Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Question

Hi,Curious to everyone's experience with engineered hardwoods. Is there anything specific that you need to look out for (thickness, hardness level, installation method)? Any recommendations on suppliers? Working on a higher end flip ~700k

Sean S. · Answer

Hello all,Thought I'd check back and provide an update for anyone that was tracking this post. I ended up going with engineered hardwoods. 3mm wear level, 1/2" thick, ~$4 a sq ft, 70" length, matte finish- natural white oak, and used the nail down method. The property ended up selling for above asking price within a couple days and one of the most common feedbacks from the potential buyers was that they loved the floors. Happy to answer any questions about my experience. I fully plan on and would recommend using engineered hardwoods in future flips. Just take your time with the selection process to make sure you don't buy cheap junk.

Ben Skaggs · Answer

@Sean S.I worked at a remodel store for 2 years. My thought was a technical guy would be the best salesman. My boss said I was the smartest guy to work there, but that didn't translate to closing sales.Engineered hardwood is the most stable wood product. The plys, or layers, of wood are cross laminated improving resistance to warping and cupping. As mentioned it's not going to be refinished ever. And in my house, which is maintained temperature and humidity. The top layer, the actual species, delaminated on 2 pieces on 1500sf. But I still wouldn't change a thing. Beautiful results

Bill Caraker · Answer

Hey Sean, I sell a lot of new construction and almost all of them have engineered hardwood. Not too much comes to mind on the consumer end but make sure it looks good with the other finishes. I suggest a lighter color that won't show scratches as much. If you want a 2nd opinion before you buy let me know.

James Hamling · Answer

@Sean S. your statements are of doing a high end flip and your asking about doing cheap box store click lock flooring???? If you were flipping a Lambo would you do the finish paint via spray cans???? Flooring is one of the "holly trinity" items of kitchen, bath, flooring. You screw that up via penny pinching, buyers are gonna penalize you for it. If it's a high end flip you need to be going through a flooring contractor, and they will be able to meet on-site with sample boards and tell you what people in that desired home sale $$$$ range are expecting and looking for, not you guessing via Home Depot..... Then be smart, do what the flooring designer says, if you want top $$$$ and quick sale it doesn't happen via cheap crap flooring. A high end buyer walks in and sees that, done, they automatically assume everything else is cheap crap. When flipping it's paramount that you build for your audience, and KNOW your audience. I have never made a selection of finishes in any of my flips, the audience I was building for pre-determined what my flip was going to end as, that's when you know your flipping correctly.

Ben Skaggs · Answer

@Sean S.Mine is 2mm, 1/2 inch planks. Scratches are usually in the finish. So what you want to look for is the wear layer thickness. Really good products would have .012 thickness or more. Most wood is finished with aluminum oxide in the finish to provide better protection. Better products might use ceramic beads. The Janka rating is the hardness of the wood itself. It's resistance to denting. The biggest help to wood floors are felt pads on anything touching the floor. Next is keeping it as clean as possible. Anything you walk on could scratch or dent the floor.

James Hamling · Answer

@Sean S. your post says a HIGH END property, there is absolutely nothing high-end about any kind of floating click lock, nothing, and anyone giving that advice is clueless. Here is a great way to get informed, look up home for sale, finished homes, in the area and price range of what your trying to flip and go see how they look, check out the finishes. Go to open houses if available, hell off those agent to pay for the food they put out if they let you lurk and listen in for the day, this is what I used to do to best get a pulse of my target market. Then go look at the new construction units your competing against, unless your in some bizarre vortex of the universe there is never be any kind of floating click-lock floor in highend homes, never. There will be tile, nice tile. There will be real hardwoods no fake BS, ever. Yes there will be LVT BUT it is real actual LVT and if your not familiar with the difference go to a flooring contractor showroom who does these level of homes and ask them to show the difference, they will be happy to spend an hour educating a person on this, again I did this in early days. Throughout my early years of house flipping I probably spent no less than 1,000 hours doing various market research from going to open houses, showing walk-thrus, meeting with various designers, home builders, trade shows and so on. Walking Home Depot and randomly selecting items will not end well, I guarantee it. Here is what matters most, I have actually flipped homes, a LOT of homes, more than most have ever read about. I have flipped high end homes including the highest of tiers in 2% level high end homes where we had architects and designers involved, all the way down to sec8 property conversions to multi-units, apartment communicatees and all points in-between. I actually know what I am talking about, I am speaking from real world experience.

Sean S. · Answer

@James Hamling Thanks for the response and input! I see what your saying and respect your opinion, but I'm curious as to what part about my flooring plan feels cheap? Is it that I was planning on doing floating click-lock or that I am planning on engineered hardwoods? All of the comps in the area have some type of hardwood floor. I researched engineered hardwoods and was told by many that they are viewed as the same level finish as traditional hardwood floors. A handful of flooring contractors even recommended doing a higher-end LVP instead, but I think that has more of a rental property feel. I'm trying to find out more about the veneer thickness for engineered hardwoods so I don't end up with the equivalent of a spray painted lambo haha.

Sean S. · Answer

@Frank Hinck Thanks for the response! It is a flip and I am targeting the floating click lock installation pre-stained engineered hardwoods. I'm mainly looking on guidance for what range of veneer thickness is reasonable. I've seen the veneer ranges from 0.6mm to 4 mm. Any experience with 0.6mm veneer?

Frank Hinck · Answer

@Sean S.If it’s a flip then engineered is a good idea. Not a good idea for your own rental. Yes check on the veneer thickness and if it’s prestained or if you have to stain it.

Sean S. · Answer

@Ben Skaggs I thought that the wear layer thickness was the same thing as the veneer thickness? What have you found to be the best method for cleaning the floors?