I leave in Frisco Texas and we are planning to install hard wood in our house. Initially I was planning to install Solid wood because I was getting better price from the contractor. $7.50 per SQ FT for ( ¾” oak wood + ¾” plywood + Nailed down + Hand scrapped + Stain on site + 3 layers of protection)
But Oak has lot of grains and patterns which I don't like. Plus manual staining will not be as good as machine finish. So I decided to go with Hand Scrapped engineered wood. I'm planning to buy it from BuildDirect.com and have my contractor install it for me. I have the following questions:
1> Any recommendation on BuildDirect.com, the wood is manufactured by Jasper
2> We are debating on whether we should install Glue down or Floating. Which method is preferred for Texas weather? Also in case of floating installation I heard the wood planks will be glued on side instead of bottom, is that preferred method for Floating?
3>Any recommendation on acacia or birch wood? Which one is recommended