Thanks for the suggestion pcweary! Yours looks great. I ended up going to my local stone shop to buy my vanity countertop. They said they could make a transition for me with a slope to meet the dimensions I need with the same material as the counter top. I'll try and post pictures after its installed to show how it looks.

Hi wxkristin, You should have the concern. A lighter weight floating floor like 3/8" is quite much harder to perform the same asa thicker and heavier one. Here are the 3 main things to have a sound instaled floating wood floors: flat subfloors, quality underlayment, heavier floors with good wear layers. Good luck with your project.

"(Get what you like, not what's on trend. Less likely to look "dated" in five years...and if it is, who cares?)" Well said. Thanks for all the ideas. The tight grain of the maple, the perfect color match (a grey/taupe that blends perfectly with my dogs fur and my decor) and very fair price for a 3/4" solid maple makes it a no brainer in my opinion. I'm going for it. I've known the flooring guy for 30 years and he's a good guy. He's having one of his installers come on his off time for $1.50/sq.ft which I think is a good price too. So a 3/4 maple for $5.50/sq.ft installed seems very fair to me. Also the milling/quality of wood is very good imo as well. I've got tons of great decorating advice on this forum so I really appreciate all the help. I'll post pictures when its done which will be a month or so due to scheduling. Joe

Choosing the right flooring type isn't enough for your living condition. You will have to consider the types of cut: flat sawn, rift and quarter sawn, quarter sawn or live sawn. Quarter sawn and rift & quarter sawn will be best choices, because expansion and contraction is along the thickness of the wood. You will need climate control all year round. 70 degrees at 40 % relative humidity is where you want to be throughout the year. The use of a humidifier/dehumidifier will be needed year round. Although, engineered flooring is more stable than solid. Using the wrong wood specie in your living condition can run the risk of de-laminating with engineered wood. If, the top veneer is more or less stable than it's core and backing. You will experience de-laminating in extreme humidity swings. Take in account of what the engineered flooring is constructed of: mdf or plywood. The width of the flooring will account for how much expansion and contracting also. 2 1/4" strips are the most stable. As you go wider, expect to see more wider seasonal gaps. Proper acclimating is critical, should be performed with a moisture meter. For 2 1/4" strip flooring , sub-floor and flooring moisture should be within 4%. For all other widths 2% moisture differentiation is allowed or should not be exceeded. Don't forget proper expansion gaps, which is the thickness of your flooring, example: 3/4" thick = 3/4" gap. Sub-floor type and condition will affect the performance of wood floors. All this needs to be considered for the proper and successful performance of your wood floors.