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 In Hawaii, our barefoot culture requires floors to be a soft and comfy underfoot. Hardwoods fit the bill, with endurance, comfort and beauty. Engineered wood floors—solid wood improved with the latest technology—is the newest way to cover floors. Plus, a wide range of laminates offer a versatile, economical alternative to the hardwood heavyweights.

Read on to compare and contrast Hawaii’s hardwood flooring options. We’ve got something to fit every taste and budget.

Solid Wood

Product	What is it?	Who has it?	Pros	Cons	How is it available?	Price
Armstrong hardwood floors	Solid hardwoods from South America, protected by state-of-the-art finishes.	Hardware Hawaii	Wood is a natural material that features changes in color and tone. Can last anywhere from 50–100+ years. 25-year finish warranty. Exclusive finish Permion has a high level of aluminum oxide, providing resistance to surface wear. Acrylic impregnation (on some products) offers twice the durability of non-impregnated products.	For all solid wood floors, moisture and temperature changes cause solid wood to shrink and expand, potentially causing gaps. Acclimation is key. Let wood sit up to 6 months before installation. Requires routine maintenance. Susceptible to scratches, dents and stains. Sun fades real wood and termites are a concern.	Ash, birch, cherry, exotics, maple, oak, pecan and walnut woods in a variety of finishes that complement each species’ inherent characteristics. Mostly available through special orders. Planks are 5/16” thick and of random lengths due to what is available naturally, but usually range from 1’ – 4’.	$5.51 - $12 per square foot
Bamboo	Bamboo is a grass, available in solid or engineered.	Pacific Imports International	A green choice. Harvesting does not kill the plant, which is totally regenerated in 4–6 years.	Highly susceptible to scratches, scuffs and dents.	Four color/pattern varieties available – Natural Horizontal, Natural Vertical, Carbonized Horizontal, Carbonized Vertical. Solid wood planks come in three sizes – 5/8” thick by 3-3/4”w x 6’, 3-3/4”w x 3’ or 6”w x 6’. Engineered wood is sold in planks 5/8” x 7-1/2” x 7’	Contact supplier
BR-111	Prefinished, exotic hardwoods. Available in an engineered option, also.	Maru Flooring	The “BMW of flooring.” Range of thicknesses and widths. Kiln dried and precision milled wood with an aluminum oxide finish in more than 25 varieties. This company promotes sustainable forest practices and reforestation. 24-year limited warranty.	Time spent for acclimation:Whether it is solid or engineered, woods need to hang out to get used to our climate.	3/4”, 5/16” and 7/16” solids in more than 25 color and finish options. Check out the trendy, hand-scraped options for less visible wear and tear.	From $13 per square foot for solids; and from $5.75 per square foot for engineered.
Kahala Floors hardwood floors	Premium solid hardwoods with or without finishes.	Pacific Imports International	Highest quality hardwoods available in a wide variety of 3/4” planks. Features Treffert�,,� finishes, with 7 layers of coating, UV protectant, and anti-scratch protectant. 25 year limited warranty on finishes. Tongue-and-groove pieces for easy installation. These woods may be refinished time and again.	All hardwood needs constant upkeep. It may scratch or fade in the sun.	3/4” planks in traditional species, such as oak and maple, with a wide variety of exotics, such as merbau, kempas, tauari, ipe, teak and cumaru.	Contact supplier
Upofloor	Hardwoods from Asia, North and South America	Pacific American Lumber	RealLOC tongue-and-groove design means no glue needed for installation. Joints are nearly invisible.	As with all solid wood products, Upofloor needs to be acclimated–keep it in the house for up to five months before installation to make sure it’s ready for Hawaii’s environment.	Ash, beech, birch, cherry, american, jarrah, jatoba, kambala, kempas, maple, merbau, oak, red oak, walnut	$7 per square foot
Walnut	Solid hardwood from South America	LF International Trading	Rich, warm finish, dent resistant density	Requires upkeep and needs to be refurbished depending on use	Available in planks 36” x 3-1/2”	$6.95 per square foot
3D Custom Flooring in unique patterns	Hardwood flooring is customized to any design you can imagine.	Hawaii Hardwood Flooring	Completely customized and unique. All the benefits of wood flooring with the artistic flair usually only found in mosaics and tile work.	Upkeep–needs to be refinished periodically, and not all custom jobs can be refinished.	Completely custom. You ask, you get.	Priced according to project

Get Inspected!

