.

You should really go to a.real floor store - not a Big Box one - and look at floors in person. Generally the sales associates know their flooring and can be helpful. The stores I visited had an amazing selection and it was good to look at the samples in person to really get a sense of what they would be like.

You can of course order samples from the manufacturer - I know Mirage has this option.

"I need to see the floor in a whole room (to see what colors are brought out etc)"

Don't neglect the lighting as well. One sample can show a multitude of color tones with different levels of lighting or areas of the home.

Obvious in the completed room scene gallery I have established.

room scene gallery

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