Flooring – How to stengthen the durability of the newly installed engineered hardwood floor

I really doubt you can sand your floors. Some engineered floors can be but this is a very small percent. And this would be a diy because pros won't want to be responsible for the thin top layer sanding through.

One of the things I have found with engineered hardwood is the clear coat varies drastically from different types. I have tested a lot and some scratch by pushing a penny across it and others I have had to stab full force with a screwdriver. I am guessing yours scratches with a penny.

So the only cost effective thing that would definitely help would be to add a couple layers of poly. You may need several layers.

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There is nothing wrong with putting engineered flooring on your slab in Florida. It can last a really long time and I have installed it in my own home on slab and helped with other homes.

1. Buy a really good wood. Make sure that you really give it a scratch test. Get samples and whatever. I used to take pennies, screwdrivers, smack my wife heals, all kinds of things on the samples. Let me tell you that most (80%) scratch easy.

2. Don't buy any engineered flooring that has mdf backing. Wood backing only.

3. The thicker the better. Don't let anyone talk you into flimsy engineered flooring, telling you thickness doesn't matter. IT DOES.

4. The underlayment... Normally I say rigid foam then 3/4" plywood then light flooring pad... But this is FLorida and you don't have the insulation issues. I would look for 1/2" rigid foam sheets but this depends on manufacturer.

5. I would wait 3-4 weeks for both house and wood in conditioned space.

6. I would also cut out the bottoms of the drywall so that you can use the drywall - probably 1/2" - as you expansion gap. This will allow you to use whatever trim you want without quarter round.

7. I wouldn't have the builder install any flooring. This will just cost you money and might hinder some of the engineered flooring installation.

8. Overall thoughts on engineered flooring on a slab in Florida vs tile or whatever... Obviously carpet is the easiest to do and the easiest to deal with. Tile though can have major issues. If your slab settles or cracks or whatever the tile will crack and have issues. The engineered flooring will handle smaller cracks without any issues. Major cracks, it depends.