Hi VG Design, I'm looking for the same info! Did you find anything? Thx!

Thanks!! Can you pls confirm its not oil finished, is it? And do you know where can I get it? Online? Thank you!!

Can you please tell me where in Orange County? I'm in Ventura.. Thanks!!

Oh, and would you mind posting a few photos? That would be great. Thank you!

Looking at Palladio. Wondering how everyone likes them?

We are looking at the Palladio line. What are you thoughts? Love it or hate it?

Stay away from it! Ours cracked and checked within a month and they aren't willing to do anything to replace it. They expect enormously high humidity levels so that the cheap finish doesn't crack. Highly recommend you avoid.

" Ours cracked and checked within a month and they aren't willing to do anything to replace it. They expect enormously high humidity levels so that the cheap finish doesn't crack."

What do you consider "enormously high humidity levels"?

“Extreme Conditions and Surface Checking. The manufacturer will not warranty Palladio flooring in cli- mates that experience extreme humidity changes. The humidity level in the home must be in the 45%–60% range throughout the year using air conditioners, humidi- fiers or dehumidifiers as appropriate. Dramatic variations in humidity may cause micro checking of the finish. This is not considered a defect and is not covered by the warranty.”

That's from the manufacturers website. And frankly, that is typical for these warranties. However, it’s absurd to expect a home to maintain those levels in a cold winter season. It’s simply not a proper RH in truly cold weather. I think those warranties are “outs” for a lot of these companies. But oak is notorious for checking.

mmagri1 - I think the warranties are all CYAs - and that one is especially so. I would avoid.

Is it made in china?

Yes, it’s made in China and the quality is poor. Avoid.

What are "normal" humidity levels in areas that have what I would consider extreme weather - i.e. Louisiana would have high humidity in the summer - homes that have central heat probably have low humidity in the winter. I grew up in New York City with standard radiators and the humidity never seemed to drop to desert like conditions inside.

FWIW, I just purchased Mirage Engineered Flooring and their warranty requires humidity levels as follows:

25% to 70% except for floating installation which required a range of 30% to 60%.

Then these specific language:

"In the Engineered 6 1/2" (1/2" thick) Maple and Hickory are excluded from this installation method" - not sure what that means but I don't have wide plank maple or hickory being installed so irrelevant to me :-)

"For Mirage Classic and Lock flooring, the relative humidity must always be maintained within a range of 30% to 60". Moreover, subfloor pre-installation and humidity level must meet the requirements specified in the selected Mirage product's installation guide."

FWIW, Mirage manufactures in Canada.

In cold weather, the RH in your home drops considerably. It’s normal. I had readings of 29, several days this winter. There is a chart online somewhere that tells you the maximum indoor RH based on outdoor temps. It is not “ house healthy” to dismiss those guidelines.

I live in an area where it's very cold in winter. Our HVAC system generally maintains a humidity level of between 33-35% in winter.... within the guidelines for many brands of flooring that I've seen but not Palladio. Palladio seems to be an oddball.

Chess - I am not pooh poohing indoor humidity concerns in terms of wood warranties - just interested in what they might be. Growing up in NYC, it wasn't a factor - THI was reported in the summer as high humidity made it even more miserable and wind chill factor was an issue in the winter as the wind made the cold even more chilling :-)

And it was probably a moot consideration back then anyway since there would have been no way to effectively control indoor humidity anyway - very little central air conditioning and the single room A/C units were only run when people were actually inhabiting a room - and even those were rare until the 1960's.

Here is one chart. There are many online.

https://www.standardheating.com/hvac-maintenance/faq/

I agree that this was not anything folks needed to think about years ago since, as you said, there was little they could do about it. All I was saying is that it is unreasonable to expect to be able to maintain the levels that many of these warranties use. Cold air is dry air. In super cold temps, there is no way you will maintain a RH of 30, and you shouldn't try to.

Not to belabor the point, but I grew up in old houses with wood floors which had no humidity controls.

Why is this now a warranty issue.

im not doubting regarding the warranty but is it related to engineered wood or Factory finished wood or to all hardwood flooring.

All wood flooring (and your cabinets, doors, frames, paint, drywall, etc) have these types of requirements. The "range" is up to the individual manufacturer to specify. I've seen bamboo that has the narrowest requirement of 45%-60%....for good reason. The GLUE that holds bamboo together is RIGID whereas the grass (bamboo is grass) is ABSORPTIVE so it MOVES.

Engineered hardwoods are more specific because the layers create layers of glue...and glue acts and reacts DIFFERENTLY from the wood layers. If one expands but the other does not, you get DELAMINATION.

The companies have tested their specifications under laboratory conditions and have found the BIGGEST window for "success" with their floors. They have then written those down.

As for solid wood floors in old homes, remember this: the wood floors CUPPED and/or CROWNED and/or SEPARATED early on in the life of the floor. It could have taken more than a DECADE for the home to find it's equilibrium. The original owners SIMPLY PUT UP WITH IT (imagine having to 'put up' with crowned floors for 10 years...today's consumer REFUSES to accept this....so we have warranty requirements now that SPECIFY the 'happy place' for each wood product).

Once the first sand/refinish occured (25 years later) the "problem" (the visual issues) with the wood were sanded away. One generation later, it looks GREAT. But no one took selfies of the floors in the '60's.

And the cuts and widths were different (there is a BIG reason why 2" strip hardwood was sooooooo popular....and it wasn't because it looked good). And the wood was often sourced (and dried/racked) from local mills. And it sat longer on site before it was installed, and, and, and, and....you get the idea.

Helen, I think SJ McCarthy is correct. Years ago, wood floors did not look like what people want and expect today. So in order to have these "perfect" wood floors today, the companies have established a narrow range of criteria outside of which they won't address any issues. It's a win-win for them really, as even non-environment related issues don't get covered if you wandered outside their stated RH ranges.

Thanks - It's an example of the revolution of rising expectations and intended to forestall complaints regarding what would have been considered normal in the past.

The homes I grew up with that had wood flooring were much older - either homes built at from 1920 to 1920 or New York City pre-war apartments.

I had wood installed in my condo that was finished on site but I think the natural climate of Southern California falls within that humidity range - at least on the west side of Los Angeles.

We have had our Palladio floors for a year and so far very happy with them. We live in NorCal. Don't run our heater too much. Temp is fairly consistent. My guess is the humidity level is too!

Following this discussion. Live in Houston and building a supposedly "tight" home .... I feel more confused about floors the more that I read. Am strongly considering Palladio, but now am wondering if any engineered floor gets good reviews .... in my budget, that is. Palladio, Villagio, ADM are what I'm considering most now since they are in budget and have pretty good colors. Other option is site-finished hardwood, but does nt give me the look I would like.

Hi PJ, I’m in Houston also. Did you get the Palladio floors? If so, how do you like them?

@Mittens Cat Your floors are beautiful! Are your Palladio floors the color “whiskey”?

Yes @Mercy Alva! Good eye!