Maple is a great wood species that can create a good contrast with any color dark in the room. It is also not as grainy as oak and hickory. However, maple will turn lightly yellow with time and it is not most stable wood. Here is a picture to share.

It reminds me of a gymnasium.

we would have chosen maple actually if my darn stairs wheren't already light/med oak. maple comes in as many shandes ad say oak does, i prefer med and think the above pic is really too light for my personal taste. And it is harder than oak, which is the most common flooring in the US but not any other country, as is hickory, just so you know!

Thank you very much for all the responses and nice picture.

MelissaRHD, what do you think about the cinnamon maple, as shown below:

http://www.simplefloors.com/hardwood-floors/engineered-hardwood-floors/artisan-floors-terre-verte-9-16-x-4-9-10-cinnamon-maple-engineered-hardwood.html

Thanks.

This post was edited by janesylvia on Tue, Jun 18, 13 at 15:14

Here's a picture our 5" wide natural maple engineered floor. We like the light floor and how it contrasts with our dark furniture and kitchen cabinets. But there are different qualities of engineered floors which will determine how well it wears. Ours is considered "better", a middle level (although our builder charged an arm and a leg), and it dents and scratches very easily. I would recommend a high quality, the "best" line.

This post was edited by ruthie51 on Thu, Jun 20, 13 at 9:41