I'm shopping for a good hard flooring, and like hickory also for its look. I found Bruce at Lowe's, but it's wicked expensive - close to $8 a square foot, in the store.

In sharp contrast, Jasper http://www.jasperflooring.com/index.htm makes an engineered flooring in hickory http://flooring.builddirect.com/Engineered-Hardwood-Floors/-Hickory/ProductDisplay_8804_p1_10068966.aspxthat would cost me $3.69 delivered bought through BuildDirect.com. The hickory is a 2.2 mm veneer over birch.

Does anyone have experience with this manufacturer? Any other words of caution or encouragement?

Caution: read their "grading" rules:



NOFMA mills and others that use ISO standards don't use these "standards". They are pretty much saying you're going to get some real crap. If you want cheap, budget flooring, consider the better imports from IFloors. These still do not compare to the better N. American floors but have come a long way in the last ten yrs. Also, I do not see the advantage in hickory at all. There are much better looking hardwoods available; IMO.

Gary, I looked at the Jaspar site as well, and after reading what information was available, came to the conclusion that the product was over-priced even at the 3 buck and change they were asking.
In all honesty, I wouldnt give them more than 10 bucks a box, and even then, there would have to be 20 dollar bills stapled to the box.

On its best day and at highest grade level, there is a lot of variation with hickory. Can you imagine what an "A+B+C product would look like. Whatever that is anyway.

Drunkpigeon, dont live up to your name by buying this product. IMO, the bit of money you save will be long forgotten and you will be removing the floor not long after you install it.

Gary, Dennis, thanks a lot! You helped me dodge a bullet on that one ...

DP

The manufacturer I finally went with is Seneca http://www.senecahardwoods.com/home/ in upstate New York. Got me solid hickory at $2.69/sq ft; delivery was reasonable.

A downside with the solid flooring is they recommend against radiant heat, as it causes the boards to cup.

A solid? Not good.

Ya its really not the best choice for radiant heat systems. Did I miss something in the thread? The only solid I would put over radiant (and even then, it would be under duress, would be 2 1/4 inch quartersawn material, preferably White Oak.

And hickory to boot? With the dimensional change you can see in hickory, I would avoid that like the plague over radiant heat.

I made the mistake of making a large order of over 2000 sq feet of engineered hardwood flooring from BuildDirect. It is made in China, and try to find anywhere on BuildDirect's site the manufacturing standard it meets. They only cite the emissions standards. Anyway to make a long story short, my floor delaminated, and cracked all over the place, and now I am in the process of getting quotes to have it ripped out and replaced. Everyone involved from the original installer to the certified wood flooring inspector who examined the floor thought the flooring was poorly manufactured, and the fact that it delaminated proves it. Despite the written report of a certified wood flooring inspector assigning the cause of delamination and cracking in my flooring to manufacturing responsibility, DirectBuild refuses to do anything but sell me other wood at a discount. Honestly, I would not use their wood again if they gave it to me free. Dont make my mistake. Stay away from BuildDirect; they do not support their product.