Regarding fading...Can organic_donna or anyone comment on how well Mirage Floors UV protection works? We have newly installed Mirage Walnut hardwood with a cashmere finish in the medium/dark Savanna color. We have large view windows in our Great Room that we cannot cover completely and prefer not to have window coverings anyway but we're a bit concerned about the possibility of the wood color fading as the room faces East and gets direct sunlight in the morning. Our windows are Low E and Mirage does have UV protection but we're wondering if that's enough protection over time. Can anyone give any feedback on their experience regarding Mirage and/or Low E glass? We do have friends who have Mirage Red Oak in a room with south facing French doors without window coverings, and after many years in place it's still impossible to see any difference in the floor color when comparing the rug covered areas to areas of exposed hardwood. This was so impressive to us that we went with Mirage in part for their UV protection. Now with our new flooring in place we're wondering if their experience was typical and if our Walnut will hold up as well, or if it's best we find some way to cover those windows, at least in times of direct sun. Any comments or advice anyone?

Lynn, my floors are Hartco Westin Plank oak in Cinnamon, and I've linked below to a site selling them so you can see all the details. I was trying to match existing Hartco flooring that had been down for 20 years(!). That particular line isn't being made anymore, and it turned out that my guesstimate wasn't exactly a perfect match. But I like it a lot and am finishing out my hallway and bedrooms with it this summer. Aside from the color, the 'permion' finish is aluminum oxide and I've found it to be extraordinarily strong. Nothing scratches my floors! And the edges are square, which eliminates that mysterious bevel that so many people complain about w/engineered wood. Actually my original engineered floors didn't have the beveling either so I've never been too sure why that is such a problem for so many folks but that's another topic... Hope this helps. Picking flooring can be challenging; there are so many varieties from which to choose. Ann Here is a link that might be useful: Hartco Westin Plank Oak-Cinnamon

Holly-Kay, When you have time, we would love to see pictures. I have seen pictures of Sapele before it darkened and after it darkened and truly is a beautiful floor that is very stable, neutral and gorgeous. I know you will be happy. I also get nervous because a sample always looks different when the whole floor is done. The same with paint. A little bit on the wall is scary but when all the wall is done, it is amazing how different it looks. Paint also picks up colors in the room and lighting so it looks different in each room. What width did you go with? I may look at Sapele also for my new floors when I remove the damaged wood floors from my flood in March 2013. Suzannesl, I love your floors and I love your toy chest. The Sapele sure looks like Mahogany. KKSMama, any pictures of your floors as now I am thinking of looking at Sapele also but I have to find out who sells it in the engineered format as I have a slab floor due to the wetlands I live in.

I have Bruce Oak Gunstock in both of my foyers that came with my townhouse and when my air conditioner died on me and caused a mini flood in the foyer next to utility room, garage, powder room and coat closet, the engineered wood floor bucked up, discolored, and the veneer pieces have lifted up and it looks awful. The Bruce Oak in the front foyer has faded with the sun and has worn out areas. One of my neighbors did refinish her two foyers to match the new Bruce Gunstock Engineered hardwood floors she bought for all of the floors in her home and it looks wonderful. Most of my other neighbors have been replacing their room wall to wall carpets and hardwood foyer areas with either hardwood in the main areas and tile in the kitchen and foyers or hardwood everywhere. Some of my neighbors have been even paying for a subfloor to install solid hardwood in their townhomes. These are nice townhouses that cost a lot since I live less than 1 hour from NYC when their is no traffic. The townhouse that replaced the carpets with the Bruce Engineered Wood surprised me since I had no idea that it could be sanded down and refinished. I am replacing my two foyer areas with Porcelain Tile and my wall to wall carpets with hardwood. In my kitchen, I am thinking of going with Porcelain Tile but I have not yet made up my mind seeing so many beautiful kitchen floors on this forum. I also want to see how I like the tile first in the foyer areas before I make my decision. I think I will first redo the foyer areas, then the carpets and then back to my kitchen that needs a new floor as well as a new dishwasher. I bought a new LG Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator about 1.75 years ago that I love so I want my 18 year old dishwasher to match it. Amazingly my Almond Whirlpool dishwasher lasted this long but has been leaking for the last year but I wanted to replace it when I was ready to replace the floor and do a bit more renovating in the kitchen that has a great view to the woods in the backyard.