I'm finishing my basement and plan to install approximately 1200 sq. ft. of engineered hardwood (5" planks, hickory, natural finish). We haven't decided on flat vs. hand-scraped at this point, so we're considering both.

We were initially drawn to the Virginia Vintage line from Anderson. However, it's not available in a natural finish (at least not by default, maybe as a custom?), and they produce only hand-scraped, so if we ultimately decide on a flat finish we'll have to go with someone else.

The next option was Homerwood, who seem to have a very good reputation and excellent construction. However, based on their pricing we are looking for at least one more alternative before making a final selection.

Based on some online research (Hosking's site, etc) I learned about Muskoka, which I had never heard of before. Best I can tell they're every bit as good as Homerwood and slightly better on price. Luckily there is a supplier in our area, and he's working to get us some samples. However, while discussing our job with him, he stated that at least some of their solid sawn collection is now imported from Indonesia. I don't know whether to worry about that or not; their web site claims that all finishes are 99% VOC-free, but I was wondering if anyone here can shed any light on that. Also, one of their selling points is the generally high quality of the Canadian mills (Muskoka, Lauzon, et. al.), do they use the same process/equipment/etc for imported products? Specifically, has anyone here installed their Solid Sawn Hickory in either flat or hand-scraped, and if so what was your impression of it?

I'd appreciate any recommendations or alternative suggestions. We're hoping to make a final selection once we receive the Muskoka samples, but we can certainly check out an alternative if it makes sense.

Thanks!

I did my house with Muskoka prefinished Red Oak solid hardwood a few years ago. What I really liked about the product was the micron bevel which they advertise as the smallest bevel in the industry. The milling was excellent and over-wood virtually non-existent. Waste was minimal. I had purchased my flooring from Hosking...a family owned company and they were very good to work with. I did call Muskoka directly with some questions and the response and helpfulness was dependent on which employee I was able to speak with. FWIW Muskoka is owned by the same parent company that owns Mirage flooring.

Verses www.Uptownfloors.com ?