Is there a reason you can't use 4mm options? Our new house is all stone with concrete floors (each level), and DH did not want to do site finished flooring. I wanted French White Oak. After much research, I selected Hallmark Floors, Alta Vista Collection for it's wide planks, long boards, rough sawn and thickness. Our local flooring showroom suggested we order 1 box to see the variation, which we did. The flooring was on backorder, so it took months to receive, but arrived about the time we were ready to install during our remodel.

What do you want to compare between the 3mm and 4mm? I doubt you will be able to see a visual difference.

Thank you both for your replies! The cost. Is there any saving going with 3mm?

It depends on so many other factors I wouldn't focus too much on that. 3mm should allow you to refinish at least once. What is your budget per SQ FT for materials alone?

Hello Oak & Broad $9-$10 per sq ft. Updating all flooring in 2,000 sq ft home

j k - thanks for sharing. Which Collection at Green World Industries? I am very interested in UV Oil. Do you mind sharing your cost per sq ft for material?

We have Mirage R&Q white oak (Isla) and it is a beautiful floor. No knots. Glue down over slab. We are very, very happy with it.

@j k My "budget" mentioned above is max. I would prefer to spend less if possible and welcome lower cost per sq ft options! I just had no idea if 3mm or 4mm options were available for lower than $9 per sq ft. I will look into Green World Industries and Mirage. Thank you again for your great feedback. Most appreciated!

@jellytoast Thank you. Do you mind sharing your cost per sq ft for material?

@Allison0704 Great tip about purchasing 1 box to see the variation. Thank you!

When you get that box do a test for denting too. In some the layer below the hardwood is a softwood prone to disfiguring if you don't go with a 'rustic' finish on top.

$9.29 per sq. ft., but that included a .50 cent per foot rebate from Mirage (I got the 5-inch width). 4mm wear layer. I believe they do a rebate twice a year, spring and fall. Prices for the same thing varied widely in my area. Prep, glue, and install was on top of that. I had thought about getting a box ahead of time just to see the variation, but the wood I got was a special order and I had to wait a few weeks to get it so I nixed that idea. My order arrived looking exactly like the sample.

Zen 07, that budget would allow for American made to order flooring in a 5/8" plank with a full 4mm wear layer and a name brand finish. Email me so I can send you some additional information. joel@oakandbroad.com

Educational Plank Flooring Examples · More Info

I'm not an expert but I just recently bought engineered wood floors for my remodel.

I think focusing on wear layer doesn't really help much for several reasons.

Wear layer is an indication of how many times a floor can be refinished. That was irrelevant to me as I had no intention of ever refinishing my floor because it would be a logistical nightmare. If for whatever reason, I had to replace the floors, I would need to put down new flooring anyway.

However, the finish (quality and durability) was EXTREMELY important to me because I wanted the floors to last as long as possible without needing replacement of refinishing.

Also, in terms of reading about engineered wood flooring and exploring several possibilities, it seemed as though a thin wear layer probably also went along with a lower quality floor in general. There was a recent thread on engineered flooring and a very helpful link explaining the difference between the four different cost levels and what one would expect at those levels - cheapest, Big Store level, moderate (what most people probably wind up with unless they have extremely limited budgets) and premium.

I considered what would be considered to be Big Store level but wound up with moderate level. My floors are Mirage and were about $8.00 per square foot without installation (labor or under layers). The least expensive floors were $5.00 per square foot.

Labor and materials to install were expensive as I needed self leveling layer as the concrete slab wasn't level enough for anything but carpet and then because of noise regulations, I also needed cork layer and plywood layer plus glue for all those layers :-)

What the extra money got me was a nicer looking wood - i.e. the actual wood of the Mirage was much nicer looking than the less expensive brand. I also (think) I got a higher quality finish as well as a thicker wear layer. I also liked the green practices of the company. I am not anti imports from China but from what I read the lower priced floors tend to be from China and may or may not have construction materials and methods that are less than "green"

I could have saved a bit on the Mirage floors by opting for a less expensive model but I wanted an oak with less color differentiation so I opted for their Select and Better Quality versus Exclusive which had more differentiation as I wanted a quieter floor.

Any pictures or experience with white oak after a years install? Does anyone have any review for Everbright Flooring Inc's European white oak? I am getting a deal under $4 (no labor) which seems good, but I would like to know about quality. Wear layer is only 3mm total height is 9/16"

We've been in our home 20 months and have no complaints about our French White Oak flooring from Hallmark. 3 adults, 3 dogs and 2 cats plus 2 grandchildren when we moved in. Down a few pets and up 1 grandchild but I would say the floors have held up nicely with no issues.

Is it possible to add UV protection to this product?

Joe Macker , I would reach out the retailer or manufacturer.

@Joe Macker. I added protective film to my windows to block UV rays from causing damage. The advantage is that this protects everything in my room. I had damage to my furniture - both cloth and wood from the light streaming in. I have an Eastern exposure.

You can't tell that there is any kind of protective film on the windows as mine are not tinted - or tinted so slightly that there is almost no difference but they are rated for close to 99% blocking of the UV rays.

@helen @jellytoast, do you still like your mirage floors? I just ordered samples and they are beautiful! But I haven’t seen them in real life or a full room picture - I’d love to see a picture of you were willing? I have been leaning towards Provenza but the reviews on houzz are nerve wracking. I’m looking for a nice white oak that looks matte and is interesting but is select or light character grade.... (not a ton of knots) Thank you!

If it’s helpful to anyone, here is a photo of Mirage Isla floors installed by Beck’s in Mesa, AZ. I love them!

I looked into Mirage Island and I was quoted over $14/sq foot. Gorgeous floors but out of my price range.

Mirage Isla