Went out to Telly's today. It was further away than I thought, but it was a beautiful day and I had the time, so I figured I'd go for it. Ok selection, didn't find what I was looking for, though. Its selection included many things I don't find at the nursery I listed previously, but also there were many things that they didn't carry that the nursery I listed before does carry. I found hardy cyclamen, which I have just recieved from mail order after not being able to find it anywhere locally. Telly's also had a large selection of Hellebores. I also found quite an interesting selection of Clematis vines, but unfortunately none of the 5 I am currently searching for were available. Inside there was a large selection of non-hardy fruiting trees (& Passionflower Edulis). It was a good pleasant trip, but I went home with nothing as the items that I may have considered were a bit more than I would be willing to pay. I may have to go back if the cyclamen corms I purchased and have planted don't make it, but other than that I will likely not return there anytime soon. ~Chills Maybe we should start a thread where people request items they have been looking for and can't find locally. I know I looked for those cyclamen all last year before ordering them online. Had I known about Telly's having them I would have gladly gone there.

christine40, were you able to wander around yourself and see what worked for you? So nice that you found something you liked. I went to Great Lakes yesterday in Redford and I had to pick which ones I wanted to see in the showroom from the samples they had. The sales guy told me the samples were pretty much what they had. Then he called into the warehouse and had them pull out the 3 slabs I said I liked and took me back to see them. I was able to see the other slabs that were stacked in their bins as we walked over to see my choices, but didn't feel I could really walk around and see what struck me. I did ask about some of the other slabs we walked by and a few he named were not in the showroom. It wasn't really a positive experience. But it's my first trip out to a granite place, so I have more to go see and hopefully I'll have a better experience. If you want to post pics so they shows up in your post, you need to upload the pics to a service like photobucket.com. The link I posted here will explain how to do it. Have fun at the hockey tourney and good luck Tuesday! Here is a link that might be useful: Posting pics.

Hello heffer569, I'm sure my post is way too late for your counters, but just in case someone else is looking for white quartzite in the Detroit Metro area, I have used Flinstone Marble and Granite in Southfield, MI and they have access to the most beautiful slabs of White Quartzite, including Polar White and Rhino White, with gorgeous veining, looking like marble at a very reasonable price. They are priced C or D level, which is equal to granite in many cases. I have dealt with Flinstone for over 5 years for several remodel projects and they have always given me the most competitive pricing of any place I've contacted. Ask for Melanie when you call.

Hi there! While we are not located in Detroit, I think we may be able to shed some light on a few of your questions... Humidity in hardwood flooring is not something to mess around with. Whatever you chose, solid or engineered, be sure it is properly acclimated in your home. A local dealer/contractor with NWFA ties should be able to make adjustments for the time of year that it is being installed. But, do not be surprised if you still see movement in the dryer months... if it is installed right the gaps created by a dry winter will close right up as summer comes around. Engineered floors will usually have better dimensional stability in a 5 inch plank. But, that's not to say that solid wouldn't preform. And, solid flooring will give you a structural improvement value on your home that you will not get from an engineered floor. Trust your contractor. Local contractors should be taking humidity readings of the floor and be prepared to give you a good answer to this question based on your weather conditions. I wouldn't want to speculate, as we are not based in Detroit. Five inch boards are much more widely available these days than they were just a few short years ago. But, finding that combination of species, colors, plank size, etc., is where using an informed flooring store comes in. All the online research is for not if you don't have a contractor/store that can give you good options that are based on industry knowledge. It sounds like you did find a store that you like but you are a bit afraid to jump in due to price. We would use this opportunity to remind you that in the $13 per square foot price (which is not an out of line price based on the information you have given) you have to factor in their knowledge, time, flooring options, etc. Remember you are making the choice to stay away from the Lumber Liquidators for a reason... local dealers' pricing will reflect that difference as well. As far as the straight edges versus the mirco-bevels go, If you go with a line like Mirage that is of a higher caliber manufacturing process then the straight edges are much better. Regular, run of the mill products may have issues arise from trying to get the look of a job-finished floor without the on-site sanding or better milling processes. I would suggest mirco-bevels if price is important. Once again, refer back to your local dealer. Thanks for the question! We wish you luck on your project! Champion Floor Co. Here are a few links to help with your search for information: http://woodfloors.org/ http://www.miragefloors.com/ENG/why-mirage-hardwood-floors.php http://www.flooring-professionals.com/how-moisture-affects-hardwood-flooring/