I am planning on putting 5" x 3/4" wide plank (long lengths) Hickory flooring in our home. I found a company that is willing to sell me pre-sanded unsealed planks with microbevels, so we can seal them on site with Bona Traffic. But my question is whether it's better to get square edge or microbevel edge? If I go square edge, it will be sanded and sealed onsite, but if I go microbevel edge, it will be be presanded, so it will only have to be sealed onsite. I know that 5" Hickory will probably have some seasonal gapping, so will a square edge be more likely to cause foot abrasion (skin rubbing between the gaps when walking barefoot) than a microbevel edge? Am I better off with a microbevel edge? Or is foot abrasion not a concern even with gaps?

I also like the look of Black Walnut very much, but I figure Hickory will be more durable.

Any information will be appreciated. Thanks.

For many, many years, NOFMA promoted bevel edged (v-grooved) plank flooring for solid floors specifically because they knew seasonally gapping is an issue. As far as foot comfort is concerned, IMO, neither is a dramatic difference over the other. If a square edged floor developes some gaps, those boards will still be level and even with each other due to the tongue and groove. Same is true of a beveled floor. The main difference will be that you will need to make the subfloor very flat for a factory sanded floor, as no site sanding will be done to flaten a high board. Site sanding will flaten a wood floor so all the boards are even with each other. And seasonal gaps will be LESS noticable in a beveled floor as it already has a shadow line in the gaps. There's no right or wrong here, just preference. IMO, get what looks good to you. Do you like the looks of the bevels or do you prefer the look of a square edge? IMO, that should be the determining factor.