I had engineered Ipe hardwood floors for 6 years and with the exception of the color being too dark and showing all the dirt I was very happy with the floors. They were gorgeous and I had no problems with them. Of course I had a real pro install them. He made sure that the floor was perfectly level, and he opened every box to make sure he'd be mixing up the boxes, etc.

Anytime I want to talk myself out of something or some type of product, I read the bad reviews or go searching for bad stuff... The internet almost always has bad reviews, especially the bigger the mfg and more well known the mfg is...

Do your own research and try to find a good mfg and good company to buy from. Also use a good installer. When I bought my hardwood I stressed for weeks, and two years later, everything is fine. I researched the hardwood and thought for sure I was getting USA made hardwood. To my dismay, the boxes said Made in China (when they arrived)... I got over it, because I had to. I bought from ProSource and used a licensed contractor so ProSource says they'll back the product if there are any issues. So again, buy from a company that has been around a while, and go with a contractor who know's what he (or she) is doing.

When I put a new roof on, I started googling the shingle brand and I was horrified at the bad reviews. Finally I had to use common sense and tell myself that millions of homes have these shingles, so of course there are going to be some bad reviews. Years later, no problems.

Mohawk is a big name in the flooring world. I'm sure you can read lots of good and bad reviews with them. If you're reading bad reviews, then make notes of the complaints. If you see a lot of the same complaints, then there's a good chance those complaints are accurate. For example, if a product you like has decent reviews, but several people noted the floor dents really easily, then I'd tend to believe the floors dents easy. If they are odd ball complaints then it could be an install issue. When you read the reviews really focus on what people are complaining about. You never know, competitors may be leaving bad reviews hehehehe

everyone complained about the mohawk and i mean everyone!! i ended up ordering a european laminate. The cost on wood is too expensive to have some chinese made product peel , crack, or discolor years down the road.AND I agree with another poster who said the only way to guarantee genuine american hardwood floors is to go find a craftsman who acutally cuts them down locally, and installs them, well that aint gonna happen in my neck of hte woods. so ...Also, i find (especially here in So Fla) there are NO reputable installers that will take pride in their work and guarantee it.

There's nothing like the real thing. 3" planks of solid white oak, site-finished. The square inset at the doorway has a very light stain while the rest of the floor is not stained. Three sandings and three coats of polyurethane. It's smooth as glass. A skilled installer makes all the difference. We had the floors installed 4 years ago and they are still stunning. (And the light color does not show dust too bad.)

beautiful floors!! but alas, i am in south florida!! I know that if i ever did move up north, that is the way to go!!

We had a Hallmark engineered hickory wood floor installed about two years ago, and I love it. There was a problem shortly after installation where the floor was raised a bit, but the installer came out and fixed that and it hasn't been a problem since. He said he was impressed with the floors, as the boards were good lengths, in good shape and there was very little waste. I have a busy house full of growing boys, and I haven't noticed any damage to the floors in two years, but we did get the distressed look, so maybe I can't tell.

they look beautiful. thanks