OK....I've now read hundreds of posts on this board and when it comes to cupping it seems like Maple is king! Would you professional installers ever recomend an engineered product of a paricular species (quarter sawn Oak??) if a client was concerned about cupping, edging or gaping??
Is there a rating for wood stability if so how does Maple stack up against the others? THANKS!!!

Maple moves more then most. Mesquite is both very stable, and hard as a rock.

Maple is a mover in a solid but I don't think it matters all that much in an engineered wood product. I would be more concerned with the product quality, proper installation methods, and the wear layer than the species.

There is indeed such a chart. "Dimensional change co-efficent" can be found in NWFA Water and Wood brochure. The numers shown are how much the particular species will expand or contract for each % of moisture change. American Beech is actually the worst listed not Maple. I agree that an engineered floor "floating preferably" is virtually unaffected by species due to sub layers being on bias to surface thereby designed to offset changes.

What you have to watch for in engineered these days is that the top veneer species is not the same species as the core plies. They will shrink and swell differently.

The whole point of "engineering" flooring is to bring opposing expansion rates together so that they will restrain the floor from moving.

The notion that engineered flooring should be made of a single species from top to bottom is an incredibly stupid one.

Instead of just throwning that out on the coals, why not explain your statement, so Howard Brickman won't get his feelings hurt.

I'm going to unearth this old topic as I'm very interested in hearing Floorguy's opinion on that. Floorguy, are you saying that when looking for an engineered floor all plies should be made the same as the top layer? I don't think I've ever seen an engineered floor that had all layers in the same species. But I'm also a noob that's why I'm posting.

I'm looking at Mirage engineered (apparently some say it's the best). Top layer is Maple and the plywood is something else, I don't know what. Not sure about the bottom layer.

I'm no expert on multi species engineered flooring but de lamination of the wear layer is a really big issue. I hear about de lamination happening a lot and most manufacturers simply wont accept responsibility. So my advice is to only buy engineered flooring fro ma trusted and proven manufacturer and that most likely will exclude anything built in China.

I'm continually shocked by the poor quality of products coming out of most Chinese factories not the least of which is poisonous / toxic sheet rock, poisonous animal food and there's always the terribly milled flooring

I've done some Mirage with a maple sawn face over HDF core in a click. I was kinda leary about it but it did not squeak and never heard anything bad from the customer so far. Thats been about 3 years ago.