@duchamp- We're aware Mirage included shorter planks, primarily due to stringent oversight that all wood planks meet their standards so naturally some longer lengths may not make the grade. Although consistently longer planks may be more desirable we felt Mirage's many benefits outweighed the plank length issue. Our friends have beautiful Mirage Oak floors and we never noticed them looking excessively choppy, quite the contrary as they were quite nice. Mirage's finish with UV protection was a big plus too as our friend's floor showed no color difference at all under their rugs after fourteen years! Of course every wood floor and individual conditions will determine if/how a floor fades but minimizing the possibility is always good thing. We almost went with the Hallmark Alta Vista engineered wood initially but knew someone personally (as with several Houzz/gardenweb posts) who had issues with the quality of that particular line so we shied away, and also because their flooring is made in China and Vietnam and we were more comfortable with flooring from the US/Canada. I'm sure your bamboo floors are gorgeous! We've learned that the way bamboo flooring is manufactured makes it much more susceptible to bad stuff in the resins so Hallmark's low VOC and no formaldehyde claims would especially be welcome for your flooring choice. We learned from a different manufacturer that sometimes engineered woods can be exempt from low VOC regulations due to their product classification, so always good to double-check. Since Hallmark's US division is California-based they're probably OK and CARB compliant in that regard. We'd love to see your bamboo floors, can you post a pic? We're pretty confident we'll be happy with the Mirage when installed yet we may just be a tad envious of your longer plank lengths when thinking about it! :) We'll follow up with an update when the floor is in and there's more to share.

Using crapola junk wood for the plys instead of a like species leads to differential in normal movement in response to humidity levels. That can lead to eventual delamination. The closer to the top veneer species is used in the plys, the better the quality and overall performance of the floor will be. Yes, that’s more expensive. Which is why you won’t see it in budget floors. You see unlike species in most budget floors of all sources, including North American produced. You don’t get what won’t be paid for.

@Joe Macker. I added protective film to my windows to block UV rays from causing damage. The advantage is that this protects everything in my room. I had damage to my furniture - both cloth and wood from the light streaming in. I have an Eastern exposure. You can't tell that there is any kind of protective film on the windows as mine are not tinted - or tinted so slightly that there is almost no difference but they are rated for close to 99% blocking of the UV rays.

Have your wife read her cleaning and yearly maintenance with the HD design work she has to look forward to for the next 25+ years. Nope. Not kidding. Her/your floor maintenance just quadrupled...for the rest of your life in this house. The hardwax oil is known to disappoint people who are NOT ready for The super extra work they MUST put in. The JJ floor is a plank that is wider ($), thicker($), with thicker wear layer ($). It is a UV cured urethane. It is one of the lower grade film finishes...but it is better than hardwax oil. Neither one of these list the option for aluminium oxide (read: super tough) as a finish option. The sales person is mixed up their products (happens all the time...probably a simple mistake...). You Really have to LOVE flooring maintenance to own hardwax oil. Ask her if she wants MORE work....Or LESS work? That's your answer.