You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.

I had a kempas floor installed in the dining room and foyer in my newly built home in 2007. It still looks GORGEOUS. I only use warm water and a microfiber mop to clean and it looks amazing. The color is so rich and complements my warm golden yellow walls beautifully. I have not experienced any issues that the above responses have thank god. That being said, about a year after I moved in I ran into a fiend whom apparently knew one of the installers. She asked me how I liked my floor. I, of course, raved about it. She then went on to say that the installer HATED IT. They had to purchase extra due to the splitting that occurred when they were nailing it. This was news to me. The installer did a wonderful job despite his frustration and the floor has performed beautifully.

I've had my engineered hardwood in 5 rooms for 6 years and just love it - amazingly scratch resistant, beautiful, mid-warm brown maple 5" planks with a bit of variation in the surface to suggest hand scraping, without going overboard. The maple is rustic enough - with color variations and dark knot splotches - that it can hide small damage. Damage is rare, it takes a lot to harm this wood. I get a lot of compliments and would like to do the last 3 carpeted rooms of my house when I can. It's easy to clean AND hides dirt (too) well, so whether I'm diligent or lazy my floors look great. The only issue I've had is that my exact plank got discontinued. When I redo, I will have to match plank width, thickness, color, and surface profile. I have checked, it's not so easy..... Make sure to choose maple or oak species, they are the toughest.

'Very Durable' = Aluminum Oxide finish or Ceramic Infused Poly or Nano Bead technology 'Very Durable' = White Oak or Hard Maple or Hickory or Red Oak 'Very Durable' = 3mm - 6mm wear layer 'Very Durable' = 3/4" total thickness (or as close as you can find) 'Light Coloured' = ????white???? or do you mean a VERY pale wood tone??? 'Suitable for Basement' = Is anyone's guess...it depends on your household and where you live