SuzieNJ, my post just disappeared when I went to peak at your profile to see if you had an email there. It is late since I had to reinstall my scanner and label program and wanted to wake up with everything working before my morning client. I live in the northern part of New Jersey but if the price is right, I am willing to drive to the central part of NJ where I have a few friends that I can visit after my busy season. I am going back and forth between a stained Maple or BR-111 Brazilian Cherry. I love the Mirage wood floors and if I can get a good price on Mirage, I would be very interested and I know my neighbor would also since she keeps coming by to ask me what I am ordering since she wants to get what I get. Most of my neighbors have replaced their wall-to-wall carpets already with hardwood floors or they are investigating like me. I love the pictures of the Mirage Maple Cognac Floors with the cabinet stain you choose and the granite and paint colors. I also find your friend's dining room gorgeous!

Okay, here's the thing-- Tile has been installed directly over concrete slab since thinset was first invented in 1956. 99% of all commercial floor tile you see is installed directly over concrete. Will it adhere? Absolutely. However, if you've got any cracking going on, those cracks will telegraph through the tile, and that's what the membrane is meant to stop. Does concrete experience thermal expansion and contraction? Again, yes it does, as do ALL building materials. The question is how much. Alot depends on the mix of the concrete, as well as the type of soil it was poured over, how much it was compacted, the depth of the frost wall, etc., etc., etc.. I guess the bottom line is if you have any cracking going on, first check the cracks. How far are they opened up? Are both sides of the crack flush to each other (IOW, is one side higher than the other)? The answer to this last question is extremely important, because if there's vertical movement in your slab, there's not a membrane made that will protect tile installed over it, and you're better off going with a different type of flooring. Anyway, if you have any kind of cracking in the concrete, yes, you need a membrane, and you couldn't ask for a better one than Schluter Ditra. If the concrete's NOT cracked, especially if it's been down for several years, I'd go right over it, but it wouldn't hurt to put the membrane down, first, as insurance.

If you are going to drop stuff on a wood floor and expect it not to dent, you should either get a harder wood, a textured wood that doesn't show dents as readily, or get something that's not wood. If you're getting a wood floor and expect it not to scratch, get something else. I've been doing Mirage for maybe 15 years and have no problems with the quality of their products. My major complaints would be that long ago they had quite a lot of short boards and their smooth products are so smooth that the look a bit fake and show dents and scratches more readily.

Jack Hohn, I can't comment on the Mirage floor finish, because we wound up getting another brand. However, we were looking at semi-gloss vs. matte (similar to cashmere) in a natural rift and quartersawn white oak floor, and we absolutely love the matte finish. It looks so soft and beautiful, and shows dirt and dust much less than our old floor which had a glossier finish. In the end, it's a personal preference, but I just wanted to put in my 2 cents in praise of a more matte finish. Good luck with your decision!