Just to narrow down the product choices, we have been looking at the Kahrs builders grade and the BR111 Triangulo line. Any comments, good or bad, about either of these lines? Also, I have done some limited reading and have come to the opinion, rightly or wrongly, that I should stay away from a rotary peel cut as opposed to a solid saw cut. Does this really make any difference or did someone blow smoke at me? Thanks again, Nick

Hello- I am not Kathy, but I got a notification since I am also in this conversation. We installed our Monarch floors May of 2018 (Novana line/color Nebbia) and I have been extremely happy with them. We put them in our entire house (2700 square feet) and they look just as nice as they did when first installed. I just vacuum them regularly/spot mop if something spills and mop everywhere with recommended wood floor cleaner about once a month. We did have issue with our stairs when they were being installed with batches matching. The stair caps (not sure correct term) did not match the batch the rest of the floor boards were. In hindsight, I would have made sure they opened the boxes and made sure the batch for the stairs matched the batch we had everywhere else, since colors can slightly vary. Monarch worked great with our installer, though and it ended up working out fine... just caused a little delay. Good luck! Amy

Wood vs. Engineered Wood? No contest in this case. If the home was built in 1905, put real hardwood in. This preserves the integrity of the home's building materials. Plus, as you can see from the age of these floors, higher grades (i.e. thicker) hardwood can be sanded several times; you usually don't get even one chance to sand engineered wood. The hardwood layer at the top of this multilayered product is simply too thin. Level Floors and Subfloors There are ways to level a subfloor, ranging from replacing parts of the subfloor with thicker or thinner sheets of plywood (or planks, see below), to pour-on leveling compounds that harden to make the entire floor level. What you use to level uneven areas depends on what the subflooring is. If it is plywood or concrete, the compound works. But more likely with this home, on floors at or above grade, there will be wood planks laid at a diagonal across the floor joists. So in your home, the layers were probably joists first, then subfloor planks of wood, then hardwood with tongue & groove joints. You cannot effectively use a pour-on leveling compound on a plank subfloor, as there are cracks between the planks. However, you can lay a new hardwood floor directly on a wood plank subfloor as long as those planks are sound and relatively level. Replace individual planks that have been damaged by water or insects, are otherwise compromised, or even missing (it happens!), with either new planks of lumber, or with plywood of the same thickness as the planks. Any lumber you install, for either the subfloor or finished flooring, should be brought in to your home several days prior to installation, so the materials acclimatize to your typical interior temperature and humidity. Unlike for ceramic or porcelain tile, the subfloor does not have to be perfectly level. And unlike vinyl sheeting, planks or tiles, the hardwood won't "telegraph" minor differences in height, and minor surface irregularities, so the subfloor doesn't have to be absolutely perfect; it should be sound, strong, uniform and essentially level. Your flooring contractor can give you specifics on what upgrades your subfloor may need once the original hardwood is removed. Joists If the floor is significantly not level in parts, or if certain areas feel spongy when you walk on them, I recommend you have your flooring contractor, a home inspector, or structural engineer inspect the subflooring and especially the floor joists. You don't want to invest in a new floor, only to have it become damaged because some joists weren't attended to. Transitions Transitions (a.k.a. thresholds or molding) between existing rooms and the new floor ought to be made of the same wood and same finish (stain, polyurethane, etc.) as the new flooring you are putting down. As wood ages, the finish becomes darker, so trying to make the transitions match the finishes of existing floors is very difficult and not recommended (what will match those floors right now won't match later after your transitions age up a bit). Eventually, the transitions wouldn't match either the new or the old floors! Transitions come in four types: reducer (when the two floors being joined are of different heights), seam binder (when the floors are the same height, and the boards from each are very close to one another), T-mold (when the two floors are the same height, but there is a crack between the two rooms' flooring) and stair nose or stair edger (when the flooring needs to curve around the front of a stair's "tread"--the flat part of a stair upon which you tread!). The transitions for your particular project can be ordered when you order the hardwood, so make sure to include measurements for those doorways/entrances. The contractor can tell you if he/she anticipates there will be a height difference or gap between the floorings, which would require those particular transitions. Dry Air Concerns Consult a local lumber supplier or flooring contractor familiar with your local climate conditions to discuss finishes or other tips for keeping your wood floors healthy in the dry winters. Sounds wonderful! Have fun!

I take it you dont have a new home warranty? (They are required where I am up in Canada, but let me tell you, that 'warranty' isnt all its cracked up to be either). If you dont have a warranty, best bet it to get a 3rd party expert (or two) and serve your builder with copies and politely ask him again to remedy. If not, pursue small claims. (Sadly these are workmanship, not code issues, or I'd suggest you sick your building inspector on him). Good luck, I get what you are saying about yoru house - I'm waiting for a new home warranty claim to be resolved - spring came and my drywall got ruined due to a water intrusion issue! The warranty rep and GC are speaking to each other, but refuse to speak to me. (I have to wait for 'paperwork to come in the mail', grrrr...)