sc Kathyc - We originally were leaning toward going dark with the floors until they were installed. They are just so beautiful unfinished aren't they? When we went with darker stains we lost the color variations and gained more grain activity. We had a lot of different stain colors and combos, but ended up going with 2 parts natural and 1 part chestnut stain (I think). You can still tell it's hickory, yet the color variations aren't too demanding in the room. One of the toughest decisions on our build, but I'm very happy with how they turned out.

Cupping in solid hardwood floors is caused by some serious water problems or severe humidity issues. This is not a common problem for climate controlled homes if a solid wood floor is installed according to the manufacturer's directions. What most people are concerned with is dimensional changes in width (causing gaps) caused by seasonal humidity changes. This can be controlled and minimized in most climates with the addition of moisture to a home in the heating season (humidifier or just not running the fan when taking showers, etc.) and a well running A/C unit in the cooling season. If the humidity stays between 40%-60%, then the wood won't change much in dimension. You can also chose a quarter-sawn product that will only change dimensions (width wise) 50% of normal flat sawn wood. Engineered flooring is more dimensionally stable than solid wood flooring and is necessary in some situations. Our 3"-7" wide solid R&Q red oak floor has not changed much (dimensionally) since I installed it in 2005. It is still very stable and secure, even though we had to do much sub floor flattening (with roofing felt) prior to installation. Our house/floors were built for carpet in 1982 (i.e. flat didn't matter). Installing hardwood on a new flat sub floor would be easier and likely produce better results.

We are 2 active and messy cooks in the kitchen with 1 furry Jack Russell Terrier who sheds white hairs everywhere. We have unstained maple floors, finished in place with 3 coats of Swedish. I vacuum every few days with the flat soft brush attachment on my canister vac. I don't use the beater bar attachment, just the plain floor sweeper head that gets attached to the wand. It doesn't scratch, and I'm careful to check it each time before I use it to make sure no grit or dirt is stuck on it. That gets up most of the crumbs, hairs, and dust/dirt. It's the loose dirt that gets tracked in that you want to get rid of, as it can scratch the finish over time. About once a month I'll use the Bona wood floor product with the microfiber mop that comes with it. That gets up any accumulated grease that might settle down over time. We put large washable cotton area rugs (some decent ones are at IKEA) in front of the stove and the prep sink/island. I make sure to vacuum and wash them periodically, and lift them to vacuum underneath as that's where a lot of dirt will build up. The most important rug is the one in front of the rangetop, as cooking grease that vaporizes and splatters onto the floor around the stove can be the most destructive to the finish over 20 years of use. All spills are wiped up immediately, even droplets of water from wet dishes and hands. And all chairs and even the dining table legs have thick industrial strength felt pads under them (the super sturdy tan colored ones from HD). The pads are changed at least once a year, as they can build up grit which then scratches your floors as you move the chairs. And most importantly, all shoes are left at the front door. No high heels and dirt are allowed to track on the wood floors in the kitchen or great room. It's been 3 years since the renovation and they still look brand new. Wood floors can be a wonderful investment, but you have to take care of them. Wall to wall carpet can take a lot of abuse and hide a multitude of sins, but your wood floors will show how good a housekeeper you are, LOL.

We replaced most of the flooring on our main level with site finished 5" red oak earlier this year (upper level and one room remains 2 1/4"), so I don't have any long term experiences yet. However, I did have some of the same concerns that you have. In my attempt to research, I concluded that the homes that tended to have issues were ones where the 5" hardwoods were installed over a crawlspace. I really like the way our floors turned out, but be aware that the board lengths will be shorter than the narrower width planks. We have not yet repainted, so please ignore the battered paint