I've done a search, but haven't really found the answer I was looking for. We are building a house on our "weekend" ranchette. We are going for a western/rustic look. The great room will have hardwood floors. Here is the dilemma--the floors we found at the floor shop are OK. They are pre-finished, engineered maple floors (Pinnacle Maple Bridle). Then, at a home show I saw some solid unfinished mequite floors. I LOVE these floors! Unfortunately, the contractor's floor guy only installs the pre-finished stuff. So, I would be on my own to get the mesquite installed. And given that this is construction via long-distance, I am worried about doing that especially if there is a problem later. I am still unclear about the pros and cons of solid vs. engineered. If it makes any difference, we are in a relatively dry part of Texas and the slab is concrete. Can you help me figure out whether there is a substantial difference between engineered and solid wood floors? I understand the difference in how they are made, but not what that ultimately means. What are the pros and cons of solid woods vs engineered woods? Anything particularly unusual about installing mesquite floors?Thanks for any advice!