What types of hardwood flooring does Cavalieri Flooring carry?

Cavalieri Flooring carries solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, and specialty hardwood collections including bamboo and eucalyptus options. We offer a wide range of species (oak, hickory, maple, walnut), finishes (wire-brushed, hand-scraped, smooth), and plank widths to suit traditional and contemporary Florida homes.

Can hardwood floors be installed in Florida?

Yes, with the right product and climate control. Engineered hardwood is significantly more stable than solid hardwood in Florida's humidity and is the recommended choice for most Florida installations. Solid hardwood can be installed successfully with consistent whole-home humidity control at 45-55% RH and selection of narrow-plank, stable species like white oak or hickory.

How much does hardwood flooring cost in Orlando?

Hardwood flooring in Orlando typically costs $4-$12 per square foot for materials and $4-$8 per square foot for installation labor. Engineered hardwood is at the lower end; premium solid hardwood species are at the higher end. Cavalieri Flooring offers free in-home estimates with exact pricing.

What is the difference between solid and engineered hardwood?

Solid hardwood is cut from a single piece of wood, can be refinished many times over decades, but moves significantly with humidity changes. Engineered hardwood has a real wood veneer over a plywood core, providing greater dimensional stability in high-humidity environments like Florida, while still offering authentic wood appearance and feel.

How do I maintain hardwood floors in Florida?

Maintain indoor humidity between 45-55% RH year-round using your AC system and a dehumidifier if needed. Clean with a dry or barely damp mop - never wet mop hardwood. Use felt pads under furniture legs. Avoid direct sunlight on floors (use UV-blocking window treatments). Have floors professionally screened and recoated every 3-5 years and refinished as needed.

All Hardwood Flooring Collections

Engineered Hardwood Flooring in Orlando, FL

Shop 60+ engineered hardwood styles built for Florida living — wide-plank European Oak, hand-scraped hickory, wire-brushed maple, and bourbon-aged finishes across our Barrel, Cellar, First Press, Meritage, Varietals, and Whiskey & Wine collections. Every plank is real wood pressed onto a stable engineered core, so you get the warmth and resale value of hardwood with far better humidity stability than solid wood — the right call for Central Florida slab homes.

How to Choose Engineered Hardwood

Why engineered over solid wood in Florida

Solid hardwood cups, gaps, and crowns when indoor humidity swings between 40% (winter AC) and 75% (summer storm season). Engineered hardwood solves this with a real-wood veneer (typically 2–6 mm) glued to a cross-ply plywood or HDF core that doesn't expand or contract the same way. The result: hardwood looks, hardwood feel, and far less seasonal movement — the only way most installers will warrant a wood floor over a concrete slab.

Wear-layer thickness matters for refinishing

The top real-wood layer determines how many times you can sand and refinish the floor. A 2 mm wear layer is fine for residential use but generally not refinishable. 3 mm handles one light refinish. 4 mm and up is the premium tier — refinish multiple times over decades, just like solid wood. Most Cavalieri hardwood SKUs ship with a 2–3 mm European Oak wear layer protected by an aluminum-oxide UV-cured finish for daily-use durability.

Finish, texture, and color trends

Wide-plank European Oak (7″ and wider) in matte or low-sheen finishes is the dominant look in new Orlando builds. Wire-brushed and hand-scraped textures hide everyday wear better than smooth finishes — ideal for households with pets, kids, or beach-house grit. For coastal and farmhouse interiors, our Barrel and Cellar collections lean light and bleached; for traditional and transitional homes, Whiskey & Wine and Meritage offer deeper, richer tones.

Installation & what to expect

Engineered hardwood installs as a floating click-lock, glue-down, or nail-down depending on subfloor and product spec — we'll size the right method to your home during the estimate. Subfloor must be flat to within 3/16″ over 10′, dry per moisture testing, and clean. Most jobs include subfloor prep, removal of existing flooring, transitions, and quarter-round. Request a free in-home estimate and we'll quote material plus professional installation in one number.

Comparing materials? Read our Florida humidity flooring guide or browse the matching hardwood trim & transitions.