Godello Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99 per square foot installed in Fort Myers — a wirebrushed European White Oak floor from LW Flooring’s Sonoma Valley collection in a warm, natural beige. The wide 7-1/2″ planks and medium variation give it the kind of relaxed, organic look that reads as genuinely wood-forward, not manufactured.
Godello is engineered over a stable core, which makes it a practical choice for the concrete slab foundations common throughout Lee and Collier counties. Southwest Florida’s year-round heat and humidity are hard on solid hardwood, but the engineered construction here resists the seasonal movement that causes cupping and gapping. The polyurethane finish with aluminum oxide adds a meaningful layer of surface protection against everyday scuffs.
The 7-1/2″ plank width works well in open-concept living rooms, primary bedrooms, and dining spaces — rooms where the wider board shows off the wirebrushed texture. It holds up in snowbird and seasonal-rental homes where floors sit closed up for months at a time, as long as HVAC humidity control is maintained.
| Plank Width | 7-1/2″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 75-1/4″ Random Length |
| Thickness | 1/2″ |
| Wear Layer | 2 mm |
| Finish | Polyurethane with Aluminum Oxide |
| Species | European White Oak |
Flooring Queen installs Godello at $8.99 per square foot, and that number covers material delivery, removal of your existing floor covering, standard subfloor preparation, full installation, baseboard reinstallation, transition strips between rooms, and job-site cleanup and debris removal. There are no hidden line items for those standard components.
Some situations carry additional cost: significant floor-leveling work on an uneven slab, stair nosing, angled or herringbone layouts, and custom inlay borders all fall outside the standard scope. Call or visit our Fort Myers showroom for a free in-home measurement — you’ll walk away with a written quote specific to your home before anything is scheduled.
Solid hardwood and Godello are both real European White Oak, so the material character — grain, texture, warmth underfoot — is nearly identical. The difference is structural. Solid hardwood is a single plank all the way through, which gives it more refinishing potential over decades but also makes it far more vulnerable to moisture-driven movement. In Southwest Florida, where slab foundations are standard and indoor humidity swings seasonally, solid hardwood can cup, warp, or gap without consistent climate control.
Godello’s engineered construction is dimensionally more stable in those conditions, and it can still be lightly sanded and refinished thanks to its 2 mm wear layer. Solid hardwood costs more installed and requires a wood subfloor in most cases. Godello installs over concrete with float, glue, or nail methods — a real practical advantage here.
| Godello | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Moderate — avoid standing water | Low — moisture causes warping |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 2 mm oak + aluminum oxide finish | Full thickness, no separate wear layer |
| Comfort underfoot | Warm, solid wood feel | Identical wood feel |
| Installed price | $8.99/sq ft installed | Typically $10–$14/sq ft installed |
| Best room | Living areas, bedrooms, over slab | Upper floors, wood subfloor only |
Sweep or dry-mop Godello regularly to keep grit from grinding into the aluminum oxide finish — fine sand tracked in from Southwest Florida driveways is the most common source of fine scratching. For damp cleaning, use a hardwood-specific cleaner such as Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or WOCA Wood Cleaner applied with a well-wrung mop; never let water pool on the surface. Avoid steam mops entirely — the heat and moisture can penetrate the micro-beveled edges and compromise the core over time. Skip ammonia-based or oil-soap products, which can leave a residue that dulls the polyurethane finish. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
Engineered hardwood like Godello should acclimate in the installation space for at least 48 to 72 hours before installation. In Southwest Florida’s higher ambient humidity, some installers extend that to 5 days — especially if the home has been closed up or recently had HVAC work done. Keep the bags unopened in the room where the floor will go.
Yes, Godello can be refinished — the 2 mm European White Oak wear layer is thick enough for one careful light sand and recoat, sometimes two depending on the depth of wear. That’s fewer passes than a solid hardwood floor, so it won’t extend across multiple generations, but it does give you a real refresh option if the finish dulls over years of use.
Engineered hardwood is real wood on top bonded to a layered core, which makes it significantly more stable when humidity fluctuates. Solid hardwood is one piece all the way through and expands and contracts more aggressively with moisture changes — a serious problem on concrete slabs in Southwest Florida, where moisture vapor moves up through the slab year-round. Godello’s engineered construction is the right match for that environment.
In many cases Godello can install over existing hard flooring — the product supports float and glue installation methods, which work over tile and vinyl when the surface is flat, fully bonded, and within acceptable height tolerances. Loose tiles, severely uneven grout joints, or thick existing floors can require removal first. Your in-home measurement will flag anything that needs to be addressed before install day.
A single room typically takes one day once installation begins. A whole-home project in the 1,500–2,500 square foot range common in Fort Myers generally runs two to four days depending on room count, transitions, and any prep work needed. Acclimation time adds 48–72 hours before the crew starts, so plan for that buffer when scheduling around a move-in or rental turnover.
LW Flooring backs Godello with a lifetime residential warranty and a 5-year light commercial warranty. Manufacturer warranties on engineered hardwood typically cover finish wear, structural integrity, and manufacturing defects — they generally exclude damage from water exposure, improper installation, or cleaning with unapproved products. Keeping records of your cleaning routine and installer paperwork helps if you ever need to make a claim.
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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