I think it comes down to the expectations you have for the appearance of the floor. Some people pay extra for hand scraped/beat up new floors. I paid less for new #1 common with knots, worm holes, and mineral streaks. If you want it to always look new, then what floorguy said, or tile would probably be best. If you don't mind a few dents and dings, then you need a finish that can be easily spot repaired. Examples of easily spot repaired finishes include oils, oil + varnish mixes, waxes, or wax + oil finishes. Straight oil (tung or boiled linseed oil) does not offer much surface protection. Oil + varnish offers reasonable surface protection (Waterlox). Waxed floors require periodic buffing. I don't know much about the wax/oil mixtures that come from Europe (OSMO Hardwax Oil). All of the oil-based finishes have the issue of more VOCS and slower dry/cure times than the water-based finishes. The only touch-up products I have seen for water-based finishes are the liquid acrylic mop on stuff. Search this forum for previous discussions about the product. Our 40 lb. indoor dog has scratched and dented our R&Q red oak floor in a few places, mostly from jumping up and down on the bed and her chair. It's not really that noticeable with all the grain. I will cover it up with another coat of Waterlox sometime down the road. Pigment-type stained floors are not easy to fix/match to undamaged areas. If you expect dings, then it is probably best to avoid stains. I don't have any experience with dyes as a colorant on floors or the repair issue. Finally, laminate floors do dent. Go to any retail store that has laminate and look at the floor from an angle to see the dents and display case "drag lines" in the plastic surface layer.

I agree with PPs - your best bet is going to be a local mill. Also, regarding grades, sometimes "character grade" can be a mix of all grades. Mostly they refer to it around here as "character and better" meaning you get some top grade, mostly character. Also, I'd look into how much expansion and contraction those 7 and 8" boards actually go through - you might end up with some gaps if they move at a different rate than the other narrower boards. I'm currently contemplating 5", 4", and 2" hickory for our house and this is a concern of mine. i haven't found an answer yet but its something to be considered. I will say for character grade oak - it's wonderful and warm but veeeery busy so you should consider that when choosing your other finishes. Regular hickory is even worse - it's almost calico looking once its laid down. We have 3" character grade red oak in our current house and it looks gorgeous and rustic, but I'm already kind of tired of it and I'm worried it'll look dated in another 10 years (I have the same concern with all the grey staining happening these days). Also, with all of the other texture we picked in our cabinets backsplash furnishings, etc., the house feels a little schizophrenic. Unfortunately I had to do all this site unseen, so we didn't realize how everything would look together. Word to the wise. Our next place is going to be variable width blond (clear grade - no heartwood) hickory which I'm hoping will give us the light, uniform appearance we're going for in the Scandinavian/modern style. We're doing Pallman's magic oil which I think will give it a golden appearance over time which will match the existing honey maple cabinetry in the rest of the house. If you do go with character grade, keep a close eye on which boards your installer is using. We had to replace a couple of them because the knots broke out. Anyway - good luck on your choice!

Pattiem93, your drapes look great on your tall windows. And I really like the creative way you hung them. lol at your hubby comment. My DH would hang them but probably mutter a few choice words while doing so. ; ) Kat, yes, I'm in So.Cal near the town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriels. I'm a native and not going anywhere soon, especially when I see the frigid temps elsewhere in the country. Brrr!!! I found another plaid I like. I may like it even more than the other one. The colors are calmer and more in keeping with our cottage style. The plaid is a little smaller but I've seen lots of pics with a plaid this size so I know it can work. Another plus, DH likes it a lot. This pic shows it with some other fabrics I brought home. I picked the polka dot because I like a little whimsy in each room. I might make a pillow from it. Here it is in my dining room. There is a framed opening between it and the LR of about 6 ft. so I'd like the two rooms to coordinate. There is a bay window in this room. I might use it in here or the floral - haven't decided yet. I don't know if I'll get any of the others just yet. DH likes the blue and it would look nice on the red chair. It has a small pebble like texture. But it isn't a very thick fabric and I don't think it will hold up well as upholstery fabric so I'll keep looking. I do love the floral and have thought of using it in my kitchen which has three double hung windows side by side over the sink area. I would line the floral with the plaid and do a window treatment in which both fabrics will show. But the floral has a very large repeat which could limit my window treatment options. Decisions, decisions . . . Thanks for all your help, fellow plaid lovers! : ) Diana

I have pecan in my living room, which is very similar. Your sample looks light for hickory, but I'm on an uncalibrated monitor and it might be that. Do you know if it's going to darken? I have tile in the kitchen, but my cabinet fronts are blond bamboo. It doesn't go with the pecan. Not too awful to see it 6" away through the doorway, but I wouldn't do them closer together. Pecan is peachier than hickory, but I don't think the browner hickory would be an improvement. The only contrast is unfortunate. I've had walnut cabinets, medium brown floor and white counters, backsplash and walls. Even with walnut uppers it never felt dark, but had a southern exposure and good windows. I'd take the samples into the space and really consider how they're working together, but just from the info given I'd chose the walnut.