We’ve been showing off our new floors but haven’t explained how they came to be—so here’s the story.
When our kitchen designer suggested hardwood instead of ceramic tile, it made sense: white cabinets pair warmer with wood than with cold tile. We started shopping at Lowe’s and Home Depot, where we found a reasonable selection of engineered hardwood for about $4.00 per sq. ft. Since we needed roughly 370 sq. ft., the material alone would have cost nearly $1,500. We were also hesitant about engineered hardwood because much of it is only about 1/4″ thick and can typically be sanded and refinished at most once. That wasn’t reassuring for a household with kids and a dog—we plan to stay in this house for a long time.
So we went to the hardwood specialists at Lumber Liquidators and hit the jackpot—well, mocha oak.
Whether it was the rich color or the big “SALE” sign, we knew we’d found the right floor. This was 3/4″ solid hardwood—not the thinner manufactured variety—priced at just $2.79 per sq. ft.
The sale was ending in three days, so we had to act fast to get enough flooring for under $1,000. Lumber Liquidators doesn’t install, but they provide a list of recommended installers. We called one from that list—turns out it was the same company our L.L. salesperson recommended. They came out, measured our space, and ordered the flooring within 24 hours.
I’m glad we didn’t attempt the installation ourselves. We don’t own any of the specialized tools they used, and the pros took three days and still faced several challenges. That made it clear how difficult a DIY job would have been. If you’re considering doing it yourself, there are detailed tutorials online that demystify the process, but for us hiring professionals was the right call. The result: the floor is installed, it looks beautiful, and Burger is thrilled with his new play surface.
Image courtesy of Lumber Liquidators