OK...where to start, where to start? Budget! For sure!

1. LL (the warning is in the NAME = Liquidators) has very low quality stuff for very cheap. The 7" wide plank *SHOULD cost you $9 - $12/sf from a quality manufacturer. Your $4.49/sf is WAY too low for this product.

2. The LOOK of wide plank is not appropriate for the era of your condo. The 40's and 50's normally show narrow or strip hardwood between 2.5" - 3.25" wide planks. They were often Maple or a form of oak...it depends on your location.

3. The EXTRA COST of installing a wide plank product is going to be an issue. You MUST use full glue spread to install these beasts. They have plenty of movement even when using an engineered product.

4. The 'lumber core' just means LL can switch manufacturers OR the manufacturer can switch out the centre without having to rewrite their web page. THIS IS WHERE they cut corners. They switch out products/manufacturers ALL THE TIME.

5. The thickness of this plank (9/16") is pretty thin. That is a snick more than 1/2". The wear layer is 3mm (1/8") which means the REST of the plank is ONLY 1/2". That doesn't leave a lot of room for structural stability. There just isn't enough room.

6. The CORE is most likely a generic 'wood' sourced from endangered areas of Eurasia. The Siberian Tiger Habitat is under SEVERE pressure due massive clear cutting that is illegal (even in Russia! I know! Imagine!). But the fact it is in SIBERIA there are VERY FEW wild life rangers in the Province (like 12 in an area the size of Spain and France put together). That means there is NO regulation.

7. The wood is often soft wood lumber and is of little value (other than to the protected species who live there) and are sold for pennies per linear foot (you wanted to know where LL cuts corners...this is one place).

8. The Brazilian Oak is about as hard as red oak. No gain or advantage there (for the homeowner). It is STUPID cheap because of all the clear cutting happening in the Amazon Basin (remember that issue from the 1990's...it's still happening!). Again this is a wood that is sold for very little money.

9. South America exports their hardwoods en masse to China. The HUNDREDS of Chinese companies then use the wood as a cheap source of income....like selling cr@p to the USA...

It's your call. I wouldn't touch this with a 10ft pole.

If $4.49/sf is your limit, go with 3" narrow planks and be done with it.

Thanks so much @SJ McCarthy. I knew that I had bad feelings about Lumber Liquidatiors or LL as they are trying to rebrand themselves. Now, I need suggestions on the 3" narrow planks which are actually my preferred as they are more period authentic (and I personally don't like the wide planks). I've had a very hard time finding many to choose from on-line since they aren't very popular. I want a classic oak look, low gloss, smooth finish, in a natural oak or butterscotch color finish. Not the popular dark, not the popular wide plank, Just a plain old-fashioned wood floor which can be glued down. My budget is pretty firm because the cost of replacing the flooring in the condo is literally a third of the price of the condo. It's not high-end nor will it ever be and most people use either carpet or laminate. It was built in 1951 probably used carpet as floor coverings to keep the costs down and because wall-to-wall was the "in" think at the time. To add to my dilemma of picking out a floor I'm not in the city where this condo is located and am unfamiliar with any of the local dealers so I don't know who to call and trust. Any sources of on-line shopping will be appreciated.

Lumber core generally means solid slats of wood as the center layer with hardwood on top and a balancing layer on the back. Order a sample to confirm.

If it's not a high end condo and most people replace with carpeting, have you considered using Luxury Vinyl Plank instead of Engineered hardwoods? A quality Engineered hardwood will start at $6 a square foot for anything decent. You can get a quality LVP in the $4 range and most people at first glance wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that and wood if you choose a quality LVP.

I have LVP in a Florida condo and it's fine there. I can tell the difference with just a glance and found that the LVP in the $4 range looked very fake. The engineered wood will be in a condo used by two retired folks and won't get the wear and tear of children or pets, or have sand and water dripped around so I hope to get a budget wood that will work ok. It's not going to look like gorgeous hardwood but it's not going to look like plastic either. I've ordered a few engineered wood samples and if I find nothing satisfactory, even with my greatly reduced standards, I may have to look at laminate which I actually like better than LVP.

Because this is a condo I'm going to mention one very serious thing: Acoustics. Please ensure you have the RIGHT to use hard surfaces when replacing carpet in a multifamily unit (ie. apartment style condos).

If you have a Condo Board or HOA, you will need to find their acoustic requirements and MEET them.

BTW: Home Depot sells 3" solid hardwood for about $4.49/sf. When you work with NARROW hardwood you do NOT have to work with engineered. You can work with solid. Because you are on slab, you will still need to glue in place but it will be much easier.

I just did a quick search of HD website under 'hardwood floors'. Here is the link to that search.

Flooring - The Home Depot

Order samples...find the colour you like. These are factory finished and ready to be installed. But PLEASE find out your acoustic requirements before you do anything.

Thank you! I will do a final check on the acoutistic requirements but I haven't seen anything restrictions in the documents I've been given and I've seen pictures of other condos with LVP and laminate so I've been going on the assumption that I'm ok.

And I love finding out that with the narrow hardwood I'm not restricted to engineered. I thought all glue-down installs would require the engineered. I'd LOVE to have solid so that is such good news.

@SJ McCarthy - you are always so helpful. You gave me great advice last year when I was in LVP hell for my Florida condo. Hopefully this current condo will be the last place I have to remodel. When this is over I'll have my summer/winter homes all set for a lovely retirement.

Have you looked into the new LVP product with a real wood veneer top layer? It’s about $5/sqft and since it’s a floating floor, it’s much cheaper to install as well. Look into Raintree and Hallmark they both offer it, with many more companies coming on board soon.

When I was in a condo and wanted to use Engineered, we had to put down sound muffling layer before the flooring.