Appearance

• Repeated picture on surface
• Available in hardwood, tile and other appearances
• Very dependent on product overall finished quality

• Elegant - Class
• No two floors are ever identical due to variance in wood grains
• Domestic & exotic woods
• Array of stain colors, gloss factors, edge details

Typical Warranties

• Wear, fading and staining: 5 to 30 years
• Moisture resistance from cleaners and spills: 5 to 30 years
• Will not unlock at seams: 0 to 20 years

Note: Warranties vary dramatically between on and off-shore manufacturers.

• Prefinished:

Structural Integrity - Lifetime

Finish - 3 to 25 years

• Unfinished:

Although available, unfinished engineered hardwood is not common. Warranties are generally very limited.

Life Expectancy

• Dependent on overall quality of the product life expectancies will vary between 10 and 30 years

• Dependent on thickness of hardwood finish layer. Minimum life should be 25 years, pending no damage from external sources.

Child Friendly

• Can be gouged & scratched
• Liquid spills can damage surface and cause boards rot

• Can be scratched
• Liquid spills can damage surface and cause boards to warp and rot

Pet Friendly

• Can be scratched
• Pet urine can damage surface and cause rot

• Can be scratched
• Pet urine can damage surface and cause boards to warp and rot

Care & Maintenance

• Vacuum, sweep & mop using non-wax cleaners

• Vacuum & mop using non-wax cleaners
• Recoat with polyurethane as needed
• Can be refinished, number of refinishing based on thickness of surface layer - refinishing required every 15 to 25 years

Installation

• Interlocking floating construction
• Requires underlayment

Additional information about laminate flooring underlayment

• Interlocking floating construction (no glue needed): Tongue and groove locking

• Glue, staple or floating

Standard construction: Glue, staple or float/glue to sub-floor

Interlocking floating construction (no glue needed): Tongue and groove locking

Both constructions: Over wood, concrete or existing floor with the exception of carpet

Grade Levels

• Below grade
• On grade
• Above grade

• Below grade
• On grade
• Above grade

Room Installation

• All rooms with following exceptions:
• Full & half bathrooms - not recommended - laminate is sensitive to water.

• All rooms with following exceptions:
• Full & half bathrooms - not recommended - hardwood is very sensitive to humidity fluctuations and water.

Note: As hardwood scratches consideration should be given to installations in foyers as dirt brought into the home can scratch the surface.

Budgeting

• Material cost $0.75/sq. ft. to $6/sq. ft. - dependent on quality of material and finish
• Installation cost (contractor):

$1/sq. ft. to $4/sq. ft.

Note: Sq. ft. installation prices do not include the material or installation costs of underlayment, or repairs to sub-floors.

Note: Installing laminate flooring on steps is not included in the pricing.

• Material cost $2.50/sq. ft. to $10/sq. ft. - dependent on quality of hardwood, finish and species.
• Installation cost (contractor):

Prefinished - $3/sq. ft. to $5/sq. ft.

Unfinished engineered hardwood, finished on site - $5/sq. ft. to $8/sq. ft.

Note: Sq. ft. installation prices do not include the material or installation costs of underlayment, or repairs to sub-floors.

Note: Installing hardwood flooring on steps is not included in the pricing.

DIY Complexity - Scale 1 to 5 with 1 being the easiest.

• Interlocking floating without glue - 2

• Standard with glue or staples - 3
• Standard floating with glue - 3
• Interlocking floating without glue - 2

Hardwood /

Engineered Hardwood

Laminate

Vinyl Sheet

Vinyl Sheet /

Hardwood

Linoleum

Vinyl Tile

Laminate /

Engineered Hardwood

Hardwood