There is a lot of controversy right now about the glues in engineered flooring making people sick. That being said...I just don't like it, you can always tell it's engineered and just looks cheap to me. With hardwood, you can sand it down if it gets damaged, with engineered, you can't.If it is anywhere near water pipes, you have to look into the future, a leak, or flood will ruin engineered..hardwood will dry out. Hardwood won't cup if it's been dried properly. Cupping is from wet wood (not dried down to 8% or less moisture)being laid down, then trying to dry, and having nowhere to go because it's been nailed down. It then cups.

Definitely choose wood. Vinyls are great, however, for resale value, wood is the absolute best ROI especially for the main living areas. You can choose an engineered or solid- whichever makes most sense. We are able to provide engineered HW that can be sanded and refinished just as many times as solid. If the wear and tear is something you are worried about, consider choose a floor that has a reclaimed look with a strong grain pattern and saw markings that can hide many of the scratches and discrepancies that will happen over time. If that specific design isn't your style, consider a light color floor. Oiled floors are a decent choice because fixing superficial scratches are relatively easy. Oaks are good because of their graining and if kept a light color- will be able to disguise many of the scratches. You can ALWAYS sand and refinish your floors a few years down the line if needed. Plus, when you go to sell and the floors have been lived on- they can be sanded and finished for the new buyer. A vinyl floor will need to be replaced. Hardwood is more expensive at the moment, but they actually end up paying for themselves years down the line with the proper care and maintenance. Or you can choose wood in the dining and great room and a tile in the kitchen. SJ McCarthy has a good recommendation for hickory and oak. Another option is Character Maple(make sure it is hard maple). If you really want to be bold- go for Brazilian Pecan. :)

Please beware of the actual product versus sample boards. We pulled multiple sample boards for the true sample. However, the actual product delivered/installed is dramatically different. We purchased the New York Loft/Chelsea. The boards show a muted off white with subtle grey. The actual product has blacks/greys running through every single board resulting in a tiger effect resembling a cheap laminate. A claim was put in to Provenza by the firm we purchased it from however, Provenza rejected the claim. Our local retailer will assist by sanding and refinishing the floors.

@John Creek do you have any installation photo of the Regretta? I'm actually thinking of intalling the Hallmark Leeward Regretta in our kitchen and then the Hallmark Organic 567 in Gunpowder in the rest of the house. The colors and look are almost identical (I have sample boards of each), although the texture is a little different since the Organic 567 has more scrapes and texture. But the Regretta being waterproof, seemed a better fit in our kitchen. The living room is a step down, so the transition is not a big deal in there, but we do have to other rooms (dining and office) that I would like to keep the Oragancic 567 as well, but it flows into the kitchen via a doorway, so I might just keep it all the Regretta, even though I love the look of the Orangic 567. The 567 will go up the stairs as well (off the dining room). I'd love to see photos of the Regretta in a real house. There are very few photos out there. Post some if you have any. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!