We love it, and we are a 2 kid, 2 big dog family who is active and lives near the beach. No fading, no problems and it has worn well, given we have not done the proper maintenance- it looks great. In 2015, we used Garrison French Connection in the Oak Caffe color on the ground floor of our house. We had it professionally installed on our concrete foundation, and our installers were meticulous on the prep: they ground down the high spots and then applied a self leveling compound and then glued the floor. This floor has different finishes depending on the color. The caffe has a natural oil finish rather than an aluminum oxide finish, so you're walking on the wood rather than the urethane finish. Likewise, if you scratch it or track in sand, it’s going to wear the wood rather than the urethane. We chose it because it’s easier to hide the scratches. There’s pros and cons to both finishes. If you’re a dog owner, do your research before committing. If i had it to do over again, i would have choosen a little less maintenamce: the same floor in a natural color with the oxide finish, where the light color would not show bad scratches as much as the dark wood, and I could use more potent cleaners to get up pet accidents without stripping the oil finish off. But we also love what we have. so much so, we are now replacing the carpeted stairs and the upstairs carpet with this same floor. 1st picture is after install, the next one is 7 yrs later.

There is a difference between red and white oak. Red Oak is more popular because it has a nice reddish tone and and the grain had a wider patterns. White oak is allot more stable because its a much harder wood and it stands out better to the traffic, also the grain is much more tighter so it takes the stain more evenly. If you check the hardness rating the white Oak is rated as being harder. White oak been and still used where there is a need for a durable surface.

@Natalie: While you may only be doing one project at a time, you need to have an overall future plan so you don't wind up with a patchwork approach. You posted a Design Dilemma just for the floor. Seriously, that's not how good design works. If you have a limited budget, many on here have given you answers that work about those floors: Keep your beautiful floors as they are. That will save you a lot of $$$. Use the savings to get professional advice on how to create a palette that works with those floors for future furnishings, art, gorgeous rugs, cabinet colors. Do you really need to replace the cabinets at all? Are they in good shape already? You could paint them or reface them if you want something lighter--far more affordable than getting new cabinets. Again, a color consultant could help you. Do some Houzz and Google searches for "kitchen Brazilian cherry floors" and you'll get many inspiration photos. Choose some that seem to work and share them with a color consultant who may agree or offer alternatives you may not have thought of.

Engineered hardwood flooring is indistinguishable from solid wood flooring from a "look and feel" perspective. For planks as wide as 8-9" I'd be surprised if you could find solid oak planks. The only difference to consider would be the ability to refinish solid floors several times where most engineered products would allow for a single refinishing. Engineered flooring is generally a plywood base topped with the finished wood and arrives pre-stained and finished, ready to lay in your home. There are usually options for how it can be laid, nail down, glue down, floating etc. Solid hardwood would offer the same options. Some engineered flooring is not recommended in below grade applications. Solid hardwood can be found both unfinished and pre finished. Unfinished would be laid in the home and then sanded and stained to your desired colour and a finish coat on top. In my opinion, engineered hardwood is the superior product for most applications. If you are unsure, go to a good flooring store (not a big box) and see the various options available and talk to a flooring professional at the store for the best recommendations for your situation, including the subfloor it will be laid on, humidity levels in the home, desired look and feel (do you want a very smooth floor or maybe some distressing in the finish etc). Don't hesitate to choose Engineered. It is not a "cheap out" option at all and may be end up being a better option than a solid alternative.