Navajo Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99/sq ft installed in Fort Myers — an oak-look floor in a warm honey tone from LW Flooring’s Riverstone collection. The 7-inch-wide planks carry an embossed-in-register surface that reads as genuine wood grain without the upkeep of solid wood. It’s a straightforward choice for homeowners who want the character of hardwood at a realistic price point.
At 5.5mm thick with a click-lock installation system, Navajo is engineered to float over concrete slab — the foundation type in the vast majority of Southwest Florida homes. That matters here: solid hardwood glued to slab is a gamble in our humidity, but engineered construction handles the expansion and contraction cycles that come with coastal air and year-round heat.
The honey oak tone works well in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and home offices. The painted beveled edge and embossed-in-register texture hide minor scuffs and daily grit — a real advantage in homes with sandy floors from nearby beaches or active households with pets.
| Plank Width | 7″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 60″ |
| Thickness | 5.5mm |
| Wear Layer | 20 mil |
| Finish | Polyurethane |
| Species | Look |
Flooring Queen installs Navajo at $8.99 per square foot, all in. That covers delivery, removal of the existing floor covering, standard surface prep, installation of the planks, new baseboards, and transition strips between rooms. Old material gets loaded up and taken away — you don’t deal with disposal.
Some conditions run extra: heavy leveling compounds for significantly uneven slabs, stair nosing, or custom layout patterns like herringbone. We measure your space at no charge and put the full scope of work in writing before any commitment — so you know the real number before a crew shows up.
The main reason shoppers cross-shop engineered hardwood against solid hardwood is authenticity — solid is real wood all the way through, and some species can be sanded and refinished multiple times over decades. That’s a genuine long-term advantage, but it comes with trade-offs in Southwest Florida’s climate.
Solid hardwood expands and contracts significantly with humidity swings. Gluing it to concrete slab — the standard foundation here — requires precise moisture barriers and isn’t always advisable. Navajo’s engineered construction is dimensionally more stable, clicks together without adhesive, and installs faster. Solid hardwood typically costs more and requires acclimatization windows that can stretch installation timelines. For most SWFL homes, engineered is the more practical choice; solid hardwood makes more sense in climate-controlled rooms with wood subfloors.
| Navajo | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Surface-resistant; not waterproof core | Susceptible to moisture damage |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | Polyurethane finish; 20 mil wear layer | Finish depth varies; sandable |
| Comfort underfoot | Wood core; warm, firm feel | Solid wood; natural warmth |
| Installed price | $8.99/sq ft installed | Typically $10–$14/sq ft installed |
| Best room | Slab-on-grade living areas, bedrooms | Wood subfloor, low-humidity rooms |
Sweep or vacuum daily to remove grit — fine sand from Southwest Florida beaches is abrasive and the leading cause of surface dulling on hardwood finishes. Use a lightly dampened mop and a hardwood-specific cleaner like Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner; avoid saturating the planks or letting water pool near seams or the beveled edges. Do not use steam mops, acidic cleaners, or vinegar-based solutions — these break down the polyurethane finish over time. Place felt pads under furniture legs and use entry mats to reduce the volume of debris tracked across the floor. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
Engineered hardwood generally needs 48–72 hours to acclimate inside your home before installation. In Southwest Florida’s humidity — which can swing significantly with seasonal air conditioning use — giving the planks time to stabilize in your actual living environment reduces the risk of gapping or bowing after install. Keep your AC running at normal levels during acclimation.
Navajo carries a 20 mil wear layer, which is on the thicker end for engineered hardwood and does allow for light sanding and refinishing — typically once, possibly twice, depending on the depth of any scratches and how conservatively the sanding is done. It won’t give you the five-plus refinish cycles of thick solid hardwood, but it’s not a throw-away floor either.
Flooring Queen installs throughout Southwest Florida, including Cape Coral and Bonita Springs, as well as Naples, Estero, and surrounding communities. If you’re unsure whether your address falls within our service area, give us a call — we can usually confirm quickly and schedule your no-cost in-home measurement.
Navajo uses a click-lock system, which means it floats rather than being glued down — that opens the door to installing over existing tile or vinyl in some cases. Whether it actually makes sense depends on the height of the existing floor, the condition of the surface, and door clearances. We assess all of that during the measure before recommending an approach.
The polyurethane finish on Navajo resists surface moisture, and routine spills wiped up promptly won’t cause damage. However, the core is wood-based, not waterproof — standing water, persistent leaks, or flooding can cause swelling and warping. It holds up well against everyday moisture in kitchens and living areas, but it’s not the right pick for bathrooms or laundry rooms.
LW Flooring backs Navajo with a lifetime residential warranty. That typically covers manufacturing defects and finish failure under normal residential use. Warranties of this type generally exclude damage from improper installation, flooding, or use outside the manufacturer’s guidelines — so keeping your install documentation and following the care instructions matters if you ever need to make a claim.
Flooring Queen has over 20 years of experience installing engineered hardwood across Southwest Florida — slab foundations, humidity, the realities Florida throws at real wood. We install everything ourselves. Free in-home measure: (239) 763-0770.
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Reviewed by Jack Maya, Lead Installer at Flooring Queen — 20+ years installing flooring in Southwest Florida.
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