Somerset Engineered Hardwood Flooring: An Installer's Honest Review

The first thing homeowners get wrong about Somerset engineered hardwood flooring is assuming engineered means cheap or temporary. It does not. Engineered hardwood is real wood on top, bonded to layers of wood beneath it. The construction is more stable than solid planks, especially over a basement or a concrete slab. But stability is not magic, and a good floor can still fail when the subfloor is damp, uneven, or treated like an afterthought.

I have installed plenty of floors that looked beautiful in the showroom and performed terribly six months later. In nearly every case, the problem was not the plank. It was moisture, poor acclimation, or a rushed installer trying to make Friday's deadline. Somerset makes respectable flooring, but the product still needs a proper job underneath it.

What You Are Actually Buying

Somerset engineered hardwood flooring uses a genuine hardwood wear layer over a multi-layer wood core. That top layer gives you the appearance and feel of oak, maple, hickory, or another real species, while the cross-layered core helps limit seasonal expansion and contraction. Solid hardwood moves more dramatically as humidity changes. Engineered boards generally handle those changes better.

That does not make every Somerset plank equal. Look at the thickness of the board, the thickness of the real wood wear layer, the finish, and the locking or tongue-and-groove profile. A thicker wear layer gives you more long-term options, including professional screening or, on some products, sanding. A thin decorative layer should be treated as a finished surface, not an endlessly renewable floor.

The most practical benefit is installation flexibility. Depending on the specific collection and job conditions, engineered planks can be nailed, stapled, glued, or floated. That matters when you are covering plywood, a concrete slab, or an existing floor that cannot be removed without creating a demolition bill.

Cost: The Plank Is Only Half the Invoice

Somerset engineered hardwood flooring commonly lands in the middle of the hardwood market rather than at the bargain end. Material pricing can run roughly $5 to $9 per square foot, depending on species, width, finish, and collection. Installation may add $3 to $7 per square foot. Tear-out, furniture moving, moisture mitigation, trim work, and transitions are separate line items.

For a 600-square-foot living area, a realistic installed range might be $5,000 to $9,500 before unusual subfloor repairs. That is a wide spread, but the reason is easy to see on a real estimate. A clean plywood subfloor with simple shoe molding is one job. A slab with carpet glue, three door jambs, a fireplace hearth, and a low spot running across the hallway is another animal entirely.

I once underbid a project because I measured the rooms but not the transitions. The homeowner had six different flooring heights meeting in a narrow corridor. The boards were not the problem; the trim and leveling ate the profit. Measure the ugly parts before you fall in love with the color.

Where It Works Best

Somerset engineered hardwood flooring is a sensible choice for bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, offices, and many open-concept areas. It offers the warmth of wood without requiring the same movement allowance as many solid products. Wider boards can make a small room feel less chopped up, although they also show subfloor irregularities more clearly.

I like it over a properly prepared wood subfloor and in above-grade spaces where the moisture environment is predictable. Kitchens can work if spills are cleaned promptly and the perimeter is detailed correctly. I am less enthusiastic about full bathrooms, laundry rooms with leak-prone appliances, and below-grade rooms with a history of dampness. Engineered wood is more forgiving than solid wood, not waterproof flooring.

Keep rugs away from rubber backings that trap moisture, use felt pads under furniture, and avoid wet-mopping. A lightly damp microfiber mop is plenty. The finish protects the wood; it does not turn the floor into a boat deck.

Installation Details That Decide the Result

Before Somerset engineered hardwood flooring arrives, the installer should check moisture in both the subfloor and the boards. The numbers and acceptable range depend on the installation method and product instructions, so this is not the place for a guess based on how dry the plywood feels. Concrete often needs a moisture test and, in some cases, a rated vapor-control system.

The subfloor should be flat, not merely swept clean. A ridge under a long plank creates movement and noise. A dip can produce hollow spots, joint stress, or visible lippage. Minor imperfections can sometimes be corrected with patch or underlayment. Larger problems require grinding, leveling, or replacing damaged panels.

Acclimation also deserves respect. Bringing boxes into the house the morning of installation and immediately covering them is a shortcut. The flooring should be stored and conditioned according to the manufacturer's instructions, with the home's temperature and humidity reasonably stable. Leave expansion space at walls, cabinets, and fixed objects. Baseboard or shoe molding covers that gap; caulk should not be used to glue the floor in place.

Can You Install It Yourself?

If you have installed trim, used a miter saw accurately, and can recognize a bad subfloor before laying material, a floating installation may be manageable. The work still involves careful layout, door-jamb undercuts, staggered end joints, and a plan for transitions. The first three rows set the visual direction for the entire room, so rushing them creates a crooked floor that no amount of furniture will hide.

Nail-down work is less forgiving. You need the correct fastener, compressor settings, spacing, and a way to work around cabinets and irregular walls. Glue-down installation requires the right adhesive, spread rate, open time, and cleanup procedure. A manufacturer warranty can also have installation requirements. Saving $2,000 in labor is not a bargain if a failed floor costs $6,000 to replace.

For one straightforward bedroom, DIY can make financial sense. For a connected main floor, I would hire a flooring professional and spend the saved weekends with your family instead of kneeling over a compressor.

How It Holds Up Over Time

A well-installed Somerset engineered hardwood flooring system should handle normal household traffic for many years. The finish will show wear first in kitchen paths, near exterior doors, and beneath rolling office chairs. Those are maintenance issues, not automatic reasons to tear everything out.

Use entry mats, sweep grit regularly, and lift furniture instead of dragging it. When the finish begins looking dull, ask a flooring professional whether a screen-and-recoat service is appropriate. That process refreshes the finish without removing much wood. Deep scratches, pet damage, or gray water stains require a more serious evaluation, and a thin wear layer may limit the repair options.

Bring home full-size samples if possible. A plank can look honey-colored under store lighting and much darker beside your cabinets. Check it in morning light, evening light, and next to the trim you plan to keep. Flooring is a large visual surface; a two-inch sample does not tell the whole story.

My Bottom Line Before You Order

Somerset engineered hardwood flooring is worth considering when you want genuine wood, better dimensional stability than solid planks, and several installation options. I would spend less time comparing tiny color differences and more time verifying the wear layer, subfloor condition, moisture plan, transitions, and installer experience.

Get two written estimates that separate material, labor, prep, demolition, trim, and disposal. Ask who handles the floor if a squeak or hollow spot appears after installation. A confident contractor will explain the fix before the problem occurs. The cheapest quote often leaves out the work that makes the floor last.

Floors take a beating every day. Don't let them beat your budget too.

TL;DR: Somerset engineered hardwood flooring can be a solid long-term choice, but pay for subfloor preparation and a careful installation before paying for a wider plank or prettier stain.