Grenache Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99 per square foot installed in Fort Myers — a honey-toned American Hickory floor from LW Flooring’s Sonoma Valley collection. The wirebrushed and handscraped surface gives it genuine character without looking overdone. Available in a mixed-width format of 3-inch and 7½-inch planks, it reads like reclaimed wood but performs like a modern engineered product.
Grenache is designed for main living areas, dining rooms, bedrooms, and home offices — anywhere you want the warmth of real hardwood without the movement risk of solid wood. The engineered construction keeps it stable through Florida’s humidity swings, and all three installation methods (float, glue, or nail) make it compatible with the concrete slab foundations that dominate Southwest Florida homes.
The 2 mm wear layer and polyurethane-with-aluminum-oxide finish hold up to daily foot traffic, pet nails, and the sandy grit that follows everyone in from the beach. The lifetime residential warranty adds long-term confidence for primary residences and seasonal homes alike.
| Plank Width | 3″ & 7-1/2″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 74-3/4″ Random Length |
| Thickness | 1/2″ |
| Wear Layer | 2 mm |
| Finish | Polyurethane with Aluminum Oxide |
| Species | American Hickory |
At $8.99 per square foot installed, Grenache is priced to include everything needed for a complete job: delivery to your home, removal of your existing floor covering, standard subfloor preparation, full installation, baseboards, and transition strips. We also handle material disposal so your home is clean when we leave.
Some situations carry additional cost — significant subfloor leveling beyond routine prep, stair nosing on multi-story homes, and any custom inlays or decorative borders fall outside the base price. Request a free in-home measurement and we’ll put every line item in writing before any work begins.
Solid hardwood and Grenache are both real American Hickory — the species, look, and feel at the surface are nearly identical. The difference is what’s underneath. Solid hardwood is a single piece of wood that expands and contracts with humidity changes. In Fort Myers, where indoor humidity can swing dramatically between rainy season and air-conditioned interiors, that movement can cause cupping, gapping, or buckling over time — especially on slab.
Grenache’s engineered construction layers the Hickory veneer over a cross-ply core that resists dimensional movement. It can be glued directly to concrete, which solid hardwood generally cannot. The trade-off: Grenache’s 2 mm wear layer limits refinishing compared to thicker solid planks. Solid hardwood wins on long-term refinishing potential; engineered wins on stability for SWFL conditions.
| Grenache | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Good — resists humidity movement | Poor — expands and cups on slab |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 2 mm polyurethane + aluminum oxide | Thicker wear, more refinish cycles |
| Comfort underfoot | Warm, real wood feel | Identical — same species |
| Installed price | $8.99/sq ft installed | Typically $10–$14/sq ft installed |
| Best room | Any above-grade or slab-on-grade space | Above-grade only; no concrete install |
Sweep or vacuum with a hard-floor setting daily — fine sand and grit are the biggest threat to any hardwood finish in Southwest Florida. For damp mopping, use a well-wrung microfiber mop with a hardwood-specific cleaner like Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner; avoid excess water standing on the surface. Steer clear of steam mops, ammonia-based products, and oil soaps, which can break down the polyurethane finish over time. Wipe spills promptly, and consider felt pads under furniture legs to prevent scratching across the wirebrushed surface. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
Grenache should acclimate in your home for at least 48 to 72 hours before installation. In Southwest Florida’s humidity, this step is non-negotiable — it lets the planks adjust to your indoor environment so they install flat and stay that way. Keep the boxes in the room where the floor will be laid.
Grenache has a 2 mm wear layer, which allows for light sanding — typically one careful refinish pass, possibly two if done conservatively. It’s not the same refinishing depth you’d get from a thick solid hardwood floor, so it’s worth protecting the finish well from the start to extend the time between refinishes.
Engineered hardwood bonds a real wood veneer over a layered core, which resists the expansion and contraction caused by humidity changes. Solid hardwood is a single piece of wood that moves significantly with moisture. In Southwest Florida, where humidity is high and most homes sit on concrete slab, engineered construction is the stable, practical choice — solid hardwood on slab is generally not recommended.
Grenache is well-suited for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and home offices. Avoid bathrooms and laundry rooms where standing water is common. It can be floated, glued, or nailed, giving it flexibility for most above-grade spaces and slab-on-grade installations — but it’s not rated for below-grade or basement use.
A single room generally takes one day. A full home install — multiple rooms, hallways, and transitions — typically runs two to four days depending on square footage and subfloor conditions. The mixed-width plank format (3-inch and 7½-inch) adds some layout planning time, but it’s not significantly more complex than a standard single-width install.
Yes — Grenache is approved for glue-down installation directly over concrete slab, which is the standard foundation type across Southwest Florida. The engineered core handles the moisture vapor that concrete naturally emits better than solid hardwood. A moisture barrier or moisture-tolerant adhesive should be used as part of a proper slab install.
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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