All: my wife and I will be installing hardwood flooring (above ground level) in a house near a lake in Maine, and we have been warned about large humidity variations there. At first we were thinking of wider plank flooring, but have ruled that out due to the potential humidity/stability issues. We found a solid 3/4" product that has the "look" we want (Homerwood prefinished Hickory in 3" width), but are still unsure whether or not this will work. We have heard from different sources that if we stay under a 4" width we should be OK (assuming a quality installation). However I finally found a dimansional stability rating for Hickory and it was rated "low" (i.e., "bad"!). If we need to go with an engineered product I guess we will, but we are looking for any advice out there on this potential choice of ours. Thanks in advance for any info.!!
(Ps: someone else suggested we look at a solid 3/4" red birch; any experience out there with this species?)

have you looked at any brazilian exotics? ipe {walnut}, cumaru {chestnut}, tigerwood or brazilian cherry very stable in high humidity areas.

With any wood installation, the interior of your home, needs to be kept at a fairly constant temperature, and humidity. Failure to do so, will reek havoc on any wood you install.


have been warned about large humidity variations there


Ya, so what?:lol:

That is outside, not inside where HVAC systems are suppose to be installed and operating.

What did they do before HVAC?
They dealt with gaps in the winter, because most wood floors were only installed during the summers and high humidity.
If they installed it in the winter, gaps were left on purpose for the swelling of the wood during the summer, so buckling would be reduced.

That is right.
HVAC needs to be in place, or at least you need dehumidifiers, if you deal with high humidity levels. With solid hardwood floors this is critical.
If you install solid wood, you need to keep the humidity level in your house around 45-50%. Put hydrometers in your basement and first floor.
Also, you might consider mixed 2" and 3" widths. That will give you little bit less movement.

Wendel,

Being that you will be in a high humidity area, the research I've done leans toward choosing engineered. There are some excellent engineered products out there, namely Mirage and Kahrs that I've recently installed. They have a wear layer that is as thick as a solid's wear layer (tongue level where nail heads reside), and have 5-8ply construction underneath so you really can't tell the difference in solidity under your feet or look-wise even though they are thinner. And obviously, that real kicking benefit is the stability (expansion and contraction is minimized significantly), which would allow you to rely less on a dehumidifier (but that would still be recommended).

If you’re going solid, a dehumidifier would be an absolute must. Another advantage in the pre-finished engineered is the bevel. Kahrs has no bevel (flush edge) and Mirage has a Micron bevel (smaller than Micro) that gives it an even more authentic look to classic finished flooring. Mirage and Kahrs engineered come in as many wood species as the solids, even the Red Birch you mentioned which is a very beautiful looking floor. One caveat to that is: The more clear the grain the more noticeable scratches will be. Good luck.

P.S. What part of Maine is this? My fam is from there, I've been all over. Sounds like beautiful property.

Best,
PB