Interiors · Flooring
Floors for boots, dogs, and dry winters
Floors take more wear than anything else in the house: boots, dogs, grit, and dry winter air. Pick a floor for each room by how you'll live in it. Tile has its own page, and on a slab the concrete itself can be your finished floor.
Every option is compared on the same five things:
Your options
Pick a floor for each room
Relative cost compares installed flooring per square foot. Most homes mix them: wood in living areas, something tougher at the door.
Engineered wood
Real wood on top of a stable plywood core. It handles dry winters and floor heat better than solid wood, comes pre-finished, and is ready to walk on the day it's down. We install it ourselves.
- Look / Style
- Real wood, pre-finished
- Maintenance
- Medium
- Lifespan
- 20-40 years, by wear layer
- Relative Cost
- $$
- Best For
- Living areas and bedrooms; homes with floor heat
Why people pick it
- Real wood look and feel
- Stable through dry winters
- Can go over floor heat or a slab (approved products)
Trade-offs
- Thin wear layers can be sanded only once or twice, or not at all
- Dog claws and grit scratch it
Solid hardwood
Solid wood boards nailed down, then sanded and finished in place by a flooring specialist. It can be refinished many times over the life of the house.
- Look / Style
- Classic site-finished wood
- Maintenance
- Medium
- Lifespan
- Life of the house (refinish)
- Relative Cost
- $$$$
- Best For
- Crawlspace homes; owners staying for decades
Why people pick it
- Can be sanded and refinished again and again
- Site finish seals the seams
Trade-offs
- Gaps open in dry winters as wood shrinks
- Not for slabs or whole-floor heat
- Longest install: sanding and finish drying
Luxury vinyl plank
A tough, waterproof plank with a printed wood or stone look. Great for mudrooms, laundries, rentals, and ADUs where boots, dogs, and water are part of life.
- Look / Style
- Wood or stone look
- Maintenance
- Low
- Lifespan
- 15-25 years
- Relative Cost
- $$
- Best For
- Mudrooms, laundries, rentals, ADUs
Why people pick it
- Waterproof
- Scratch-resistant and quiet
- Lowest-cost hard floor
Trade-offs
- It's plastic: doesn't feel like wood and can't be refinished
- Can move or fade in strong sun
Carpet
Soft, warm, and quiet underfoot, mainly for bedrooms and lofts.
- Look / Style
- Soft and cozy
- Maintenance
- Medium
- Lifespan
- 5-15 years
- Relative Cost
- $
- Best For
- Bedrooms, lofts, kids' rooms
Why people pick it
- Soft, warm, and quiet
- Lowest cost
Trade-offs
- Holds dust and allergens
- Wears out sooner than hard floors
Side by side
| Tag | Engineered wood | Solid hardwood | Luxury vinyl plank | Carpet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look / Style | Real wood, pre-finished | Classic site-finished wood | Wood or stone look | Soft and cozy |
| Maintenance | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Lifespan | 20-40 years, by wear layer | Life of the house (refinish) | 15-25 years | 5-15 years |
| Relative Cost | $$ | $$$$ | $$ | $ |
| Best For | Living areas and bedrooms; homes with floor heat | Crawlspace homes; owners staying for decades | Mudrooms, laundries, rentals, ADUs | Bedrooms, lofts, kids' rooms |
Other floors
Tile and concrete have their own pages.
Every Bedrock home
How we build it
Every floor starts with a dry, flat base.
Slab moisture tested first
Concrete gives off moisture for months after it's poured. Before any wood or vinyl goes over a slab, we test it, and wait or add a moisture barrier until it's within the flooring maker's limits.
Prevents cupping, mold, and failed glue
Keeps your flooring warranty valid
Floors acclimated and flat
Wood flooring sits in the heated house before it goes down, and we flatten the subfloor first, so boards lie tight and quiet.
Fewer gaps and squeaks
Meets the maker's warranty terms
FAQ
Common questions
What's the best flooring for a mountain home with dogs?
Luxury vinyl plank stands up best to claws and water, and tile and polished concrete are tougher still. If you want real wood, choose a hard species and a matte finish that hides scratches.
Can wood flooring go over a concrete slab or floor heat?
Engineered wood can, when the product is approved for it. We test the slab's moisture first and keep floor temperatures within the maker's limits. Solid hardwood isn't a good fit over a slab.
Why does wood flooring gap in winter?
Methow winters are very dry, and wood shrinks as it loses moisture. Engineered wood moves much less than solid wood, and steady indoor humidity helps both.
Want to see these in person?
We'll bring flooring samples to your site during pre-construction and price them on your plans.