@jysoccer. Yes, we got the natural color and it’s definitely not too knotty. There are some boards with knots but most do not have any. We wanted light character (knots) and it is slightly wire brushed - not too much. It also has a matte finish which we liked. This has a very thick wear layer meaning we can refinish multiple times (years from now of course). Our big dog is 85 pounds and charges the front door when the bell rings and we have been pleased that it doesn’t scratch! Only scratches we have are because a small pebble stuck under a furniture.

@HU-52384021 Thank you, so we hosted several times through-out the holidays. I did notice, I don't know what to call it... let's say "grime" would appear to get into the character/patterns of the wood. Although it was here and there not exactly widespread issue. But to my surprise. A simple "swiffer" with BONA cleaned it up real quick. I did not have to fight it like I thought I would. Honestly my wife and thought we'd have to get a stiffer bristle brush but that was not the case. The floor held up very well (to my absolute relief, I was terrified to host so early but was never going to win that argument vs my wife). We had approx 40-50 people in our house 3x through out holidays and all the scuffs, dirt, "food juices" all came out fairly easily without nothing other than vacuuming then swiffer with BONA product. So far so good. The material and install appear to be handling the winter months well also. I am in the NE and we just had 3 weeks of below 30f and from someone who grew up in a "real" hardwood home with tons of gaps I have 1-2 gaps in the wood across like 1600 SF and both gaps line up with steel beams below so my initial thought is the gaps were created by deflection of the home as it settles and not the install/product.

While your thread may be a year old, the importance of choosing the right flooring for your large open floor plan remains timeless. I understand your concern about wood flooring, but considering its timeless appeal and durability, it can still be a viable option. Another consideration could be vinyl flooring singapore, which offers various designs and is known for its versatility and low maintenance. Even though the thread is a year old, it's never too late to gather ideas and make informed decisions for your remodeling project. Wishing you all the best in creating a beautiful and functional space that suits your modern style home!

@btydrvn that's interesting, because my electric radiant heat was not expensive to install or run. I didn't have a water pipe option, because we don't have gas available where we live. I was wishing we did but have been very satisfied with what we got. Now I feel even better about it. Thanks! ☺️ I became a huge fan of concrete in the process too, and I love your concrete floors! The green stain is marvelous too! It looks so natural. I bet it goes with everything. When you say the heat gets stopped by anything you put on top of it, I assume you mean area rugs, right? I layed a small rug over a spot in my bathroom (my only indoor heated floor so far). I didn't feel the same lovely sunshine-on-a-rock lusciousness, but the rug didn't feel as cold as it does on unheated floor. So is that really stopping the heat? I don't know. I still want it all through my house. So let me ask you, before you had heated concrete floors, what kind of flooring were you used to in your bedroom and living room? Was it an adjustment to have concrete? I grew up with wall-to-wall carpeting in those areas and shag! in the family room. That's what feels like home to me. But it's not as clean as hard floors, and we have allergies. And rugs are a trip hazard. So is it going to be more of an adjustment than I'll be happy with? What was it like for you?