Thanks for all of your thoughts and warnings.
I'm trying to be as cautious as possible.
We also want to buy the best product at a good price and so far what we have found happens to come from China.
The factory salesperson says the material in the engineered floor meets export requirements (low formaldehyde) and they have clients all over the world...can I ask for references?
Here are some details on the product.
We want a grey oak and white oak on the first and second floors and we are also building a large deck so we need decking as well.
Here are some pictures of the samples after several back and forths with the supplier.
This is the two types of stains on engineered oak floor and Ipe grooved decking.
Price for the oak is: $32.50 per square meter (10.7 square foot)
We would definitely prefer to buy local, but so far we haven't found anything available we want to use. Japanese tend to use solid hardwood or cheap looking laminate.
It's a big decision...thanks for your help.