When we bought our home 5 years ago, it had 5 different types of flooring on the main level, which I lovingly referred to as my “patchwork quilt of flooring”.  We knew that one day we would want to replace it all with one consistent type of flooring, but that was not in our budget at the time.  So we waited and saved and waited some more.

This spring when we realized that our dream of replacing the floors was going to finally become a reality, we had two big decisions to make:  1)  What kind of flooring we were going to get?  and 2)  Where would we purchase it?  After much research and careful consideration, we decided to get engineered hardwood from Avalon Flooring.   And here’s why:

Benefits of Engineered Hardwood:

• It’s more affordable than solid hardwood, particularly when looking at wide plank floors. We knew we wanted wide plank floors.  And when dealing with solid hardwood, the wider the plank, the more expensive it got.  Whereas looking at engineered hardwood allowed us to still get a nice wide plank (7″ wide) at a price that was affordable.
• It does not swell or warp, making it a low maintenance option.  Since we plan to live in this home for a while, it was important to us to select something that would hold up well in the years to come.
• If you get thicker engineered hardwood (which we did), it can be sanded down and refinished 1 to 3 times.  So it can last a total of 40 to 80 years!  It was important to us to get flooring that could be refinished in the future so that it would truly have longevity to last us our lifetime in this home.  Please note that thinner engineered hardwood floors cannot necessarily be refinished, so be sure to find out the thickness of your engineered hardwood when making your selection.
• The upper-most layer of engineered hardwood is real solid wood, so therefore it has the same appearance as solid hardwood floors.  Due to my interest in interior design, it was really important to me to have floors that truly reflect what real wood looks like.
• If you’re interested in learning even more detailed information about the benefits of engineered hardwood you can read more here.

Why We Chose Avalon Flooring:

After looking at several big box stores and becoming discouraged, I spoke with my brother-in-law, and he recommended going to Avalon Flooring.  And I cannot thank him enough for this!  From the moment I walked in, I was impressed with several things:

• They have LARGE samples of flooring to look at!   It’s not a tiny chip you hold in the palm of your hand.  Instead they have large sections of flooring (about 2 feet x 2 feet) that you can look at so that you can truly envision what that floor will look like in your home.  They even have several of the flooring options installed in the showroom floor so that you can see what it looks like in the context of a room.  It’s basically flooring heaven because you can truly get an idea of what the different types of flooring will look like in a large space…the tone of the wood, the knots, the wood grain pattern, undertones, everything.  I cannot rave about how refreshingly different and beneficial the large samples at Avalon Flooring are!

• They have a huge selection of every type of flooring imaginable.  Whether you are looking for solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, tile, linoleum, luxury vinyl…you name it, they have it!  My focus was mostly on engineered hardwood options, and I was impressed by the variety of plank widths they offered, as well as the variety of wood types and colors.  They have everything from super light bleached oak floors to incredibly dark floors, and every shade in between.  No matter what you’re looking for, I’m confident you’d find it at Avalon.

• I love supporting local small businesses and spending my money in my community.  Avalon Flooring is a regional flooring company with 14 locations in the NorthEast US.  They are employee owned, and I feel good knowing that I am supporting a small business!

• They have really good customer service and friendly knowledgeable employees!   I was very impressed with the friendly demeanor of the employees, as well as the knowledge they have in regards to their products.  For us, the idea of committing to 900 square feet of flooring was at times very overwhelming, but Avalon Flooring truly made the process so easy and stress-free along the way.  Everyone we interacted with at Avalon Flooring from the woman who greeted us upon arrival, to the salesman who helped us on the floor, to the office staff who informed us when the product had arrived, to the guys that loaded the product onto our trailer…they were all very pleasant and helpful, and it made for such a smooth process.

So there you have it!  That is why we settled on getting engineered hardwood from Avalon Flooring!   I know that selecting flooring can seem overwhelming because it’s a huge commitment.  I totally get that!   But hopefully this blog post helps you understand some of the benefits of engineered hardwood as a great flooring option!  If you’re currently in the market for new floors, be sure to check out one of Avalon Flooring’s 14 locations.

I’ll be back soon with Part 2 of my Flooring Series, discussing How You Can Select the Right Kind of Flooring that Will Match Your Decor Style!