We are doing a major kitchen relocation/renovation in 20 yr old house, taking out a bedroom, walls, etc. and expanding kitchen into a new area with one large open area. Plumbing & electric done, custom Cabinets are on order and but I can't seem to pull the trigger as we are getting input from sales people, designers, etc. Total hardwood area is 1,500 sq ft. We will be taking up 3/4 Bruce Oak with a lot of UV damage in about half that area. We looked at continuing the Bruce, refinishing to match but that was as expensive as new stuff and we like the new look of the wider plank darker finish options. We have 3/4" plywood subfloor in good shape. We are in Midwest with wide fluctuations in temp & humidity. We need something 3/4" and have been favoring solid floors. We like the "real" hand scraped, not the machined stuff. In terms of style & color, we are down to three choices solid hardwoods. Shaw Canyon Crest - 8" Solid Engineered (hickory/maple), Bella Cera Diamanti (5" Hickory/Acadia), Anderson Virgina Vintage 4" Hickory. I have read a lot of the pros/cons on hardwoods & engineered but don't want to make a $15 - $20K mistake. Any input or other suggestions would be helpful. We are most of the time empty nesters with no pets. I am open to suggestions but need to get off the mark pretty soon.

The 3/4 in solid engineered is more stable and usually offer just as much on top as solid 3/4 for future sanding. Some are 3/4 3 ply - my fave, others have multiply -up to 12 ply - not my fave.