Do you install wood floors, or only LVP?

We install both. LVP is our primary category and most of our work, and laminate, engineered wood, and solid hardwood are installed alongside it. If your project is a wood floor, it gets the same subfloor survey and layout planning as an LVP job.

Engineered wood or LVP over a basement slab?

Engineered wood can go over a slab, but only with moisture testing and the vapour retarder the manufacturer specifies. Rigid-core LVP is more forgiving below grade. We test first and recommend from the readings, not from preference.

Is laminate cheaper than LVP?

Often, at a like-for-like durability level, though the ranges overlap heavily. The real difference is water behaviour: laminate's core is wood-based, LVP's is not. In a kitchen or bath that difference matters more than the price gap.

Can you refinish my existing hardwood instead of replacing it?

Refinishing is a separate trade and not something we offer. If your existing wood is a good candidate we will say so, because replacing a floor that could be sanded back is rarely the right spend.

Laminate, Engineered Wood & Hardwood Installation

When another product beats LVP

We would rather talk you out of LVP than install it somewhere it will disappoint you. Three situations come up regularly in the Treasure Valley.

Formal living and dining rooms where a homeowner wants genuine wood grain and depth that a printed layer cannot match
Homes where resale positioning matters and the neighbourhood comparables carry real or engineered wood
Budget-led whole-floor projects where a high-abrasion-class laminate buys more durability per dollar than a thin-wear-layer LVP

Laminate in a high-desert climate

Modern laminate has a dense fibreboard core with a melamine wear surface, rated by abrasion class. AC3 is the residential standard; AC4 and AC5 are worth the difference in entries, kitchens, and homes with dogs.

The core is wood-based, which means water is the limit. Water-resistant laminate handles spills wiped up promptly. It does not belong in a full bathroom or a laundry with a floor drain, and we will say so rather than sell it into the wrong room.

Engineered wood and solid hardwood

Engineered wood puts a real sawn wear layer over a plywood core. It is far more dimensionally stable than solid wood across the swing between a 15-percent-humidity January and a damp April, which is why it is the wood product we recommend most here, and the only one we will install over a slab.

Solid hardwood belongs over a wood-framed subfloor with a conditioned crawlspace or basement below. It rewards you with a floor that can be sanded and refinished several times over its life. It also demands a longer acclimation period, tight humidity control, and a nail-down installation over a properly flat and fastened deck.

What does not change between products

The subfloor work is the same discipline regardless of what goes on top. We survey flatness against the specific product's published tolerance, moisture test slabs, fasten down movement before it becomes a squeak, and plan the layout before anything is cut.

Transitions, undercuts, and stair detailing get the same treatment as well — the finishing is where a wood or laminate install visibly succeeds or fails.

Questions we get about laminate & wood

Do you install wood floors, or only LVP?: We install both. LVP is our primary category and most of our work, and laminate, engineered wood, and solid hardwood are installed alongside it. If your project is a wood floor, it gets the same subfloor survey and layout planning as an LVP job.
Engineered wood or LVP over a basement slab?: Engineered wood can go over a slab, but only with moisture testing and the vapour retarder the manufacturer specifies. Rigid-core LVP is more forgiving below grade. We test first and recommend from the readings, not from preference.
Is laminate cheaper than LVP?: Often, at a like-for-like durability level, though the ranges overlap heavily. The real difference is water behaviour: laminate's core is wood-based, LVP's is not. In a kitchen or bath that difference matters more than the price gap.
Can you refinish my existing hardwood instead of replacing it?: Refinishing is a separate trade and not something we offer. If your existing wood is a good candidate we will say so, because replacing a floor that could be sanded back is rarely the right spend.