Hermitage Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99 per square foot installed in Fort Myers — a wirebrushed American Pecan floor in warm beige tones from LW Flooring’s Sonoma Valley collection. The wide 7-1/2″ planks and medium variation give it an unhurried, organic character that reads as natural wood without being overdone. It’s the kind of floor that settles into a room rather than competing with it.
Hermitage is a strong candidate for living rooms, dining rooms, primary bedrooms, and open-plan spaces where real wood character matters. The engineered construction — a real Pecan face bonded over a stable core — handles Southwest Florida’s humidity swings far better than solid hardwood. It’s rated for float, glue, or nail installation, which means it works directly over the concrete slab foundations common throughout Fort Myers and Cape Coral.
The polyurethane finish with aluminum oxide adds meaningful surface hardness for a household with moderate foot traffic. The lifetime residential warranty reflects genuine confidence in the product. Seasonal homeowners and snowbird households will appreciate that it holds up during months of vacancy without buckling or gapping the way solid wood can in the coastal humidity.
| Plank Width | 7-1/2″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 82-5/8″ Random Length |
| Thickness | 1/2″ |
| Wear Layer | 1.2 mm |
| Finish | Polyurethane with Aluminum Oxide |
| Species | American Pecan |
Flooring Queen installs Hermitage at $8.99 per square foot, with no hidden line items for standard jobs. That price covers delivery to your home, removal and disposal of your existing floor covering, subfloor preparation for a typical slab (sweep, patch minor voids), installation of the planks, new baseboard reinstallation, and transition strips between rooms or thresholds.
A few things add to that base price: significant subfloor leveling beyond a minor patch, stair nosing pieces, herringbone or diagonal layouts, and custom border work. The best way to get an accurate number for your specific project is to schedule a free in-home measurement — we come to you, assess the space, and hand you a written quote before any commitment is made.
Shoppers drawn to real wood often weigh Hermitage against solid hardwood. The Pecan face on Hermitage is genuine wood — you’re not giving up the grain, the texture, or the warmth. What you’re gaining is dimensional stability. Solid hardwood expands and contracts with humidity, and Fort Myers summers can push indoor RH into ranges that cause solid planks to cup or gap over time, especially over concrete slabs where moisture migrates from below.
Where solid hardwood wins: it can be sanded and refinished more times over its life, which matters in a high-traffic household planning a 30-year hold. Hermitage’s 1.2 mm wear layer allows light refinishing, but the margin is thinner. For most Southwest Florida homes on slab — especially those with any history of moisture — engineered is the more pragmatic choice.
| Hermitage | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Handles humidity; not waterproof | Moisture-sensitive; cups over slab |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 1.2 mm aluminum oxide finish | Varies; typically thicker wear stock |
| Comfort underfoot | Warm, real wood feel | Warm, real wood feel |
| Installed price | $8.99 / sq ft | Typically $10–$14+ / sq ft |
| Best room | Living areas, bedrooms, slab installs | Above-grade rooms, wood subfloor |
Sweep or vacuum Hermitage regularly using a hard-floor setting — avoid a beater bar, which can scuff the wirebrushed Pecan surface over time. For damp mopping, use a well-wrung mop and a hardwood-specific cleaner such as Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or a similar pH-neutral formula designed for polyurethane-finished wood. Do not use steam mops, wax-based products, or oil soaps — they can cloud the finish or work into the micro-beveled edges and cause swelling. Wipe spills promptly; the aluminum oxide finish resists surface water, but standing liquid left too long can work into the seams. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
Engineered hardwood from LW Flooring typically needs 48–72 hours of acclimation inside your home before installation begins. In Southwest Florida, where indoor humidity can run high even with air conditioning, this step matters — letting the planks reach your home’s ambient conditions reduces the chance of gapping or movement after install.
Hermitage can be lightly refinished, but the 1.2 mm wear layer limits how many passes it can take — realistically one light screen-and-recoat, not a full sand-down. If long-term refinishability is a priority, discuss that with us before committing; it’s an honest trade-off worth knowing upfront.
Engineered hardwood has a real wood veneer bonded over a stable layered core, while solid hardwood is one piece of wood all the way through. That core stability is what makes engineered the right call for Southwest Florida — concrete slab foundations emit moisture that causes solid hardwood to cup and warp, while engineered construction resists those seasonal humidity swings.
A single room of 200–300 square feet typically takes one day once acclimation is complete. A whole-home project of 1,000–1,500 square feet generally runs two to three days. Hermitage installs via float, glue, or nail, so the method we choose for your subfloor can affect pacing — we’ll walk through that during your in-home measurement.
Hermitage is not waterproof. The polyurethane surface resists brief moisture contact, but this is an engineered wood product — standing water or a slow leak left unattended can penetrate the seams and damage the core. Clean up spills promptly, and keep it out of bathrooms or laundry rooms where wet conditions are routine.
The aluminum oxide polyurethane finish on Hermitage provides solid everyday hardness, and the wirebrushed texture helps camouflage light surface marks. The 1.2 mm wear layer is adequate for medium pet traffic but won’t be invisible in a household with large, active dogs over many years. Regular nail trimming and swift cleanup of muddy paws will extend the finish noticeably.
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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