Toasted Almond Engineered Hardwood starts at $8.99 per square foot installed in Fort Myers — a warm beige American Hickory floor with a handscraped texture that reads as genuinely lived-in rather than factory-perfect. It comes from LW Flooring’s Traditions collection in wide 6-1/2″ planks with medium color variation, giving rooms a relaxed, organic character without the extremes of a heavily rustic look.
American Hickory is one of the harder domestic species, which matters in active households. The handscraped face hides everyday scuffs and the natural grain variation camouflages pet hair and light dirt between cleanings. Float, glue, or nail installation means this floor works directly over Southwest Florida’s common concrete slab foundations — glue-down is often the right call here for stability in our humidity.
The 1.2 mm wear layer and polyurethane-with-aluminum-oxide finish hold up to the gritty, sandy traffic that coastal and near-coastal homes see constantly. For snowbird or seasonal properties that sit empty in summer heat and humidity, engineered construction resists the movement that would stress a solid plank.
| Plank Width | 6-1/2″ |
|---|---|
| Plank Length | 74-4/5″ Random Length |
| Thickness | 1/2″ |
| Wear Layer | 1.2 mm |
| Finish | Polyurethane with Aluminum Oxide |
| Species | American Hickory |
Flooring Queen installs Toasted Almond at $8.99 per square foot. That price covers delivery to your home, removal of the existing floor covering, standard subfloor preparation, full installation, new baseboards, and transition strips where flooring meets adjacent rooms. Old material and debris are hauled off the property — your home is left clean.
Certain conditions add to the base price: significant subfloor leveling beyond routine prep, stair nosing, or any custom inlay or border work. The best way to get a firm number is to schedule a no-charge in-home measure. We assess the actual conditions of your space and give you a written quote before any work is committed.
Solid hardwood and Toasted Almond share the same American Hickory species, so the look at the surface is nearly identical. The structural difference is underneath: solid planks are one piece of wood all the way through, which means they expand and contract more aggressively with humidity shifts. In Southwest Florida’s climate — high summer humidity, air-conditioned interiors, and concrete slab foundations everywhere — that movement is a real installation constraint. Solid hardwood typically cannot be glue-down installed over a slab.
Engineered construction with its cross-ply core dramatically reduces that seasonal movement, making it a more reliable choice for on-grade and below-grade installs here. The trade-off is refinishing depth — solid planks can be sanded more times over their life. Engineered can be refinished, but fewer times.
| Toasted Almond | Solid Hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water resistance | Surface-resistant; not waterproof | Surface-resistant; not waterproof |
| Scratch resistance / wear layer | 1.2 mm poly-aluminum oxide finish | Thicker sanding stock; no wear layer |
| 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 | Any above-grade room, slab-on-grade | Above-grade only; avoid slabs |
Sweep or dust-mop daily — Hickory’s open grain catches fine sand quickly, and grit left underfoot acts like sandpaper on the finish. For damp cleaning, use a hardwood-specific cleaner such as Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner or a comparable pH-neutral formula applied with a lightly wrung mop. Avoid steam mops entirely; sustained moisture drives into the seams and can cause swelling or delamination over time. Do not use oil soaps, wax-based products, or vinegar solutions — they dull the polyurethane finish and leave residue that makes recoating harder later. For technical guidance, see the National Wood Flooring Association consumer hardwood information.
In Southwest Florida, engineered hardwood typically needs 48 to 72 hours of acclimation inside your home before installation. Keep the boxes in the room where the floor will be laid, with your HVAC running at normal living conditions. Our install crew confirms acclimation status before starting — skipping this step in Florida humidity is the leading cause of post-install gapping.
Yes, Toasted Almond can be refinished, but the 1.2 mm wear layer limits how many times — realistically one light sand-and-recoat, possibly two if done carefully. A full aggressive sand like you’d do on a thick solid plank is not an option. For most homeowners that’s sufficient, since the aluminum oxide finish resists surface wear for years before refinishing becomes necessary.
Engineered hardwood is built from a real hardwood veneer bonded over a cross-ply core, which makes the plank far more dimensionally stable than a solid piece of wood. Solid hardwood expands and contracts significantly with humidity and cannot be reliably glue-down installed over a concrete slab — the standard foundation type in Southwest Florida. Engineered construction solves both problems, which is why it’s the practical recommendation for this region.
Toasted Almond works well in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and open-plan areas — essentially any above-grade or on-grade space in your home. Avoid full bathrooms, laundry rooms, or any area with standing water risk; even with a durable finish, this is not a waterproof product. The float, glue, or nail installation options give flexibility for most room configurations over a slab.
Toasted Almond is water-resistant at the surface, not waterproof — the distinction matters. Spills wiped up promptly won’t cause damage. Water left standing, or moisture that works into the seams from a wet mop, can cause swelling and delamination over time. The core and locking edges are not sealed against sustained moisture the way an SPC product is, so treat it like any hardwood: dry quickly, mop lightly.
The aluminum oxide polyurethane finish is reasonably scratch-resistant for everyday pet traffic, but the 1.2 mm wear layer is thinner than what you’d find on an SPC or high-mil LVP product. Large dogs with untrimmed nails will eventually mark the surface. Cleanup is easy — damp wipe sealed spills before they sit. For a multi-pet household with heavy traffic, consider whether a thicker-wear-layer product might be a better fit.
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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