Floorguy: Should I be wary of the not-glue-down version? (especially if there is no track record...) I'm asking because not having to glue down would be a good/interesting option if we end up having to diy. Is there typically a longevity difference between glue-down versus click-together? (I know it will potentially sound different.) I would imagine the click-together would be easier to repair. Do you have any opinions about Mirages click-together shape? (It looks markedly different than others I've seen.) Also, where would the average homeowner find the kind of comparison of finishes like you state? Is there such a thing, or is it mostly real-world-experience kind of sentence? (On the Mirage website they say their finish is UP TO five times more durable than other finishes. Other finishes...like site finished? I thought all aluminum oxide was like some large amount better than site finished in general, so what does Mirage mean? Is this just the Canadians being their understated selves?)

A lot of "Made in America" is smoke and mirrors and deception. If you want "Made in America" real wood flooing, you will first have to insure that you are using a species that is native to and sourced from only North America. Some "American" hardwoods might be harvested, or "veneered" here, then shipped far away for processing and "manufacturing" and then shipped back here for sale. Is that "American Made"? Ipe or Purple Heart or Tigerwood is never going to be "Made in America". It might be fully or only partially milled/treated/finished/stained in the USA, or maybe not.... Walnut that is really Acacia is never going to come from America. Neither is any kind Chestnut that is not reclaimed or recovered or recycled likely to be from anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains..... The best way to buy American, and to directly support the folks who grow and harvest and process and everything else related to your desire for as domestically "pure" as possible a floor, is to..... Go to your favorite search engine, and craigslist too, and look for local suppliers of local sawn lumber of the kind you are looking for that is well air or kiln dried and have it milled and installed and finished by local flooring pro's. There are sawmills and planer/molders everywhere in America cutting and milling locally sourced woods of all kinds, including kinds of woods that if you do find at a "flooring distributor" are going to cost you a whole lot more than taking a nice ride to meet some nice folks who are willing to work with YOU (not your money) ever will. Then again, as someone who has always lived in Small Town and rural America and having been raised around and living with such places and folks for better than 60 years now, I might just have a somewhat idealized view as to what "Made in America" is all about.... It seems my friends and "neighbors" take the same view as me, and it may be that when it comes to such things,we are all just a bit more insulated from the rest of the worlds goings on, but in all honesty, I doubt it. The more "local" you live, the more local lives you touch. And the stronger you make your local and state and national economy.... Then again, just what is "local" anyway? Seems to me that from the Isthmus of Panama to the north woods of Canada and Alaska, we're all in it together, on this one big Island, that we all call "home"......

You have a ton of questions and I will do my best to address them, I also have AADD so if I start to ramble and jump back and forth just overlook that :). We need to simplify this more because there are certain issues you can't change..... being on a slab and the weight issues. Any slab has to be reasonably flat and dry, but in your case it needs to be almost dead flat and dry. We are supposed to always check slabs for vapor emissions that can go unoticed when there is carpet over top that allows the slab to breath and release moisture without any problems. You have an 18yr. old glued down wood floor that has exhibited no problems, in my view that is as good an indicator one is going to get..... so we'll just say you are dry. I don't know how many sq.ft. is involved but it takes some space for an installer to check the slab for flatness and then take measures to correct it. Sometimes a low spot can be a few feet in diameter and with the feathering needed I may need 6', 8' or more to deal with it. If I don't have space I could be featuring up to a high spot underneath furniture. It is best to try and figure a way to go one room a time, clean it out, then go on to the next room. If you have your heart set on an engineered BC, then get it :), life is too short to fret over that as long as you know about this issue and are okay with it. On glued down floors the thickness does not really matter as much as opposed to floating. What does matter is the top wear layer thickness and using the right adhesive. A 3mm or 4mm thick wear layer is actually better in the long run as a 5mm thick . Going too thick with the wear layer can cause a phenomenon called "dry cupping" .... the NWFA and NOFMA are aware of this and it is being addressed. If you go with a glued down engineered wood floor and want to put on a sealer as "insurance" , then do it. In your case I would strongly consider using Stauf 960 which is a quality sealer and adhesive combined in one application. You pay alot more for the adhesive but you only have one labor issue. Imo you could also go with a floating floor. But to pull this off you must use a quality product and (here I go again)..... the concrete must be flat. There is a laminate out there that I have personally installed that is almost bullet proof. That would be Wilsonart , which is a high pressure laminate referred to as an HPL. Putting that down along with using their blue fusion glue in the joinery can take any weight you want to put on top of it. When I do that I recommend to the client upgrading the underlayment to a product Sound Solutions. You cannot walk on this type of install and tell that it floats. You could also go with a floating engineered wood... this is where thickness comes into play. I prefer to use nothing less than a 1/2" in thickness and a where the joints get glued up, or, choose a good reliable click-lock system like the valinge or Uniclic joinery systems. They both hold together well. The wood should also be waht is called balanced.... the top layer equals the bottom. You are very typical of alot of my clients. Quit stressing so much :).

Hi there! While we are not located in Detroit, I think we may be able to shed some light on a few of your questions... Humidity in hardwood flooring is not something to mess around with. Whatever you chose, solid or engineered, be sure it is properly acclimated in your home. A local dealer/contractor with NWFA ties should be able to make adjustments for the time of year that it is being installed. But, do not be surprised if you still see movement in the dryer months... if it is installed right the gaps created by a dry winter will close right up as summer comes around. Engineered floors will usually have better dimensional stability in a 5 inch plank. But, that's not to say that solid wouldn't preform. And, solid flooring will give you a structural improvement value on your home that you will not get from an engineered floor. Trust your contractor. Local contractors should be taking humidity readings of the floor and be prepared to give you a good answer to this question based on your weather conditions. I wouldn't want to speculate, as we are not based in Detroit. Five inch boards are much more widely available these days than they were just a few short years ago. But, finding that combination of species, colors, plank size, etc., is where using an informed flooring store comes in. All the online research is for not if you don't have a contractor/store that can give you good options that are based on industry knowledge. It sounds like you did find a store that you like but you are a bit afraid to jump in due to price. We would use this opportunity to remind you that in the $13 per square foot price (which is not an out of line price based on the information you have given) you have to factor in their knowledge, time, flooring options, etc. Remember you are making the choice to stay away from the Lumber Liquidators for a reason... local dealers' pricing will reflect that difference as well. As far as the straight edges versus the mirco-bevels go, If you go with a line like Mirage that is of a higher caliber manufacturing process then the straight edges are much better. Regular, run of the mill products may have issues arise from trying to get the look of a job-finished floor without the on-site sanding or better milling processes. I would suggest mirco-bevels if price is important. Once again, refer back to your local dealer. Thanks for the question! We wish you luck on your project! Champion Floor Co. Here are a few links to help with your search for information: http://woodfloors.org/ http://www.miragefloors.com/ENG/why-mirage-hardwood-floors.php http://www.flooring-professionals.com/how-moisture-affects-hardwood-flooring/