Hello ,I am a newbie and I would like to seek your help and expertise on my hardwood dilemma. Here it goes...

We built our new house in 2013 and it was competed in August of 2013 ( they broke ground in April) and we have installed solid hardwood through the house ( first and second level). We installed solid maple 3 1/4 inch boards with a thickens of 3/4 inch from Appalachian Flooring in Canada - Quebec

http://www.appalachianflooring.com/coll ... 9&grade=11
Once we moved in, few days later all boards were cupping. We bought a dehumidifier after a month or so after we moved to get the humidity under control. Cupping disappeared by winter time but we start experiencing noticeable gaps, loud squeaking - you could actually feel the movement of boards in the downwards direction as you stepped on them. (keep in mind we bought a humidifier as well in order to maintain humidity around 45). The fact that we had a cold and dry winter did not help.

Now in September of 2014 most of the gaps are gone however we still have boards that squeak and actually move downwards when walking on them. By the way we live in Ontario and here the summers are hot and humid and the winters are cold and dry.

And now for the dilemma. Due to the many issues we have with the floors they agreed to replace the hardwood floor ( we had an NWFA inspection done) The question/dilemma is should we install the same maple floor or switch to red oak ( although we love the look and finish of maple) in order to have a more stable wood in terms of being less susceptible to humidity and since red oak seems to be the most common hardwood floor around here ....or go with engineered hardwood?

Your input is greatly appreciated.

I would think that if the flooring is properly acclimated and at the correct mc when installed and the recommended humidity level for the wood species is maintained throughout the year that whatever species you choose would be fine.

I would agree but add acclimate to the median rh of the year, not august which is probably the highest.

Moisture control in basement and or crawlspace?

Basement is completely finished and the humidity is slightly higher than the man floor...around 50%. Do you think that I would have less issues if we go with red oak when compared to maple? August is usually humid ( it was humid when they installed the hardwood) .Since we lived in the house for a year we have a much better control of the humidity in the house. I tend to think that the sub floor is much drier now as well. The relative humidity typically ranges from 27% to 80% however the house humidity is around 38-58.

What did your flooring manufacturer's documentation recommend for a relative humidity range for your specific flooring? Maple is 4% less stable than red oak....but could be more. Can you contact your manufacturer's support folks to discuss?

From the info you provided it seems as though the conditions that existed when the floors were first installed were a recipe for disaster. You probably shouldn't let that experience sway your decision away from maple if that's what you really want. Based on the inspection and the fact the installer was willing to redo the floors says a lot. Don't know the exact time line but newly constructed houses are still drying, warmer months were more humid, difficult to acclimate floor properly under those conditions.