Hey! I'm about to purchase some flooring, but have a hard time finding reviews for the Shaw Floor product I'm looking into. It's the Estate Hickory line, in the Ginger or Warm Sunset color. I'm trying to choose between these because they're GreenGuard Gold certified, the highest indoor air quality standard to date. I think the wear layer on these is about 1.8mm, so not the very best, but we're a younger couple doing a remodel and need 900 sq. ft. Needless to say, we want something durable but we can't break the bank for this project. Does anyone have this installed in their home, who would like to share your review and/or pictures? Thank you in advance!

@sundropsandsage I love my floors. The Sequoia Hickory is dark but has some light tones in it too. Looks great against our paint color and the white cabinets We chose the Shaw epic engineered wood which was not very expensive. We have only had it installed for short while . We have a few problems but this is due to installation. We did call Our dealer as soon as we noticed a few spots we thought were problems . We had a floor inspector out shortly after. There are a few boards that are definitely a problem with manufacturing but we had 2 boxes left over - installers could have easily installed a different board. Waiting to see what Shaw’s response is once they receive inspectors report. I don’t know how well this floor will hold up - I think maybe we should have gone with a better quality floor but hoping we don’t have any problems. Whatever you choose - I am sure you know this - but make sure you have a qualified installer.

My advice: make sure your HVAC system that you purchased and the builder is installing MUST HAVE whole home humidity control. That means if you live in a dry climate you MUST HAVE a humidifier added to the system. If you live in a humid area then a DEHUMIDIFIER. And if you live in a climate that has humid summers and DRY winters then you need BOTH...humidifier and dehudifier. Once you pay for the upgrade you can then have any wood floor you want....whether solid or engineered...it won't matter. Start with the HVAC and what it will do and what it will NOT do (here's a hint...builders assume the lowest level of requirements...and will only add/purchase higher level stuff when told to do so by the homeowner/buyer). Once you have CONFIRMED the HVAC can do what you need it to do (sit consistently @ 45% humidity) then you go ahead and worry about which floor. Without HVAC properly calibrated for wood floors, you won't be happy with any wood floor...because you will have problems. And THAT'S why you see SO MANY COMPLAINTS! If you consider 95% of complaints are HOMEOWNER OR INSTALLER issues...you can narrow down the REAL issues = splitting, peeling, checking, delaminating, etc. Shaw has some real issues...just sayin'.

@uniquewoodfloors Thank you for the prompt and thorough reply! I was just about to reach out to a local flooring expert in Atlanta to help, and now I plan to ask about the floor in your second photo. The "Vintage Noir" is exactly what I am looking for in terms of aesthetics. I clicked on the link, but I didn't see whole lot of information regarding that floor, so I plan to do some research. It seems very similar to the Shaw Expressions floor I have been considering (see link below). Thank you for all this information. Incredibly useful! https://shawfloors.com/flooring/hardwood/details/expressions-sw707/coda