Overview
Engineered hardwood is real wood on top of a stable plywood core. It's the right answer over concrete slabs, in basements, and over radiant heat, places where solid plank can cup or buckle.
Engineered Hardwood Installation by Kovich & Savard starts at $10/sq ft* for labor, with material quoted separately and the final number set after a free in-home estimate. We service every Massachusetts town listed below, Greater Boston, the South Shore, MetroWest, and Cape Cod, with three generations of family experience. Every job is owner-led.
Where these numbers come from: every price, timeline and job detail on this engineered hardwood page is set by the owners, Tim Savard and Steve Kovich, and reflects how they price and schedule this work in 2026, except figures credited to another source where they appear.
Engineered hardwood installation puts a real hardwood wear layer (the sandable top layer of real wood, typically 3mm to 6mm) on a stable plywood core, glued, nailed or floated, and it is the right floor over concrete slabs, in basements and over radiant heat, where solid plank can cup or buckle. It runs in steps: (1) a moisture test: a moisture reading on concrete, a humidity reading on plywood, with the numbers written on the proposal; (2) choose glue-down, nail-down or floating based on what is underneath, not on the easiest install; (3) a moisture barrier sheet over concrete and a sound-dampening pad where noise between floors matters; (4) install, trim and transitions with the same craftsmanship as solid plank. The real choice is between engineered at $10/sq ft labor (plus about $4/sq ft adhesive for glue-down over slab), which sands and refinishes one to two times depending on a 3mm or 6mm wear layer, and solid hardwood at the same $10/sq ft labor, which refinishes 4-5 times but is the wrong spec over a slab or a damp basement. This is not the right service if you have a wood subfloor above grade with normal humidity and want the most refinishes possible (solid plank wins there), or if you want a fully waterproof floor for a basement that floods (that is a luxury vinyl plank job, not wood), or if you are set on a floating install because it is cheapest (we'll tell you honestly it feels different underfoot). Start with the free in-home estimate and a moisture test; the moisture numbers decide the install method before any price is final.
We use engineered when what is underneath, or the room itself, demands it. The top wear layer is real hardwood, typically 3mm to 6mm, meaning the floor can be sanded and refinished one to two times, and reads identically to solid plank to the eye.
Engineered installs go down as floating, glue-down, or nail-down depending on what is underneath. Concrete and radiant get glue-down with flexible flooring adhesive. Floating is fast and cheap but feels different underfoot, we'll be honest with you about the trade-off.
Deciding between the two? Our solid vs engineered hardwood guide compares refinishing, moisture, cost and where each belongs in a Massachusetts home.
About this service
Engineered Hardwood, the honest one-paragraph version.
Engineered hardwood is real wood on top of a stable plywood core. It's the right answer over concrete slabs, in basements, and over radiant heat, places where solid plank can cup or buckle. We do this work across Massachusetts for homeowners, builders, property managers, and small-business owners. Labor starts at $10/sq ft*. Engineered installs over slab require glue-down with flexible flooring adhesive, adhesive alone runs ~$4/sq ft and is included on top of labor. Final number set after the moisture test. Every job starts with a free in-home estimate, a written itemized proposal inside 48 hours of that visit, and a fixed completion date. Owner-led, fully insured, three generations of family craftsmanship since 1928.
Engineered Hardwood is one of eight service lines we offer. Most homeowners who book engineered hardwood also end up using one or two related services from the same crew on the same project, common combinations include refinishing plus custom staining, install plus board-repair on adjacent rooms, and engineered hardwood plus luxury vinyl plank for a basement transition. We coordinate all of them under one proposal so you do not have to manage multiple contractors against each other on schedule.
Three generations of doing this work across Eastern Massachusetts has taught us that the same standards produce floors that hold up for forty years regardless of which service is on the proposal. Subfloor preparation before wood, proper acclimation before installation, three-coat premium finish where the system calls for it, transitions cut to fit every doorway, daily cleanup, and an owner on every site every day. Tim and Steve are the people you talk to, and the people on your floor.
Why choose this
What you get when we do this work.
What sets our engineered hardwood work apart comes down to works over slab and radiant heat, real hardwood face and wide-plank without the cost. Each point below is something you can check on your written engineered hardwood proposal or see on the finished floor, not a slogan.
Works over slab and radiant heat
Solid plank cups over slab. Engineered handles temperature swings without bowing.
Real hardwood face
It's actual oak, walnut, or hickory, not a printed laminate photo.
Wide-plank without the cost
Engineered makes 7-9" wide plank achievable in homes where solid would over-budget.
How it goes
The 4-step process for this work.
Every engineered hardwood job we take runs in the same 4 steps, from moisture test to install, trim, transitions. The owner who writes your engineered hardwood proposal stays on the job through each step, and the proposal lists every step with its date.
- 01
Moisture test
Moisture test on a concrete slab, humidity test on plywood. Numbers go on the proposal.
- 02
Choose install method
Glue-down, nail-down, or floating, we recommend based on what is underneath, not the easiest install.
