Hello,

I live in the Seattle suburbs, will be closing on a home in early January, and planning to change the entire flooring of the home (small SFH = 1400 sq ft). This will be my primary residence for a very long time and i dont foresee myself moving anywhere unless circumstances force me to. So i am willing to invest in good quality product at good price (still have a budget of course)

I am at early stages of hardwood research, but am extremely overwhelmed by the choices/criteria for consideration. Hope someone can help me with some pointers here.

My plan is to make
(a) entryway + bathrooms + kitchen = tiles or travertine or marble ~ total 450 sq ft
(b) living room + dining area + stairs + bedrooms = hardwood ~ total 950 sq ft. thinking about having stair risers as tile or travertine or marble however - any caveat i should be aware for this?

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Currently am looking for advice/recommendation on
1) good local WA stores + good hardwood brands.

I am only considering solid or engineered hardwood, with the former preferred at this stage. budget for the hardwood material is < $5.50 per sq ft

2) color.

I tend to like medium to lighter color, and have been looking at teak, oak, hickory, Australian Cypress. I want to avoid reddish-tinted wood color, or extremely dark colors, because the cabinet in the home is currently this model series http://www.gsbuildingsupply.com/product ... ak-cabinet (Shaker Oak Light), and i would like a flooring that doesnt clash with it.

I was advised against picking some of the lighter wood colors if i want it to complement well (by having contrast) with light beige travertine or whitish grey type of marble flowing from kitchen/entryway, since the flooring will transition from these areas to dining/living rooms. Advice?

3) Good brands - are the below considered good?

Mohawk http://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring/hardwood/ (found from Lowes)
Kentwood https://kentwoodfloors.com considered good brands? (a local WA state store i think)

if not, can someone please direct me to some good brands within my budget?

Thank you in advance.

Check out Muskoka for reasonably priced hardwood flooring. I got 3/4" X 2 1/4" prefinished Select and Better Red Oak for < $5.50. It is advertised as having the smallest bevel in the industry. Milling is excellent. Minimal waste.