Cezanne Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99 per square foot installed in Fort Myers — a wirebrushed European White Oak floor in a warm natural tone from LW Flooring’s French Impressions collection. The wide 7-inch plank and medium variation give it an honest, lived-in quality that reads as real wood without the fussiness of a perfectly uniform floor.
At 3/8-inch thick with a glue-down or nail-down install, Cezanne is built for concrete slabs — the foundation type under most Fort Myers and Cape Coral homes. The engineered construction resists the seasonal humidity swings that plague solid hardwood in Southwest Florida, making it a practical choice for living rooms, dining rooms, and primary bedrooms.
The polyurethane finish with aluminum oxide adds surface hardness for everyday foot traffic, and the lifetime residential warranty backs it up. Seasonal homeowners who leave the house closed during summer will appreciate that the engineered core handles the temperature and humidity cycling better than solid planks.
| Plank Width | 7″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 71″ Random Length |
| Thickness | 3/8″ |
| Wear Layer | 1.2 mm |
| Finish | Polyurethane with Aluminum Oxide |
| Species | European White Oak |
Flooring Queen installs Cezanne at $8.99 per square foot, and that price covers the full scope of a standard project: delivery, removal of your existing floor covering, routine subfloor preparation, installation, baseboard reinstallation, transition strips between rooms, and cleanup and material removal when we’re done.
Work that falls outside a standard scope — significant floor leveling, stair nosing, herringbone or diagonal layouts, or custom border inlays — is quoted separately. Before any work begins, we schedule a free in-home measurement and put together a written quote so you know exactly what you’re paying. No surprises at the invoice.
Solid hardwood and Cezanne share the same species — European White Oak — so the visual difference on your floor is essentially zero. The real difference is structural. Solid hardwood expands and contracts more aggressively with humidity changes, which makes it a risky choice over the concrete slabs common throughout Southwest Florida. Engineered construction handles that movement far better.
Where solid hardwood has a clear edge is refinishing depth — a 3/4-inch solid plank can be sanded multiple times over decades. Cezanne’s 1.2 mm wear layer allows for light refinishing, but not as many passes. If multi-generational refinishing is a priority, solid hardwood wins. If slab installation and humidity stability matter more, Cezanne is the more practical call for this climate.
| Cezanne | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Better — engineered core is more stable | Lower — solid wood swells more with moisture |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 1.2 mm aluminum oxide finish | Varies; no fixed wear layer — full thickness |
| 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 | Slab-on-grade living areas, bedrooms | Above-grade rooms with wood subfloor |
Sweep or vacuum with a hard-floor attachment weekly to clear the grit that accumulates in wirebrushed texture — that grit acts like sandpaper underfoot over time. For damp cleaning, use a well-wrung mop with a hardwood-specific cleaner such as Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or WOCA Wood Floor Soap; both are pH-balanced and safe for polyurethane finishes. Avoid steam mops entirely — the moisture forces its way into the wood core. Skip vinegar, ammonia-based cleaners, and anything marketed for tile or stone, as these break down the finish prematurely. Clean spills promptly; standing water is the main enemy of any wood floor in a humid climate like Fort Myers. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
Engineered hardwood generally needs 3 to 5 days to acclimate inside your home before installation. In Southwest Florida’s humidity, skipping this step risks gapping or buckling after install. Leave the boxes stacked in the room where they’ll be installed, with the HVAC running at your normal living temperature.
A 1.2 mm wear layer supports one careful light sand-and-recoat, not the deep refinishing you’d do on a thick solid plank. That’s enough to address surface scratches or a dull finish after years of use, but you won’t get multiple full refinishes the way you would from a 3/4-inch solid board.
Cezanne installs via glue-down or nail-down, so whether existing tile stays or goes depends on its condition and height. Loose, cracked, or uneven tile typically needs to come up first. We check height transitions and surface flatness during the measure visit and tell you exactly what prep is needed before we quote the job.
Day-to-day maintenance is low-cost: a bottle of Bona or a similar hardwood cleaner runs about $10–$15 and lasts months. There’s no annual sealing or waxing required with a polyurethane finish. The only significant future expense would be a screen-and-recoat — typically $1.50–$2.50 per square foot — which most floors won’t need for 10 or more years.
Real wood flooring — including engineered hardwood — consistently tests well with buyers and appraisers in Southwest Florida, particularly in higher price brackets. It won’t offset an overpriced listing, but it tends to photograph well and appeals to buyers upgrading from carpet or vinyl. In a competitive market, it’s a neutral-to-positive factor, not a guaranteed return.
Many Southwest Florida condo HOAs require an IIC and STC rating — commonly IIC 50 or higher — when installing hard flooring over a concrete slab. Engineered hardwood alone typically doesn’t meet that threshold without a compliant underlayment. Check your HOA’s specific bylaw, then ask us for documentation on compatible underlayment options to include in your board submission before work starts.
Engineered hardwood is the only wood we recommend over SWFL slabs, and we install it every week. Our team handles substrate moisture testing, layout, install, and trim from one source. Written installed quote: (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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