A Simple Floor

I bought one carton to see what it would look like in the house... Nice - I like!

Last week I found out that the flooring I was about to order - Yanchi Russett-Stained Strand Woven Bamboo from Build Direct - was not suitable for installation over my radiant heat. They said I could do it, but it would void my warranty, and I don't want to spend over $5000 on flooring that has no warranty. So it was back to square one.

Even on a truly miserable day it still looks gorgeous

Next stop, engineered wood, which can be glued or nailed down over radiant heat. I tried Lumber Liquidators again, but the Schon Warm Cognac Curupay I liked so much on the display rack in the store looked completely different and rather bland when I was given a sample to take away, so I decided against it.

On Wednesday I re-visited Simple Floors right here in San Francisco, and to be truthful I was quite surprised by how many exquisite species of engineered wood they had on display. My original plan had been for something dark and rich and chocolatey, in keeping with the monochromatic theme of the house, but lately I've been drawn towards something warmer and more inviting, preferably in a cognac-y tone with a reddish tint. And so it was that I found the engineered wood of my dreams - the breathtakingly beautiful African Roma Walnut-stained Acacia that you can see in theese pictures.

Naturally it was more expensive ($4.29 per sq ft) than either the Yanchi bamboo ($3.49 per sq ft) or the Curupay ($2.49 per sq ft), so I was seriously concerned about blowing my budget, but yesterday I found out that Simple Floors has a one-day sale tomorrow when EVERYTHING in the store, including underlayment and glue and accessories, will be reduced by 15%. Hooray for sales!!!