One of the best ways to make sure wood floors last is to get a professional wood floor inspection. Allen Canter of Allen Canter Contractors is a National Wood Flooring Association-certified inspector. He is the only NWFA-certified inspector in Hawaii. He will examine flooring and workmanship to let homeowners know the condition of their wood floors.

Engineered Wood

Engineered wood consists of three to 10 thin layers of wood, called plies, that are assembled and glued in a cross-ply construction. The top layer of wood can range in thickness from 1/4” to 3/4”. Due to its multi-ply structure, it is stabler than solid wood, and is less susceptible to shrinking and expanding with changes in temperatures and humidity. The basic considerations when choosing between engineered flooring brands are species availability, thickness and price. Engineered floors are great because they can be glued to concrete, whereas solid wood has to be nailed to a plywood subfloor, adding a step to installation.

Product	What is it?	Who has it?	Pros	Cons	How is it Available?	Price
Bretts Manufactured Wood Flooring	Prefinished, engineered wood	Pacific American Lumber	Once it is installed, the floor is ready to walk on. Easy to maintain and keep clean. In stock and ready for installation.	Depending on use, will need to be refurbished periodically.	Available in Hawaiian species such as ohia, koa, faligna and mango in planks 9/16” thick with widths of 2-1/2” or 5-1/4”	$8 per square foot
Dekora	Engineered in the Netherlands. Offers a thick top layer that can be refinished 3-4 times.	Maru Flooring	Engineered to look and feel like real hardwood. Precision milling makes for perfect, square edges. When installed, this floor doesn’t have ridges between planks that catch dirt and dust.	Has to be custom ordered. Will arrive in 2-4 weeks.	Species ranging from exotic to the more traditional. South American species include ipe, Brazilian cherry and Santos mahogany, merbau, teak, doussie and kambala.	$7-$10 per square foot
Elegance	Engineered wood created by stacking layers in a cross-grain manner. This company also offers solid wood flooring.	Maru Flooring	Great quality with thick top layers at more reasonable prices. Micro-bevel edges for smooth, rounded planks. Flooring features 10 wood layers and seven layers of aluminum oxide finish.	Not in stock. Custom order it.	Three collections based on price. Several finish options, including hand-scraped and distressed. Planks range from 3 1/2” to 7 1/2”.	$6-$9 per square foot
Kahala Floors Engineered Wood Flooring	Engineered flooring manufactured in China	Pacific Imports International	Reasonably priced, green product. Uses less hardwood for the lower three-quarters of thickness. Can be used in many situations where solid wood cannot, such as in condominiums.	Costs slightly more than solid wood flooring, but this can usually be made up in installation costs.	Available in both 3-1/2” and 5” widths of 5/8” thick and varying lengths. Colors include: Tigerwood, Brazilian cherry, Santos mahogany, ipe, African mahogany, lapacho, maple and doussie.	Prices vary between $6-$7 per square foot.
Mullican	Prefinished, engineered hardwood	Prefinished, engineered hardwood	Mullican offers a huge variety of engineered woods, backed by a 15-25 year warranty. Great in stock inventory.	Some varieties in stock, others are custom ordered.	Exotics in stock include Brazilian cumaru, teak, and hickory.	$7 per square foot
Sun Paratech Sunfloor California Longstrip	Engineered wood can be floated or glued down. Wear layer is 1/8” thick and can be refinished.	Pacific Imports International	Three layers of cross construction for greater stability. All wood harvested from sustainable forests. Six layers of UV cured acrylic finish to prevent fading. Precise square edge milling.	Susceptible to scratches and scuffs.	Available in Brazilian cherry, maple natural, red oak natural and white oak natural. Three configuration options—traditional three-strip planks, 1-strip.	Contact vendor for price
Wood Flooring International	Engineered and prefinished for quick, nailed, glued or floating installation.	Maru Flooring	Quarter-sawn cut mill process offers a straight-grained look. Milled in a SingleStrip format, with a kissed not beveled, edge. Nine coats of UV-cured acryllic urethane and aluminum oxide.	Another custom-order product.	3” and 5” wide planks in 30 species in several collections, including American Woods (oaks, maples, cherries), World Woods (cherries, walnut, mahoganies, and cypresses).	$7-$13 per square foot

