Wild Blackberry Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99 per square foot installed in Fort Myers — a handscraped American Hickory floor from LW Flooring’s Traditions collection with rich walnut tones and a low-variation grain that reads as deliberate and grounded rather than busy. The wide 6-1/2″ plank and beveled edge give each board a defined, furniture-grade presence.
American Hickory is one of the hardest domestic wood species available, which makes Wild Blackberry a practical pick for living rooms, dining rooms, and main hallways that see real daily traffic. The 1/2″ engineered construction — a real wood veneer bonded to a stable plywood core — handles Southwest Florida’s humidity swings better than solid hardwood, which can cup or gap when moisture levels shift with the seasons.
For homes built on concrete slabs, which is most of Fort Myers and Cape Coral, engineered hardwood is the right call. This floor can go down with glue directly to the slab, and the polyurethane-with-aluminum-oxide finish adds meaningful surface hardness. Seasonal residents will appreciate that the stable core resists the humidity spikes that happen when a home sits closed for months.
| Plank Width | 6-1/2″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 74-4/5″ Random Length |
| Thickness | 1/2″ |
| Wear Layer | 1.2 mm |
| Finish | Polyurethane with Aluminum Oxide |
| Species | American Hickory |
Flooring Queen installs Wild Blackberry at $8.99 per square foot, covering material, labor, removal of your old flooring, surface prep for typical conditions, new baseboard installation, and transition strips between rooms. The quote you receive before any work begins is written and itemized — no surprises at the end of the job.
Some situations carry an additional charge: significant subfloor leveling (more than minor high spots), stair nosing, inlays or custom border work, or unusually complex room layouts. We measure your space at no cost, assess the subfloor in person, and document exactly what your project requires before you commit.
Shoppers who want real wood often land on the question of engineered versus solid. Wild Blackberry uses a genuine American Hickory wear layer over a plywood core, so the surface you see and feel is authentic hardwood — the difference is structural, not cosmetic.
Solid hardwood expands and contracts with humidity changes, which creates real problems on Florida concrete slabs and in coastal environments. Engineered hardwood’s layered core resists that movement. The trade-off: solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished more times over a lifetime. Wild Blackberry’s 1.2 mm wear layer allows a light refinish, but it’s not unlimited. For most Fort Myers homes — slab foundations, high humidity, seasonal occupancy — engineered is the more practical choice.
| Wild Blackberry | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Good; resists humidity swings | Poor; cups and gaps with moisture |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 1.2 mm aluminum oxide finish | Varies; no fixed wear layer |
| Comfort underfoot | Warm, real wood feel | Warm, real wood feel |
| Installed price | $8.99/sq ft installed | Typically $10–$14/sq ft installed |
| Best room | Main living areas, on slab | Upstairs rooms, wood subfloor only |
Sweep or dust-mop daily to keep grit from working against the aluminum oxide finish — fine sand tracked in from Southwest Florida driveways is the most common cause of dull spots over time. For deeper cleaning, use a hardwood-specific cleaner such as Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or a comparable pH-balanced product applied with a well-wrung mop; standing water on the surface is what you want to avoid. Skip steam mops entirely — the heat and moisture can soften the adhesive bond and raise the veneer edges. Re-coat the surface finish rather than a full sand-down if dullness develops. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
Allow at least 48 to 72 hours for the flooring to acclimate inside your home before installation. In Southwest Florida’s humidity, this step matters — the planks need to reach equilibrium with your interior conditions so they don’t shift after they’re down. Keep your HVAC running at normal occupancy settings during that period.
Yes, Wild Blackberry can be lightly refinished, but the 1.2 mm wear layer limits how many times that’s realistic — typically one careful screen-and-recoat rather than a full sand-down. If the surface dulls from years of use, a professional re-coat can restore it. Deep scratches that reach the core generally can’t be sanded out without risking the veneer.
Real wood floors — including engineered — consistently rank as a positive factor with buyers in Southwest Florida. Hickory in a wide-plank format appeals to the move-up buyer segment that dominates Fort Myers and Naples resale. That said, condition matters more than the floor type itself; a well-maintained engineered floor outperforms a scratched solid one every time.
It depends on the condition and height of your existing surface. This floor supports float, glue, and nail installations, so floating over a flat, stable tile is sometimes possible — but any lippage or height transition at doorways has to be resolved first. We check the subfloor during the in-home measure and will tell you directly whether removal is necessary.
Flooring Queen installs Wild Blackberry throughout the greater Fort Myers area and regularly works in Cape Coral and Bonita Springs as well. If you’re outside those areas, call us — coverage often extends further than homeowners expect, and a quick conversation will confirm whether we serve your neighborhood.
American Hickory is a dense species and the aluminum oxide finish adds meaningful surface hardness, so everyday pet movement and light claw contact holds up reasonably well. The 1.2 mm wear layer is not impervious to deep gouges from large dogs, but it handles normal pet traffic better than softer wood species. Cleanup is straightforward — dried accidents should be wiped promptly so moisture doesn’t sit at the seams.
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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