After having spent the last 3 to 4 weeks learning as much as possible about hardwood flooring including the controversial gluing 3/4" solid to concrete vs. nailing to a subfloor, hardness/density & perceived wear, relative humidity levels, etc. I have decided that engineered is definitely the way to go (at least for me) here in AZ. I say this because it seems to be much more forgiving in regards to RH levels (which are low here in the Phoenix area year around) and I would prefer to forgo the expense (and added height) of a subfloor.

One of the other things I have tried to educate myself on is peeled vs. saw cut veneers. From information I have heard from a local flooring company is that peeled veneers have a higher rate of face checking here in the Phoenix area due to low RH. This seems to make sense to me so I have been trying to find a nice engineered floor with a saw cut veneer.

I am leaning towards Hallmark Hardwood's Heirloom or Hacienda lines since they have a 4mm wear layer, birch constructed plywood for the backing, and decent lengths (random up to 7'). I was trying to find something with a true 1/4" wear layer that I liked but could not do so outside of some unfinished products but I would much prefer to forgo a site finish.

For a species I am leaning towards either a Maple, Walnut, or Hickory. Of the 3 Hickory is obviously the most dense but the final choice will likely come down to aesthetics and the natural walnut may win out although there is a stained Maple in the running. Their Heirloom line is hand scraped with some distressing so I may opt for that with the Walnut or Maple to help hide the inevitable dents and dings that will happen.

So my questions are:

1) Does the rationale for engineered make sense given the Phoenix climate? I know I may even need to run humidifiers.
2) Is anyone familiar with Hallmark. If so what do you think of their quality? It appears that they at least may be based out of Canada but I have heard that their products are actually manufactured in China these days and in fact the same product is marketed under other names.
3) If I go with the Walnut should I avoid high traffic areas, e.g., hallways? My plan is to basically lay down hardwood in the kitchen (which is undergoing a complete remodel ans is the catalyst for all of this), main hallway/entrance (the current tile in it runs through the kitchen as well), living room, dining room, and family room. I live alone but eventually hope to have at least some female companionship. A dog may be in my future as well but I already understand the risks of pets and hardwood.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

-Ray

I may be responding to your question too late to make a difference, but I had Hallmark's Hacienda hickory floor professionally installed in my basement kitchen about 6 months ago. The floor is beautiful and so far I couldn't be happier with it. My installer brought many samples to my home for me to see and we were both impressed with the wear layer of Hallmark as well as the color variation between boards. I can't speak to the long term durability of their product because I've had it in such a short time and our basement doesn't get a ton of use, but so far it looks great. This is probably just a personal choice, but my installer opted to glue the floor down rather than float it. The glue down installation made it so it really does sound like a solid wood floor when you walk on it. I don't think you'll be disappointed with a product from Hallmark. Good luck!

Last week I completed a Hallmark gluedown installation of their Silverado line, in the Birch Mink. Although the Silverado is at the lower end of their offerings, totally impressed with their quality. Infact on the wear surface and hardness of that product...The appliance movers did some no nos that would normally damage the floor heavily, this stuff held up with just a minimal repair to the scuffed finish.

If you want to preserve your warranty get a humidifier. I found a nice big one at HD that holds 10.5 gallons for a client. Although they seem to think this is not the humidifier season they usually take them out of stock. but she had them search for one and got it.

Some brand name manufacturers have product made in China under close scrutiny, some don't. See if you can ge tin writing that they manufactuer to CHPVA standards.

Hi guys thanks for the follow-up postings. As I have indicated in a couple of other threads I ended up going with a BR111 Tigerwood product for the 1300sqft needed for the remodeling project which is replacing a bunch of tile I never cared for and some really nice carpeting (the only issue with it is the white color) both of which existed when I bought the house.

I did find out that one of the local flooring companies was incorrect in the statement that the same identical engineered product is marketed under a different brand, i.e., Garrison. That was total disinformation. I also did end up buying a box of the Hallmark Sapele from their Exotic line and can confirm what you guys have already state the quality and finish is top notch! It held up quite well in my scratch and dent testing. In the end I chose Tigerwood because I love the look and it is a decently dense species that should hold up well. I chose the BR111 product because of the look of their Antiquity hand distressed line and also because the durability of the finish is excellent. In fact the latest version of their Engineered Antiquity line now comes with a 50 year residential finish/delaminating guarantee!