Laminates

Product	What is it?	Who has it?	Pros	Cons	How is it Available?	Price
Inovar Laminate	Engineered laminate flooring, consisting of a melamine backing, tropical hardwood cores, a decorative paper sheet, covered with aluminum oxide.	Maru Flooring	Looks and feels more like real wood. Sounds like wood when it is stepped on. Never needs waxing or refurbishing. Good for Hawaii’s moisture and humidity levels and prevents problems with swelling or warping.	Although it looks real, it’s just not real wood.	Available in five exotic wood colors including: hawaiian koa, iroko kambala, glen doussie, bamboo and canyon acai. Sold by box, $10.61 square feet per box.	$3.25 per square foot
Mohawk Laminate		Hardware Hawaii	Scratch and fade resistant–both typical problems with–hard wood flooring. Good for covering large areas. Lasts 25 – 30 years with minimum upkeep. Good value for price and quality.	Needs a level surface in order to be installed.	Three different colors in stock. Sold in planks 7” wide by 4’ long which click together.	$1.82 per square foot
Wilsonart	Laminate and balancing backer are bonded to a water-resistant HDF core.	Hardware Hawaii	Thick wear layer for a more durable surface. Easy care. Only laminate recommended for the bathroom as it can handle high moisture. Fewer scuffs and scratches, no dimpling, no denting.		Assortment in stock and more available through special order. Sold in planks 7-1/2” x 4’ and also available in thinner 3-1/2 x 5” planks.	$4.35 - $7.18 ($9.75 for special orders)

 

Wood is Green

Wood may come in a dizzying variety of colors and grades, but when it comes down to it, all wood is considered green. A natural resource, wood is both renewable and recyclable, making it ecologically friendly. It is the best insulator against cold and heat, which makes it energy efficient as well. 

The wood manufacturing industry is carefully monitored and protected, so that more wood is added annually in net growth than is removed through harvest, and recycled wood salvaged from other sources can be made available. Once installed, wood flooring has a long life and rarely needs to be replaced, if properly cared for.

Wood flooring contributes to good indoor air quality. Bacteria, dust and dirt don’t embed in wood flooring, as they do in carpet for example. With regular maintenance and upkeep, wood floors keep homeowners healthy.

WHERE TO GET IT

City Mill
8 Locations on Oahu
Honolulu, 660 N. Nimitz Hwy.
533-3811
www.citymill.com

Hardware Hawaii
3 Locations on Oahu
& 1 Location on Kauai
Kailua Home Showroom
105 Oneawa St.
266-1009
www.hardwarehawaii.com

Hawaii Hardwood Flooring
554 Kaumakani Street
306-3374

HPM Building Supply
3 Locations on the Big Island
380 Kanoelehua Ave., Hilo
(808) 935-0875
www.hpmhawaii.com

LF International Trading
2855 Kaihikapu St.
833-3825

Maru Flooring
727 Waiakamilo Road Bay B-1-2
853-1717
www.maruflooring.com

Pacific American Lumber
142 Mokauea St.
845-8700
www.pacamlumber.com

Pacific Imports International
2612-B Waiwai Loop
833-7090
www.pacificimportsinternational