I would like to get feedback on the Supercore Basics line. I am looking at Solitude for around 1,000 sf. I have an old wood subfloor that I am going to need to do a lot of leveling on. Where do you draw the line for telling someone that a 4.5mm floor is not for them? I know I only get a 12mil wear layer, but the fact that it is still Aluminum Oxide and has a stone composite core makes me feel it will be ok. Is there any difference in the locking system? The lock does not seem as hefty on the samples for the basics line. I get concerned that with an old pier and beam supported floor that has settled, even if I level the floor, will the less hardy locking system fail if I get slight movement with any further settling?

From my knowledge :Gaia Black and Red Series are called ESPC (ENGINEERED SOLID POLYMER CORE COMPOSITE (eSPC). There is no formaldehyde or wood in the Red & Black Series engineered SPC. WPC was mistakenly known as wood polymer composite, but Shaw and Mohawk call it water proof composite. It is basically a mineral polymer with a foaming agent to make it lighter. There is no wood or formaldehyde in Gaia eSPC. Gaia Floor Black Series is an engineered core with SPC (multi- layers solid polymore composite) and WPC (waterproof composite). The engineered multilayer core is how you can get a light weight and still stable waterproof product that has the benefits of an SPC top layer. It is also more stable than other resilient products. Dimensional stability is the number one reason for a floor to fail. There is no 10 mm resilient product more stable than Gaia Black Series and the engineering behind it makes it not only the best for quality, but the best for health and safety. Every Step Matters, from the beginning to the end. They do not cut corners, many other brands do. They disturbed to dealers only. Many other brands are trying to copy their colors and style. Think about it. A lot of these guys, have no idea what they are talking about. If you have an questions or issues, you can give them a call at the office. All there products come with residential warranty. Probably 99% of failed is due to your GC or contractor doing it wrong. They sell millions and millions sq. ft. and have less then 1% claims.

Lisa--Does no one in Florida open their windows and just let the fresh air in during the cooler times? Frankly, that is one of the reasons I was thinking LVT might be a good solution. Unless it's really hot and humid, we are pretty much let the fresh air in type of people. But, I also did some more thinking about the LVT that I was planning to install--Flooret--which features extremely large planks with enhanced bevels. I've now reinforced my earlier thought that I don't like the enhanced bevel (with each separate plank emphasized) look that seems to currently be popular in both engineered hardwood and LVT. I much prefer the look that one gets with real tongue and groove, on-site finished floors. A more regular, smoother surface constancy in look that is the way the old-fashioned 100-year-old oak and maple floors in our primary home present. Now that Christmas is over I may go back to the flooring stores to take a look at my options. For the main floor, IF I could find some timeless-looking porcelain tile that I liked a whole lot and that isn't a trendy design (sorry, but I think wood look porcelain is super trendy) and whose installation cost isn't a killer I could maybe maybe consider that. But, it's my understanding that hard tile is quite an expensive install. I like Marmoleum, but it doesn't have the look I want. And, last time around when we did some remodeling I investigated it and found it to be very pricey. And, I think I am going to give my realtor a call to get some feedback about what she hears from buyers in the area. Thanks all.

Hand scraped is has a 'dished out' look which is already dated by 5 years (so out of fashion most companies are selling it off at huge discounts). The handscraped also means you have zero chance (or near zero) of refinishing it. That means the 'hand scraped' has a life span of roughly 15 years and then it is rip it out and start again. For me that is a nightmare/waste of wood. The wire brush is a finish that 'feels' great underfoot but it increases the surface area of the floor by 5 times (or more). What that means is there is A MASSIVE surface area (think 5 hills and valleys for ever 2mm of floor). Like all hills, the water/finish is THINNEST at the top (easier for liquids to soak past the finish and stain the wood) and thicker/deeper at the bottom (water runs down hill). Now imagine you are cooking up a storm and chatting with friends (covid makes this seem like a dream...but it will happen again...I promise). You've got lots of cooking oil spraying into the air...maybe some dropped bits that fall out of the pan...normal cooking events. Now imagine you don't get to clean up the floor until the next morning ('cause who's going to break off a GREAT dinner to go hands and knees on the kitchen floor???). Oh NOOOOOOO....the oil has STAINED the floor!!!! How can that be????? You will clean and clean and every time the floor dries you can see the splatter pattern of oil on the floor! Nothing works! You have just discovered the 'nightmare' of the wire brush finish. The THIN coating on the top of the hills means the oil EASILY SOAKS into the wood. As in "in side 30 minutes". That is the night mare. Far too many people have discovered this...only to find out the writing in the warranty specifically denies coverage for this type of issue. The Belair Ancient World collection looks to be a lower grade of product. It is 9/16" thick with a wear layer of 3mm. Because of the hand scraping/detailing it is highly unlikely you can achieve a sand/refinish. Ocean Breeze - Bel Air Flooring (belairwoodfloor.com) The 'urethane lacquer' with Aluminum Oxide. Not many US born writers use "lacquer" in the description. Most use urethane. Period. Check out the grammar and punctuation and spelling on this page: About us - Bel Air Flooring (belairwoodfloor.com) It is not written by a native English speaker. And the other issue I have: they state they are CARB II certified and have FloorScore and are NWFA affiliated....but NONE of the links work! Go ahead and ask for the most recent 'certifications' or 'test results' they have for your product. I can almost guarantee the certificate will be under another company's name from another country. CARB certificates are 'good' for 6months - 1 year. Anything older and the company isn't keeping up with the EXPENSIVE part of doing business = $10K for each sample tested.