Thanks for the replies. I have gotten samples of the cork flooring from Globus and didn't notice a smell and plan to order some of the glue to check that. I didn't realize that the cork is ground up before using adhesive to make it into sheets so will have to consider this too. To Ken - Is rift and quartered considered to be true quartersawn? When you say disaster, is this something like major standing water on the floor or a broken pipe? Do you think if I use 6" wide board and nail every 6" in the tongue and groove using quartersawn or quartered and rift, that I will have very low risk of cupping or other expansion/contraction related problems. I normally keep a dehumidifier running in the basement below the kitchen but am not the most diligent at keeping it running all the time. What do you think is the widest plank width I should go with before I run into significant risk of issues? Thanks! Dave

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I'm a fan of Hickory. Love it! I love it's STRONG variation! Yep. Variation is the word that can be used for Hickory. If you are going for "mid-tone" then it means the Hickory is stained. No problem. That's fine. Hickory takes a stain very nicely. But it will still have plenty of variation. The stain will even that out a little bit, but not entirely. The finish is UV cured urethane. I'm not very excited about that finish. If you are going for factory finish, you will want to work with the TOUGHEST finishes on the market (that's why you go with factory finished...for the TOUGH finish). The UV cured urethane is a ho-hum type of finish. Average would be the best way to describe it. The thickness of the plank is 3/4" = normal for sold. The plank width is 5" with random lengths UPTO 60" (5ft). That tells me there will be many planks in the 3' - 4' range. Again, this is ho-hum average. And with a wide plank product, it will need "glue assist". And Hickory certainly needs it because it has a bit more movement (less stable) than white oak. And then there is the "low gloss" format. The low-gloss finish on this depth of colour = nightmare to live with. It will show dust, etc as well as oily foot prints, sock prints, paw prints and will look hazy at certain times during the day. The "haze" is part of the chemical make up of the finish itself = that's how they take away the gloss...they haze it with a chemical additive. The haze goes away when you sand and refinish the floor. That's the only way to fix it. If you must have a mid-tone floor, I would recommend a TOUGHER finish (aluminum oxide or ceramic infused polyurethane) in a satin. Satin is FAR MORE livable. It offers a lovely glow without being shiny. It hides skin oils (like paw prints from dogs) because it is the same gloss level as skin oils....it isn't hazy....you get the idea.

I'd make the hardwood the same throughout unless they are separated by some other material. I think it looks like a bad remodel job to have 2 different styles of hardwood floor butt up against one another.