Thank you so much for the response! I am really happy to hear this! We are looking at rift and quarter sawn white oak in 7” planks. We will also have a humid on the furnace. We run a portable dehumidifier in the basement and use hygrometers as well (had problems with cupping in previous house with crawlspace. We had an hrv in that house too but aren’t planning to do that in this home unless needed. If needed or we get nervous, we can put a dehumidifier on the furnace for humid times of year. The humidity worries me a little as it takes a year or so for new homes to dry out (lumber etc...). Even in summer with dehumidifiers and a/c on, we would stay at aroun 50% or 55% humidity a lot. Not sure how accurate the cheap hygrometers are. I know too dry doesn’t physically feel great for me! I prefer 50-55%. That said, maybe I should stick with 5” boards. Never had trouble with these cupping. If we decide to go with the 7” planks, they will be nailed and glued. Our builder uses an installer from. Chicago so I don’t think we will be able to change this. Thanks for the offer! Our cabinet guy is from Arthur! He’s great!

Cupping generally points to an acclimation issue that is the responsibility of the installer, not a manufacturing issue. The manufacturer can make installation recommendations but isn't responsible for things out it their control. What was the moisture level in the flooring upon delivery? Unless the new wood was out of the generally accepted range, that's not an issue. What was the moisture level in the subfloor prior to installation? What was the indoor relative humidity before, during and after installation? An inspector will likely ask for these numbers to determine a cause. What is it the indoor humidity level now? Acclimation related cupping may resolve itself after a full year of seasonal changes. The tiny flaws in your close-up pictures could probably be touched up but the pervasive cracking/splitting would worry me. The advice to find an independent inspector and pay for an inspection is good advice.

Vinogirl, Heart Pine. I'm torn here because I've gone to houses and seen it finished on-site. I've also seen UA's Pine as well as Crescent Hardwood's Pine in the natural and Amber (darker) finish. Stunning. I know it will be slightly softer than oak but that's part of the character of heart pine. And heart pine is harder than regular pine. But it's not cheap. They do have engineered with relatively no sheen. Both the UA and Crescent Hardwood were 7" planks. I've gone to a fantastic local flooring place with my photos. The guy that's helping me pulled out the heart pine engineered as well as a beautiful brazilian walnut floor that was a bit less and much much harder. The third choice I liked that he pulled for me was Mannington Marrakech Hickory in a med/deep stain. My goal is to have a floor with character but something that won't overpower the space and that helps the space feel comfortable. I was happy with these three over everything I saw. Then I saw the site finished reclaimed heart pine and my heart stopped a little. If we only had unlimited funds!!

if you decide 3/4" oak, site finished. Our bid for 2 long hallways, refinished and a dining room and a living room and one 11x11 bedroom and to put all new hardwood (about 1500) into the kitchen which was feathered in with existing hardwood in a fairly good sized family room was 4600 total. we applied a dark stain plus 2 coats of oil, semi gloss. which to me does not look so different than satin and holds up better he said. So that is 4600 total with new hardwood in a average size kitchen, refinishing 5 rooms total and 2 long hallways. I think that seemed fair. I will say that I did have the 25 year prefinished in PH dining and honestly did not like room the way it looked or how the prefi performed. Plus with site finished you have no problem ever refinishing them over and over for many years. It just seemed to be worth the extra cost IMH0 also even with the oil. we still were able to sleep in our house. The smell dissapated later in the day and, we had fun crawling in and out of our master bedroom with 2 dogs...lol not so much! good luck