Degas Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99/sq ft installed in Fort Myers — a wirebrushed European White Oak floor in a warm walnut tone, part of LW Flooring’s French Impressions collection. The 7-inch-wide planks and low variation give rooms a calm, curated look without the noise of heavily figured wood. It’s a classically European aesthetic built for real Florida living.
Degas is a practical fit for Southwest Florida homes built on concrete slab. The glue-down installation method bonds directly to slab, which is exactly what most Fort Myers and Cape Coral homes call for. At 3/8″ thick with a 1.2 mm wear layer and a polyurethane-aluminum oxide finish, it handles daily foot traffic, sandy floors tracked in from the beach, and the humidity swings that come with a Gulf Coast climate.
The low color variation makes it especially good for open-plan living areas and primary bedrooms where you want a consistent look across a wide floor. Seasonal homeowners will appreciate the lifetime residential warranty — it’s not a floor you’ll be replacing after a few years of part-time use.
| 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 |
The installed price for Degas is $8.99 per square foot, and that covers the full scope of a standard job: delivering the material, pulling up your existing flooring, prepping the subfloor within normal tolerances, installing the planks, and fitting baseboard trim and transition strips. Old flooring and debris are carted away as part of the job.
Work outside the standard scope — significant slab leveling, stair nosing, or custom layout patterns — is quoted separately. Flooring Queen offers a no-cost in-home measurement and a written quote before any commitment, so you’ll know the total number before the project starts.
Shoppers who want the look of real wood often compare engineered hardwood like Degas to solid hardwood flooring. The core difference is structural: Degas uses a layered core that handles moisture and slab installation far better than solid wood, which swells and contracts more dramatically in Florida’s humidity. Solid hardwood cannot be glued directly to concrete without significant risk of movement — Degas can.
Where solid hardwood has the edge is refinishing depth. A thicker solid plank can be sanded down multiple times over decades. Degas has a 1.2 mm wear layer, which allows for light refinishing but not the same number of full passes. Both are real wood on the surface; solid just gives you more future sanding cycles if that’s a priority.
| Degas | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Handles humidity; avoid standing water | Swells readily; poor in high humidity |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 1.2 mm polyurethane + aluminum oxide | Varies; full-thickness wood throughout |
| Comfort underfoot | Warm, natural wood feel | Warm, natural wood feel |
| Installed price | $8.99/sq ft | Typically $10–14/sq ft installed |
| Best room | Living areas, bedrooms, slab-on-grade | Upper floors, low-humidity climates |
Sweep or vacuum daily to keep sand and grit from scratching the finish — use a soft-bristle attachment rather than a beater bar. Damp-mop with a wood-safe cleaner like Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or a similar pH-balanced formula; avoid saturating the floor with water or using steam mops, which can push moisture into the seams and cause the planks to cup. Wipe up spills quickly. Never use oil soaps, wax-based products, or acidic household cleaners, as these break down the polyurethane finish over time and can void the warranty. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
In Southwest Florida’s humidity, engineered hardwood like Degas typically needs 48 to 72 hours of acclimation in the actual room where it will be installed. Keep the HVAC running at your normal living temperature during that period — not turned off to save energy — so the planks stabilize to real conditions before they’re locked down.
Degas can be lightly refinished, but the 1.2 mm wear layer limits how many times. As a general rule, a wear layer this thickness supports one careful screen-and-recoat refinishing, not repeated full sands. If deep scratches or heavy wear accumulate over many years, consult a hardwood refinishing specialist to assess what’s possible before committing.
For a single room, installation typically runs one to two days including acclimation time. A whole-home project in the 1,500–2,500 sq ft range usually takes three to five days on-site, depending on layout complexity and subfloor condition. Glue-down installs on concrete require cure time, so plan for the floor to be off-limits briefly after the crew finishes.
Engineered hardwood like Degas is not waterproof. The aluminum oxide finish resists surface moisture well, but water that sits in seams or puddles overnight can cause the wood to swell, cup, or stain the core. Wipe up spills promptly. This floor performs well in Florida’s ambient humidity but is not appropriate for wet areas like bathrooms or laundry rooms.
Yes — Flooring Queen installs Degas throughout Southwest Florida, including Cape Coral and Bonita Springs, along with surrounding areas across Lee and Collier counties. If you’re unsure whether your address falls within the service area, just call or submit your zip code when scheduling the free in-home measurement.
Day-to-day care costs very little. A bottle of Bona Hardwood Cleaner runs around $10–15 and lasts for months of regular mopping. You won’t need professional cleaning on any set schedule. The main potential future cost is a refinishing or recoat service if the finish shows wear after many years — that’s typically a one-time expense rather than a recurring one.
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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