Hardwood. My house is 55 years old and the hardwood has withstood the test of time. Owned the house for 35 years and refinished floors when we tore up all the wall to wall 30 years ago still in great shape

Wide plank should only be available in engineered. It's not stable in solid wood, in a varying climate. And it is the only option with a slab foundation.

See what happens with old solid wood wide plank floors. The big gaps between boards is because the expansion and contraction permanently crushed the edges. That's why old wide plank floors were filled with oakum in the gaps. Or else narrow planks were used. Narrow planks are more stable, but still expand and contract.

I would go with 100% hardwood, finished on site. In the future, should you do renovations that require removal of walls, you will probably not be able to match your chosen pre finished hardwood.

You didn't ask, but I suggest you widen the garage to 22'. Anything less than that is not big enough for 2 cars. If you are already at your setback limit on the right side, move the foyer closet to the mudroom and extend the garage to the left.

I wanted hardwood, but I was advised that engineered wood does better in the humid climes of central Florida. I got Amendoim from Triangulo for every room except kitchen and bathrooms.

It was installed almost six years ago and still looks good.

Amendoim – Triângulo (triangulo.us)

6mm engineered gives you refinishing capacity. Hardwood is only good to the tongue. Engineered gives you European Oak in light tones. Because this species is denser with less of the open grain of N. A. red and white oak. That lets you seen the figure you get with flat cut planks. Because you can use flat cut instead of rift the wider planks up to 11" really show off the wood. Impossible with solid. Wide plank allows character figure.

Scratch proof? Please lower your expectations if you haven't already,

A few basics. A 4mm could be refinished three times with perfect conditions, but you have to take into account the depth of the micro bevel. It's irregular depending on the manufacturer.

Central Florida? Stay away from any solid unless it's on the second floor or well above the soil line.

Forget humid. Most folks think outdoor humidity. We air condition our homes in many parts of Florida 7-9 months out of the year.

"I would go with 100% hardwood, finished on site..."

Engineered, sure. However it's pricey for a high quality product. Then add in the finish costs and you're near $12-14 SF. If it's a direct glue down to slab add another $ 3-5.00 SF. Florida average.

3/4" unfinished engineered. 6.4 mm wear layer

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! I actually live in NYS, very cold winters. Was planning on doing the entire first floor with wood, except the powder room. And the stairs plus second floor landing. Anyone have advice on how to get good matching treads on the stairs? Builder stains them to match…is that normal protocol?

Also, is there a noticeable difference in the sound hardwood makes versus engineered when you walk on them?

Can't tell you about the sound because my site finished floors were laid over a basement and crawlspace in previous houses, but the engineered wood floors are laid/glued over a cement slab in current house. You definitely don't get any deflection/bounce when walking on the slab!

Seriously, the sound produced when walking on them should be similar.

I have engineered in current house, solid hardwood in previous homes. Engineered has held up much better (we have dogs and aren’t all that careful with it). Factory finish is tougher than on site finish. Solid hardwood had to be refinished several times in other homes. I would definitely buy engineered again. Ours is white oak, and builder used white oak treads and stained to match and I don’t notice a difference. We have it throughout house, including kitchen and powder room. No issues, and we had awful plumbing issues a few months ago - floor is fine. I don’t notice any difference in sound.

Regarding the stairs, some flooring retailers can fabricate stair tread caps with a mitred nosing using the actual engineered flooring itself (therefore providing a perfect match). It is next to impossible to refinish existing stair treads (commonly made with red oak) to match the light, white oak flooring styles that are in vogue these days.

Thanks for all the insight. Palladio does offer stair noses which will be a perfect match, so I’m going to inquire into that. Good point about red oak versus white oak. The treads they normally use are red, so not sure how well that could ever match white oak. Now I’m wondering about the banister too. Here is a pic of the stairs while under construction in another home, same floor plan. This is how they stained for a darker Palladio floor that is still white oak but I think the color is called silver lining.

Here are pics of the Palladio engineered wood in driftwood. And the Palladio in white wash next to the Nordic Natural hardwood in glistening ice.

You will want the treads to be white oak if that's what your floor is. They are available - we worked with a local company that specializes in stairs. Pick a stain color that looks like real wood, don't go with a gray tone.

Not a good sign that those floors in the under construction home are all uncovered and dirty. The engineered floors are not indestructible!

My builder laid down paper along all the hallways and pathways through rooms.

We went with the Palladio engineered hardwood in white wash, and white oak stair treads. I’m super happy with how it turned out, though it’s not finished just yet 😊 Susie, you saved us from red oak stairs! Im so grateful for everyone’s advice. 💡

This is Q, Robur European Oak. A different species than N>American Q. Alba.

7-1/2″ Wide Planks | PanTim Hardwood Flooring

FRENCH OAK, NATURAL COLORS

• Trees lowest 8′ used to make red wine and bourbon barrels. Palladio uses the next 8′
• Fumed and Lime-Washed for a timeless look. Rich color emerges due to high tannin content
• Also available in elegant American Walnut

EUROPEAN STYLING

• Lifetime Coating System with “Extreme Matte” Finish (7%) enhances the wood grain. The look of an oil finish without the maintenance
• Long planks: 3 of 6 boards in a carton are 71-½” long.
• Extra wide: 7-½” planks
• 4-sided beveled edge (3/32″)

ECO-FRIENDLY

• 300 year history of sustainable forest management
• Harvested only at full maturity from verified managed growth forest
• CARB II and PEFC certified
• Contributes to LEED credits
• Free of Urea Formaldehyde
• Fumed (smoked) finish for natural colors without stain
• California Prop 65 Certified