I'm going to purchase some engineered wood flooring, probably Gunstock Oak. I know that Mirage is considered to be good stuff. I see that BR-111 is much cheaper but I'm told much thinner wood. Would someone be kind enough to list the better products out there? And if anyone likes an internet hardwood company I'd love to have a reference for them as well.

Thanks in advance.

you found one.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com

Thanks KLS. And quality products? Any to avoid? Any to look for?

For price BR-111 you can’t beat it for the money.

For quality Patina Floors, WFI or Mirage.

Thanks KLS. The disadvantage of BR-111 is just the thickness of the wood. And that just translates into fewer times it can be sanded, right?

The BR-111 Triangulo line’s wear layer is not thin. It is comparable to the others it may be a little thinner but not by a magnitude of difference. Now if you are talking about low end engineered line then yes, I doubt you could get more than one sanding out of it. That line is designed to compete with the price of laminate and that said I think it is junk just as I think laminate is junk. Properly maintained you may never have to re-sand your floors. You will need them screened and recoated every 7 to 10 years but unless the floor is severely damaged there should be no need for actually sanding the floor.

Apologies for continuing to pester you with questions. I assume when I wear out my welcome you'll just stop responding or tell me to take a hike. I find message boards to be hugely helpful. That is only because of the generosity of experts, like yourself, who contribute.

My next, and perhaps last, question:

If a client asked you to install a Gunstock Oak engineered floor in a kitchen, what product(s) would you recommend?

Thank you again for your help.

It really depends on the client and what they are looking for if it is just the gunstock color that they are looking for I may recommend a completely different species than oak in the BR-111 where as with Mirage I would recommend the oak. It is a broad question, which is best answered as this. You will be happy with any of these products as far as longevity and stability are concerned. Buy the one that you like the looks of and price of the most.

I think I've found our wood...BR-111, Santos Mahogany, 5/8", solid, prefinished.

Do you think that's a good product?

I mean 5/16".

I helped a guy on a job who used the BR-111 Santos 5/16" solid. I installed a vapor barrier and prepped the slab. He glued it direct with Bostick's Best. The floors look great. You cannot tell the thickness once it is installed.

Does it matter that we're taking up an existing floor that was glued down to plywood?

There's no reason to avoid the 5/16" solid BR-111 Santos Mahogany, right? Is there any advantage to the wider planks over the thinner ones?

Thinner planks are more stable. If you are installing a solid I would suggest a plywood installing sub-floor if it is on a slab. BR-111 says that their thin solids can be glued but I would be hesitant.

Actually, I guess in BR-111 the choice is 5/16" x 3 1/8" or 7/16" x 2 5/8". When you say thinner you're referring to the 2 5/8"?