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Engineered hardwood is real wood on a stable core, built to handle Florida's humidity better than solid boards, and many floors go right over a concrete slab. See full boards from our hardwood makers in the Oracle Flooring & Design showroom in Sarasota.
It's a floorboard built in layers: real hardwood on top, bonded to a core of cross-laid plywood or dense fiberboard. That core swells and shrinks far less than solid wood when the air turns humid, which is why engineered floors suit Florida homes and can often go straight over concrete.
From the top, it's wood: the grain, the species and the finish are all real. How thick that top layer is decides how many times the floor can be sanded and refinished over the years, so it's worth asking about when you compare boards. Engineered hardwood also comes in Our Collection, our curated range, coming by early 2027.
Coming by early 2027: Our Collection, our curated range of engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl and laminate, about 100 styles.
Start with the species and the color. Oak, hickory and maple are the classics: oak has the open grain most people picture, maple is smoother and paler, and hickory is the hardest and the most varied of the three.
Then look at the top layer of real wood, because it decides the floor's future. A thick one can be sanded and refinished once the floor shows its years; a thin one gets a fresh coat of finish instead. Ask for the number when you compare boards.
Wide, long boards show off the grain and suit big, open rooms; narrower ones suit smaller rooms and more traditional homes. A factory finish comes ready to live on the day the floor goes down, and an oil finish soaks into the wood for a softer, low-sheen look.
Over a concrete slab, engineered wood is glued down or floated. Nails and staples need a wood subfloor, which most Florida homes don't have.
Well, with a little care. Wood takes on moisture from the air, so the house matters as much as the floor: keep the air conditioning running, even while you're away for the summer, and keep the humidity steady, within the range the floor's maker gives.
Before wood goes onto a slab, the slab is tested for moisture against the maker's limits, and the air conditioning should run for at least five days before the boards arrive, so the wood settles in at the humidity it will live in.
Dust-mop or vacuum up the sand, wipe up spills and standing water quickly, and clean with the product the floor's maker recommends. Felt pads under the furniture and mats at the doors keep grit from scratching it.
Many engineered floors can, glued down or floating over the right underlayment. Most Florida homes sit on a slab, so we check your floor’s installation instructions and test the slab for moisture first.
Often, if the layer of real wood on top is thick enough. A thick one can be sanded and refinished; a thin one gets a fresh coat of finish instead.
Hickory, then maple, then oak. On an engineered board, the finish and the top layer matter as much as the species.
Yes, with a little care. It handles humidity better than solid wood, but it's still wood: keep the air conditioning running, wipe up spills, and let it settle in the house before it goes down, as its maker says.
In a kitchen, yes, as long as spills get wiped up. A full bathroom sees standing water, so tile or luxury vinyl is the safer choice there; each floor's maker says where it can go.
It can be, if you choose for it. A harder wood like white oak or hickory, a matte finish and a wire-brushed texture hide nail marks far better than a smooth, glossy floor. Keep the nails trimmed, put a mat under the water bowl, and wipe paws after a walk on the beach.
Yes: compare it with the other materials in our Sarasota showroom, and ask for a free estimate in your home.
