While I'm not familiar with your area, here are a few general tips. You've probably heard about interviewing at least three contractors. Well, one thing people overlook is to go look at their previous work. They may show you a nice photograph of a kitchen they did, but when you see it in person you'll see that the floor is not level, the tile is cracked, etc. etc. Don't hire anyone who balks at giving you names of previous customers -- they should be thrilled to show off their work. Also ask how they handle surprises -- what they might expect in your home and how they would handle it. Also get a detailed contract that spells out the type of products (name brand, size, who delivers it, who provides the warranty), what the remedy is in case of a dispute. No detail is too much-- a good contractor won't mind! Good luck!

Bona Traffic HD is the BIG BOY on the block. It is the best of the best. It is what every other flooring finish attempts to recreate. Even I, as a Loba 2K Supra AT lover, have to admit that Bona Traffic HD is the leader of the pack in North America. Glitsa Infinity II is rated as an oil modified product. That means it will turn yellow. Glitsa produces 1 part products which are much easier to work with (makes the job easier for the refinisher). The 2 coats of Glitsa TruSeal is recommended over White oak to prevent tannin pull (tannin pull causes white oak to turn yellow over time). This doesn't make sense to me. Why use a sealant to PREVENT white oak from turning yellow when you use an AMBERING PRODUCT like an Oil modified finish??? This is weird for me. But that's me. The question becomes - Do you want a YELLOW floor? Or do you want a floor that remains TRUE to the 'raw look' of wood? Do you want your floor to turn yellow/orange over time? If you say "No" to the yellowing then your contractor is using the wrong products for you.

Uptown Floors solution or attach "T" molding to the floor and floor will go under it. Do NOT use any type of caulk it will look unfinished plus how does he or she plan on capturing the floor? Base molding also holds the floor down.

Ok...first things first. Janka hardness ratings only apply to solid hardwood. Engineered planks do not work with Janka because the plied layers underneath are often 'soft woods'. Considering Janka measures how much force it takes to imbed a metal ball into the wood, it isn't possible to offer Janka scores for engineered. They just don't compute. The next thing I'm going to point out is the oddity of trying to match the ENTIRE HOUSE to a single room of existing hardwood. You have a small amount of hardwood that is dictating the rest of the house. It's not impossible but it is HIGHLY unusual. In other words, you are trying to put down more than a thousand square feet of flooring by trying to match 150 - 250sf of dining room (I don't know the size of your dining room so I'm only guessing here). That's a little like putting the cart before the horse. Usually we see this the other way around. Usually we have a house full of hardwood (big amount) but the bedrooms have carpet (small amount). The homeowners then agonize over getting a match for the smaller area. That is normal. As for your price range that you are looking at, they are too low and a little thin. The gold standard is 3/4" thickness (solid or engineered). An engineered product with 3mm or more of wear layer is the base level. The thicker the wear layer the more times a floor can be refinished. The Gold standard is 6mm wear layer (usually in the $10/sf range). If you are having a hard time finding floors that you like, you might want to think about replacing the dining room at the same time. This takes away all the pressure to work with low-grade hardwoods just to get a match to a small amount of hardwood. Solid or engineered should be more than what you are looking at for price. Prefinished wood flooring should be in the $7/sf just to start and they go up from there.