Ask to see their CARB II compliance certificate for Rockwood. You will find the certificate will document WHO sent the sample to WHICH facility. That's when the cat is let out of the bag. Many manufacturers of European Oak are in China. They are the only one's who can source THIS much E. Oak for such a low price. The manufacturer is the one to send in the product for CARB II testing. That means the certificate will have the MANUFACTURER's name and location on it...and the test facility location will usually be the one closest to the factory. If it is Chinese made then you will see a Chinese name, location and testing facility listed. This is one way to find out WHO made it.

And the finish = wire brushed UV CURED Treffert Oil. That means you have YEARS AND YEARS of maintenance ahead of you. And because you are purchasing from a wholesaler you will have very little info on how to maintain an oil finished floor.

If you do NOT know how to care for an oil finished floor then I HIGHLY recommend you brush up on your skills. Oiled floors are beautiful...and finicky...and need 3-5 different cleaning products (and repair products and patch products and Master Oils) to keep the floor going. All of which are used by you, the homeowner, on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis.

Oiled floors are the most time consuming, homeowner maintained wood floors we have. And with a price tag LESS THAN $5/sf, I would be very sure this is what I wanted to spend my money on.

Paul for some reason I cant tag you. I was just at this store in Santa Ana yesterday. The manager Eddie said he has this floor in his house. I asked about the maintenance with the oil finish and he said right after the floors were installed he oiled them. For routine maintenance he uses a dust mop and sprays/wipes a Bona product. Once a year he oils them another Bona product that he sprays and mops. It didnt sound that difficult but maybe he's cutting corners I dont know?

@SJ McCarthy I was speaking to someone about the Asia issue with hardwoods. He said a lot of companies get their wood from Europe then they contract out the labor to make the product into engineered planks to companies in China. If that's true, what is the issue with the labor being done in Asia? If it is done there, would the Carb 2 cert be from there too? Im trying to navigate through this ridiculous maze of flooring which seems like it shouldnt take a PHD to understand!

If anyone is going to cut corners, it is going to happen in Asia. The concerns coming out of Asia can be vast and varied. There are some very high-quality products coming out of Asia...but that's the exception...not the rule.

Asia also sources illegal timber from Russia. The Tiger habitats (The Taiga). You can google it. This is the biggest environmental issue I see. If that's not an issue for you, then that's cool.

I have personally witnessed an Asian company offering their customers any 'report' they wanted. As in, "We duplicate any document you need. Just tell us and we will have a piece of paper written for you inside of 1 week. It will cost '$' for each document you need to have manufactured."

Translation: We'll forge any document you need. Just tell us and we will have a forgery created in the next week. We require a small payment for such a document.

The maintenance is easy...if you LIKE doing these types of things. Do you LIKE applying an oil product on your heavy traffic areas every 6 months (you have to stay off the floors for 12-24 hours while they dry)? Do you like moving your furniture every year? Do you like spot repairs every time a bit of cooking oil hits your wood floor? Do you like the idea that the spot repair is NOT going to look like the rest of your floors?

Do you like the idea that every 3-5 years (or sooner if you have a very busy family with +++cleaning requirements and +++stains repairs) you need to add MORE MASTER COLOUR OIL??? Every room requires a refresh of the colour...every few years. That means you will move the furniture out of every room at least 5 times in 25 years. Does that excite you?

Or a polyurethane finish = move the household furniture once in 25 years for a full sand and refinish.

@SJ McCarthy thank you for all of this information, its very helpful. What a shame about the illegal logging in Russia.

Is it possible to find a good quality engineered floor from an environmentally responsible company in the $6 sq ft range? Thats my budget. Im looking for a light colored modern look and I dont care how wide they are, in fact I prefer a narrower plank.

Find a Ma-and-Pa flooring store near you. It is the best place to view decent products made for your locale.

You can look up Oak & Broad. They manufacturer in the USA. They produce nice products for decent prices. Your narrow plank expectation will keep the price in check. The FINISH and the COLOUR is going to drive the price up. An 'unnaturally white' wood is going to cause pricing issues. A natural wood tone (no stain...not liming...no smoking...etc) will get a very nice floor for $6/sf.

Keep looking. Start a new thread asking for US manufactured engineered hardwoods. The companies that post on here (that manufacture what you are looking for) will show up to offer their goods. Google them and get samples.

@SJ McCarthy I like the idea of the natural wood tone. I will start a new thread, thanks!

@Paul Carroll thank you for the info! I will definitely check them out. I found this company in CA and their corporate headquarters is an hour from me. I haven't checked their pricing yet. https://www.saroyanhardwoods.com/our-story/