Hartwell Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99/sq ft installed in Fort Myers — an oak-look floor in a warm natural tone from LW Flooring’s Lakeview collection. At 7 inches wide and finished with a subtle embossed texture, it reads like real hardwood without the drawbacks that come with living in Southwest Florida. Clean, grounded, and sized to make rooms feel open.
Hartwell is built for the living rooms, bedrooms, and open-plan spaces that define most homes in Fort Myers and the surrounding communities. The click-lock construction and engineered core handle the humidity swings common here — the layered build is far more dimensionally stable than solid wood over a concrete slab, which matters when moisture can migrate up from below.
Seasonal residents and landlords appreciate the durability the polyurethane finish and 20 mil wear surface bring to a floor that may sit unoccupied through a humid summer or see regular turnover. Sandy foot traffic, pets, and the occasional dropped item are everyday realities here, and Hartwell is built to absorb them.
| Plank Width | 7″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 48″ |
| Thickness | 5.0mm |
| Wear Layer | 20 mil |
| Finish | Polyurethane |
| Species | Look |
Flooring Queen installs Hartwell at $8.99 per square foot, covering the full scope of a standard job: old flooring removal and disposal, light subfloor preparation, the installation itself, new baseboards, and transition strips between rooms. Nothing gets bolted on after the fact for routine work.
Certain conditions carry an upcharge — significant subfloor leveling beyond minor corrections, stair nosing, or custom layout patterns like diagonal or herringbone runs. Call or schedule online to arrange a no-cost in-home measure; we’ll walk the space with you and deliver a written quote before any commitment is made.
The most common question we get on Hartwell is whether to go engineered or just buy solid hardwood. Solid hardwood is thicker, can be sanded and refinished more times over its life, and carries a certain appeal for buyers who want the real thing. But solid wood is sensitive to moisture — it expands and contracts with humidity, which is a problem in Southwest Florida’s climate and almost always a problem when installing over a concrete slab.
Engineered hardwood like Hartwell uses a cross-ply core that resists that movement. You still get a genuine wood surface and the oak look, but the construction is matched to the actual conditions in this region. For slab-on-grade homes — which describes most of Fort Myers — engineered is the more practical choice.
| Hartwell | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Better suited for humid climates | Susceptible to moisture / slab movement |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 20 mil polyurethane finish | Varies; depends on species hardness |
| Comfort underfoot | Wood surface, firm feel | Wood surface, firm feel |
| Installed price | $8.99/sq ft installed | Typically $10–$14/sq ft installed |
| Best room | Living areas, bedrooms, slab installs | Above-grade installs, low-humidity regions |
Sweep or vacuum with a soft-bristle attachment regularly — grit tracked in from outside is the leading cause of finish wear on any wood-surface floor. For mopping, use a barely damp microfiber mop and a hardwood-specific cleaner like Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or a comparable pH-balanced formula. Avoid steam mops entirely; sustained heat and moisture will work into the seams over time. Skip vinegar, bleach, or oil-based soaps — all of them degrade the polyurethane finish. Wipe up spills promptly rather than letting liquid sit, and use felt pads under furniture legs to prevent scuffing. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
In Southwest Florida’s humidity, engineered hardwood like Hartwell should acclimate in the installation space for at least 48 to 72 hours before install. Keep the boxes flat, the HVAC running at normal household levels, and the room closed off from outdoor air as much as possible. This lets the planks stabilize before they’re locked in place.
Yes, Hartwell can be lightly refinished, though the number of times is limited by its 5.0mm total thickness and 20 mil wear surface. Most engineered floors at this thickness support one careful screen-and-recoat — a full sand-down is not recommended. For most homeowners, a recoat every 10 to 15 years is the realistic expectation.
Engineered hardwood is built from multiple wood layers bonded in opposing directions, which resists the expansion and contraction that humidity causes in solid wood. On a concrete slab — which is the foundation in most Fort Myers homes — that dimensional stability matters. Solid hardwood can cup or gap as moisture moves through the slab; engineered construction is far better suited to handle it.
In many cases, Hartwell’s click-lock system can float over existing hard, flat surfaces like tile or vinyl without full removal — but it depends on height transitions and surface condition. Our crew checks for lippage, loose sections, and door clearance during the site visit. If the substrate isn’t flat enough, we’ll tell you before the job starts, not after.
Day-to-day, Hartwell costs very little to maintain. A bottle of Bona Hardwood cleaner runs about $10 and lasts months with regular use. No sealing or waxing is needed. If the finish dulls after years of use, a professional screen-and-recoat typically runs $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot — far less than full replacement.
LW Flooring backs Hartwell with a lifetime residential warranty. That covers manufacturing defects in the product itself. Keep in mind that installation-related issues, water damage from flooding or plumbing failures, and normal finish wear over time are typically outside manufacturer coverage — those are separate conversations about installation workmanship or homeowner maintenance.
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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