Falcon homeowners who want real wood floors with better resistance to the eastern plains environment often land on engineered hardwood as the right choice. Its dimensional stability across Colorado’s humidity range makes it particularly well-suited to open-plan homes in newer Falcon communities like Meridian Ranch. Legendary Custom Hardwoods installs engineered hardwood in Falcon with the preparation and precision that newer construction deserves from the start.
Engineered hardwood is real wood, full stop. The surface you walk on, the grain you see, the character you feel underfoot are all genuine hardwood veneer, typically three to six millimeters thick on quality products. What makes it different from solid hardwood is what is underneath that veneer: a cross-ply core made of multiple layers of wood oriented in alternating directions. That construction is what gives engineered hardwood its stability advantage, particularly at eastern plains at 6,400 feet where humidity changes across seasons would cause a solid plank to expand and contract significantly.
For Falcon homeowners who want the look and feel of a real hardwood floor without accepting the performance limitations of solid wood in every application, engineered hardwood is the answer. It installs in more spaces, handles more environmental variation, and in wide-plank formats looks every bit as impressive as solid. If you want to compare it directly against solid hardwood installation, we walk through both during the consultation. Call us at (719) 233-8009 to get started.
Colorado’s climate is genuinely hard on solid hardwood. The combination of low humidity in winter, monsoon moisture in summer, and the elevation-driven dryness that affects every home at eastern plains at 6,400 feet creates a humidity range that solid wood struggles to handle without gapping, cupping, or squeaking over time. Engineered hardwood’s cross-ply core is designed to absorb and release that moisture without the dimensional movement that causes those problems.
This is not a minor difference. In large open-plan spaces where a solid hardwood floor would need more expansion gaps and careful planning to avoid visible movement, engineered hardwood can span the same area with less risk and less compromise on the visual result. It also opens up installation options that solid hardwood does not have, including below-grade spaces where moisture from a concrete slab would rule out solid wood entirely. If you are finishing a basement or lower-level space, luxury vinyl plank is also worth considering for those areas. Reach us at (719) 233-8009 with questions.
We start with a free in-home consultation where we assess your subfloor, discuss species and stain options, and help you decide whether engineered hardwood or solid hardwood is the better fit for each space in your home. Engineered hardwood still requires an acclimation period before installation, though typically shorter than solid hardwood, and the subfloor still needs to be flat, dry, and structurally sound before we begin.
Installation method depends on the product and the subfloor: engineered hardwood can be nailed, stapled, glued, or floated depending on what the specific floor and situation call for. We match the method to the conditions rather than defaulting to whatever is fastest. You can see the full range of flooring services we offer for your area on the Falcon flooring page and across our full website. Call (719) 233-8009 to schedule your consultation.
One of the most common questions we get about engineered hardwood is whether it can be refinished. The answer depends on the thickness of the veneer layer. Quality engineered hardwood with a three millimeter or thicker veneer can typically be sanded and refinished once or twice over its lifetime, which extends the useful life of the floor significantly beyond what most homeowners expect. We assess the veneer thickness during the consultation and give you a straight answer about the refinishing potential of any product we recommend.
On the stain side, engineered hardwood gives you the same custom color options as site-finished solid hardwood when we are installing an unfinished product. We apply test patches in your actual space under your actual light before committing to the full floor. If you have existing hardwood elsewhere in the home that needs attention, our hardwood floor refinishing service can bring those floors into alignment with the new engineered installation so the whole home reads consistently. Questions about laminate flooring or epoxy garage floors for other areas of the home are welcome during the same consultation.
Every engineered hardwood installation we do in Falcon includes a full site assessment and subfloor evaluation, moisture testing, product and stain consultation, proper acclimation of the material before installation begins, professional installation using the method best suited to your subfloor and product, all transitions and thresholds, and a final walkthrough with your installer before we call the job complete. No surprise charges and no add-ons that were not in the original quote.
We carry a range of engineered hardwood products at different price points and veneer thicknesses so we can match the right product to your budget and goals. Call (719) 233-8009 to schedule your free consultation and see what we have available for your Falcon home.
Falcon homeowners who choose engineered hardwood are making a thoughtful decision, and they deserve a contractor who brings the same thoughtfulness to the installation. We do not treat engineered hardwood as a second-tier product that gets less attention than solid. Every step of the process, from subfloor assessment through final walkthrough, gets the same care we bring to any flooring project regardless of material. The floor we install should look and perform exactly the way we described it during the consultation, and our seven-year warranty backs that up.
We follow National Wood Flooring Association installation standards on every engineered hardwood project, and every installation is backed by our seven-year craftsmanship warranty. If something is not right after we leave, we come back and make it right. The warranty reflects our confidence in every step of how we work.
Legendary Custom Hardwoods treats every engineered hardwood project with the same attention and care we bring to solid hardwood installation, custom refinishing, and every other service we offer. In Falcon, where homeowners take their properties seriously, that standard is not optional. Call us at (719) 233-8009 and let us show you what a properly installed engineered hardwood floor looks and feels like.
Here are the questions Falcon homeowners ask us most before choosing engineered hardwood for their floors.
Yes. Engineered hardwood has a genuine hardwood veneer on the surface, which is the layer you see and walk on. The core layers beneath are also wood-based, typically hardwood or plywood, oriented in alternating directions for stability. It is a real wood product, not a laminate or vinyl. The difference from solid hardwood is in the construction, not the material on the surface.
Colorado’s humidity swings, especially at eastern plains at 6,400 feet, cause solid hardwood to expand and contract significantly across seasons. Engineered hardwood’s cross-ply core is specifically designed to resist that movement, which means less gapping in dry winters, less cupping in humid summers, and fewer squeaks over time. For large open-plan spaces and below-grade rooms, that stability advantage is significant enough that we recommend engineered over solid in many situations.
It depends on the veneer thickness. Quality engineered hardwood with a veneer layer of three millimeters or more can typically be sanded and refinished once or twice, which meaningfully extends the life of the floor. Thinner veneer products cannot be refinished without risking damage to the core. We assess veneer thickness during the consultation and recommend products with the refinish potential that matches your long-term goals. If refinishing is a priority, we can also look at our hardwood floor refinishing service for existing floors in the home.
Engineered hardwood can be installed below grade, over concrete subfloors, and over radiant heat systems in situations where solid hardwood would carry too much risk. Its moisture resistance and dimensional stability make it viable in basements and lower-level spaces where solid hardwood is generally not recommended. We assess your specific subfloor and conditions during the consultation and tell you which product and installation method fits best.
Both are popular choices in Falcon, and they serve different purposes. Engineered hardwood is a real wood product that adds to resale value, feels like wood underfoot, and can be refinished. LVP is 100 percent waterproof, costs less, and is the better choice in spaces with significant moisture exposure. We help you decide which material belongs in which room based on how each space actually gets used. You can learn more about our LVP flooring options on the dedicated service page.
Most installations run one to three days depending on square footage and installation method. Engineered hardwood still requires an acclimation period before installation, though typically shorter than solid hardwood. We give you a complete project timeline during the consultation so you know exactly what to plan around.
We do. Every project starts with a free in-home consultation where we assess your space, walk through your material options, and put together an honest quote. Call us at (719) 233-8009 to get on the schedule.
