As a flooring chic, I have some idea as to what you are up against. The deciding factor is going to be the subfloor. What shape is it in and what can be done with it...or more to the point, what CANNOT be done with it. Benefits of hardwood: obviously the length of service you can get out of them. Drawbacks = COST!!! Cost of product AND INSTALL can be more than most people have to spend! Most hardwoods HAVE to be glued, nailed or stapled into place. Only rarely will you find a floating version! They require underlay = $1-$3/sqft MORE added to square footage. Most cannot stand radiant heat in floors. Should never go in bathrooms! Refinishing is a must! Depending on traffic, they should be done every 7-10 years (many people don't but it should be in part of the investment). Very dry, or very humid, climates greatly effect the wood and can reduce the length of service (shrinkage/swelling can be a problem in many areas of N. America). Subfloor preparation IS A MUST!! Benefits of engineered hardwood are: can be floated, nailed, stapled or glued in place (depend on brand and "locking system"). Install is usually a little less, but ONLY if they are a floating floor. Gluing/nailing/stapling will all cost the same as a hardwood install! They are often given the "OK" to go over in floor radiant heat. Rule of thumb, the thickness of the wear layer dictates how many times you can refinish (2mm = 1-2 refinishing; 3mm = 3 refinishes; 4mm = 3-4 refinishes; etc.). Draw backs of Engineered: limited "refinishing" chances" - the amount of times you can refinish the floor will depend on the thickness of the "hardwood" layer. Cheaper versions are often 2mm which means you can only refinish (sand, stain, refinish) just the once. The higher end versions ($6-$9/sf) can be 3-5mm thick. An engineered hardwood floor is really a "disposable" hardwood. Cost of maintenance is the same as a hardwood. Cost of install could be same as hardwood. On a tight budget, you might want to look at the engineered hardwoods. Please keep in mind the "hard wearing" finishes of today, (ie. Aluminum Oxide) can have detrimental effects on your health. They may "sound" great, but in the end they can be harmful. A cork floating floor - no need for underlay! ($2.29 - $4.09/sf at www.icorkfloor.com) Can give you all the advantages of the engineered hardwoods without any of the draw backs. The only place a floating floor can not go is a bathroom (that's what a cork glue down floor is all about). A tight budget might just benefit from a high end cork floor that is priced the same as the low end engineered hardwoods! Cost if install = laminate install!!! Can save you THOUSANDS of dollars on your project! I just saved a gentleman $11,000 on his flooring purchase!!! He purchased 3000sf of cork for $9000! He had been quoted $20,000+ for ANYTHING else! Your square footage could go down for as little as $2800 or for as much as $4,090 at Icork Floor LLC. Cost of install would add about $1500 to your project. Just a thought.

Go for the hickory and the 3 inch might look more in keeping with the rest of the house. What kind of tile are you going to use? The wood might look better depending on the choice of tile.

It is possible the maple you already have is a factory finish. The hint comes from the slight bevel (the little edge) around each plank. That does not traditionally occur with a site finished hardwood. It can still be solid hardwood, but I would bet that is a factory finished floor. You will want to add a floor that is AS CLOSE a match with width of plank and cut/character as your existing maple. If that is a factory finish then this just got 10x harder. There will be no lacing in. No blending. No sanding and refinishing to get this to look "right". You will need to put the new floor up against the old without the benefit of a laced in floor. To get a new floor in, and make it look good, there are many tricks your installers (ahem..."better" flooring installers will be needed) can do. They can add borders between the floors to create separation between the new and the old. They can add decorative in-lays if you wish to add another coloured wood into the home. Again this separates the two floors. They can add the border AND lay the planks at an angle to keep the eye from noticing the different plank width. They can do many things to get this to look "good". And all of those tricks have a price tag. The price tag might be close to the same amount to remove and replace the original maple with the new floor. If I had to do it, I would find a factory finished floor (solid or other wise...which ever gave me the BEST MATCH to what is there now) and have a decorative border applied to the room NEXT TO the kitchen and then lay that room at a diagonal. Good! Separation complete. The rest of the home would be a straight lay without any worry as to mismatched flooring. The distance between the original floors and the new one's will be so far away, with a decorative border and a diagonal install to draw the eye away from the "difference" in the floors. Of course this has a price tag and extra waste involved. The two put together may be the same price as removing and replacing the original wood. I would ask the flooring professional (not a general contractor but the flooring professional who is a wood flooring specialist) to put together two quotes for labor/extra materials. One quote for full install (remove old and install new) and one install with my description above. Now compare the two. This will tell you how to move forward on the budget you have. If it can be done, you might be able to salvage some wood from the kitchen and reinstall it in a bedroom. That might simplify the use of wood in the main living area...but will cost a bit more for the removal of the hardwood. To salvage product they have to be much more careful/slower...time is money.

Thank y’all for your suggestions. I’ve changed the cabinet along the wall to a soft white and changed the hardwood floor to a lighter brighter color. I still would like to keep the black island. Would appreciate your thoughts on the granite counter. I’ve narrowed the list to three (all by Wisenbaker TrustPoint): Seashell (top), Bianca Primata (middle) and Florata White (bottom). My concerns are: Seashell - I haven’t seen a big slab so I don’t know what it looks like. Is it too dark? Bianca Primata - I like the brightness of the white background, but slabs seem to show a great deal of black. Afraid the black veins will be too much. Florata white - minimal white so afraid it will be too dark although I love the variations. If you are familiar with these granites and can provide feedback, I’d appreciate it much. I’ve attached photos. Thank you!