Engineered hardwood and wood-look flooring installed by Gator installers, chosen for Jacksonville slabs and Florida humidity.
Get a Free Estimate Call 904-262-7304Hardwood flooring adds warmth, beauty, and timeless style to a home. For many Jacksonville homeowners, wood floors are one of the most desirable flooring looks. Gator Carpet and Tile sells and installs prefinished engineered hardwood in Jacksonville. It comes from the factory already stained and sealed, so there is no sanding, staining or finishing dust in your home. We install new floors only. We do not refinish or sand existing wood floors.
But Florida humidity, moisture, pets, sand, and temperature changes matter. That is why choosing the right wood product, or the right wood-look alternative, is important.
Gator Carpet and Tile helps homeowners compare hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl plank, and wood-look tile so they can choose the best fit for their home.
Three ways to get a wood floor in a Florida home. Here is how they compare on what people ask us about most.
| Engineered hardwood | Wood-look tile | Wood-look vinyl plank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real wood? | Yes, a real wood top layer | No, porcelain or ceramic | No, vinyl |
| Water | Not waterproof. Wipe spills up fast | Waterproof | Waterproof (the waterproof kind) |
| Over a concrete slab | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Underfoot | Warm and a little soft | Hard and cool | Softer and warmer than tile |
| Dogs and scratches | Can scratch and dent | Won't scratch | Pick a 20 mil wear layer or thicker |
| Install time | Quoted at the measure | 2 days minimum, grout the day after | About 1 day per 300 sq ft |
| Installed price per sq ft | $8–$22 | $8–$25 | $8–$17 all-in |
The short version: want real wood in a living room or bedroom, go engineered. Kitchens, baths, laundry rooms and pool traffic, go wood-look tile or vinyl plank. You can compare all three side by side at our Philips Highway showroom, and you get one written price at the free measure. More detail: LVP vs hardwood in Florida and tile vs LVP in Florida.
Solid hardwood is one piece of wood from top to bottom. It is usually nailed down to a plywood subfloor, and it swells and shrinks as humidity changes. In a Florida home on a concrete slab, that is a hard combination.
Engineered hardwood is a real wood top layer bonded to a layered core. The layers run in different directions, so the board moves much less with humidity. It can go over a concrete slab, and you still walk on real wood.
That is why we sell and install prefinished engineered hardwood only. It arrives already stained and sealed from the factory, so install day has no sanding, no stain fumes and no waiting for finish to dry. We do not install solid hardwood.
Many Jacksonville homes are built on a slab and deal with humidity most of the year. That is why engineered hardwood is what we recommend for most homes here. If you want the wood look with no worries about water, compare it with luxury vinyl flooring or read LVP vs hardwood in Florida.
We install new prefinished engineered wood floors. We do not refinish, sand or recoat old ones. Here is how an install runs.
We measure your rooms in about 20 minutes, check the slab or subfloor, and give you a written price.
Compare species, plank widths and finishes at our Philips Highway showroom, side by side with wood-look options.
Old flooring comes out and the floor is prepped. Removal, stairs and any extra leveling are priced on your written quote before we start.
Gator installers put the floor in and finish the edges and transitions so it meets your other floors cleanly.
Engineered hardwood usually runs $8–$22 per square foot installed, depending on the wood, plank width and finish. $500 job minimum. Get a ballpark price in about a minute.
The strips between rooms are where a new floor looks finished or looks patched. We plan every one at the free in-home measure and list them on your written quote, so nothing gets added on install day.
Engineered wood needs a small gap at the walls and doorways so it can move with Florida humidity. The strips and the trim at the walls cover that gap. Wood pushed tight against tile with no gap is how floors buckle.
Planning wood in some rooms and vinyl plank or tile in the kitchen and baths? We will show you where each strip lands and what it will look like.
Coastal homes are tough on wood. Salt air and humidity stay high most of the year, sand gets tracked in every day, and many beach homes sit on a concrete slab.
For homes at Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach, we usually steer people toward engineered hardwood, which handles humidity and slabs far better than solid wood. If the floor will see wet feet, pets or pool traffic, waterproof wood-look vinyl plank or wood-look tile is the safer pick. We will tell you honestly which one fits your house at the measure.
Wood and wood-look flooring can add warmth and style to many rooms in the home.
Wood flooring creates a warm, classic look in central living spaces.
Hardwood and engineered hardwood can create a clean, timeless bedroom look.
Wood flooring adds character and warmth to dining rooms and open layouts.
Wood-look LVP or tile can create a consistent look throughout the home.
Wide-plank hardwood through a primary bedroom and walk-in closet in the Arlington / Fort Caroline area.
Arlington, Jacksonville
Arlington, Jacksonville
Arlington, Jacksonville
Gator Carpet and Tile installs engineered hardwood and wood-look flooring throughout Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, from the beaches to Orange Park.
Hardwood flooring can work in Florida homes, but humidity and moisture should be considered. Engineered hardwood or wood-look alternatives may be better in some spaces.
Engineered hardwood is often a better choice than solid hardwood in Florida because it is more stable in changing humidity conditions.
Yes. Engineered hardwood has a real wood top layer bonded to a layered core. You walk on real wood, but the layered core moves less with humidity than a solid board, which is why it suits Florida homes.
Engineered hardwood can go over a concrete slab, which is how many Jacksonville homes are built. Solid hardwood is usually nailed to a wood subfloor and is a poor match for a slab. We check the slab at the free in-home measure.
Engineered hardwood usually runs $8 to $22 per square foot installed, depending on the wood, plank width and finish. Removing old flooring, stairs and extra leveling are priced separately. You get a written price at the free in-home measure.
No. Gator Carpet and Tile sells and installs new prefinished engineered hardwood. We do not refinish, sand or recoat existing wood floors.
Yes. We install engineered hardwood and wood-look floors at Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and across Jacksonville. Near the ocean we usually point people to engineered wood or waterproof wood-look vinyl plank because of the humidity and sand.
No. Engineered hardwood handles Florida humidity much better than solid wood, but it is not waterproof. Wipe up spills fast and keep it out of bathrooms and laundry rooms. For the wood look in a kitchen, bath or by the pool, waterproof vinyl plank or wood-look tile is the safer pick.
Wood-look vinyl plank (the waterproof kind) and wood-look porcelain tile. Vinyl plank is softer and warmer underfoot and goes in faster, about 1 day per 300 sq ft. It runs $8 to $17 per square foot all-in. Tile is the toughest and won't scratch, but it takes 2 days minimum because the grout goes in the day after the tile is set. It runs $8 to $25 per square foot installed, thinset and grout included.
A transition strip. If the two floors sit at the same height it is a flat T-strip. If the wood sits higher, it is a sloped reducer so nobody trips. We plan every strip at the free in-home measure and list them on your written quote.
Yes. Wood-look luxury vinyl plank and wood-look tile can provide a hardwood appearance with added moisture resistance.
Yes. Gator Carpet and Tile can help compare hardwood, engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl plank, and wood-look tile based on your home and lifestyle.
Visit Gator Carpet and Tile in Jacksonville or request a free flooring estimate today.
Get a Free Estimate Get a Ballpark Price Call 904-262-7304