- 03
Underlayment
A moisture barrier sheet over concrete, and a sound-dampening pad where noise between floors matters.
- 04
Install, trim, transitions
Same craftsmanship as solid, just a different fastening method.
Recent engineered hardwood projects
Real photos. Real Massachusetts homes.
These are photos from our own engineered hardwood jobs in Massachusetts homes, not stock images. More of our work, including other engineered hardwood jobs, is on our work page, and at the estimate we can point you to finished engineered hardwood floors near you.
Considerations for Massachusetts homes
What we look at before quoting engineered hardwood.
Subfloor and structure: Massachusetts housing stock spans pre-1900 board subfloors laid on beams, mid-century plywood over 2x10 beams, and modern engineered I-joists (factory-made floor beams shaped like a capital I), and we adjust technique for each. Pre-1960 homes routinely have original pine plank subfloor with hardwood nailed directly to it; post-war ranches and capes show 1/2" plywood; newer builds use 3/4" tongue-and-groove OSB (oriented strand board, panels of pressed wood strands) or plywood. Each calls for different fastener length, different acclimation tolerance, and a different read on whether the subfloor needs screwing-down before any new flooring goes over it. We test moisture content with a handheld moisture meter at every job because cupping and buckling (boards curling at the edges or lifting off the subfloor) are almost always a subfloor-moisture story, not a wood-selection story.
Material specification: species (red oak versus white oak versus walnut versus hickory), board width (2 1/4" strip versus 5" plank versus 7"+ wide-plank), grade (select clear versus character versus rustic), and finish chemistry (clear, low-odor water-based polyurethane versus warmer amber oil-based versus matte hardwax oil that soaks into the wood) each move both the price and the lived experience of the floor for the next 30 years. We bring physical samples to the estimate so you see and feel the difference rather than choosing from a catalog page. Pricing scales with those choices: the same room costs several times more in wide-plank European white oak than in narrow select red oak boards.
Adjacencies and transitions: almost every engineered hardwood project touches a kitchen tile threshold, an exterior door, a stair nose, and at least one HVAC register. We cut every transition to fit rather than hiding the edge under a trim strip, mill the rounded stair edges from matching wood, and blend refinish work into adjacent rooms so the new work doesn't read as a stripe of fresh wood against tired surroundings. That detail work is included in the labor rate, not added as a separate line item.
Dust, schedule, and living in the house: we run HEPA-filtered dust-containment sanders that pull dust into a sealed vacuum at the sander before it reaches the air, and we seal off adjacent rooms with zip walls. Most families stay in the house through a refinish. For an install, plan on the floors being walkable in stocking feet at day 4 and fully ready for furniture at day 7. We coordinate around your life and can work in phases when whole-house occupancy matters.
FAQ
Common questions about engineered hardwood.
These are the engineered hardwood questions we hear most at in-home estimates, answered in plain words by the owners who do the work. Got a question that's not here? Call (508) 962-1962 or email us. Tim and Steve answer themselves.
How many times can engineered be refinished?
Depends on wear layer. 3mm wear layer = once. 6mm = twice. We'll spec product so you know your future runway.
Will it work over my radiant heat?
Yes, with the right product and adhesive. We've installed engineered over hydronic radiant on Cape Cod and the South Shore for years.
How long does engineered hardwood take from start to finish?
For a typical 800 to 1,200 sq ft project, an install takes the floors walkable in stocking feet at day 4 and fully ready for furniture at day 7. A refinish runs 4 to 5 days end-to-end. We coordinate around your life and can work in phases when whole-house occupancy matters.
Will Tim or Steve be on-site for my engineered hardwood job?
Yes. An owner is on every site, every day. Not a project manager, not a salesperson, not a subbed-out crew. The person who measured your floor is the person who runs the work and is the person you call if you have a question two years later.
What insurance do you carry for engineered hardwood work?
$2,000,000 in liability insurance (it pays for damage to your home) and full workers' compensation (it covers our crew if someone is hurt). Certificates of insurance furnished on request, including additional-insured endorsements for condo associations or property managers that require them.
Do you offer a warranty on engineered hardwood?
Yes. Written workmanship warranty on every job, plus the finish manufacturer's product warranty on the coating system. If something we did fails, we come back. We answer the phone for years afterward.
How quickly can you start a project?
Most projects start two to four weeks after sign-off. The on-site estimate happens within a few business days of your call, the written proposal lands inside 48 hours of that visit, and the wood acclimates on-site for 5 to 7 days before any nail goes in.
What's included
What you actually get with engineered hardwood.
Included in the labor rate: in-home assessment of the subfloor and existing material, written itemized proposal within 48 hours, moisture-content testing at delivery and at install, on-site acclimation of raw boards (5 to 7 days for solid, 3 to 5 for pre-finished), three-pass sanding with HEPA dust containment (where applicable), three coats of premium polyurethane with a light sanding between coats (where applicable), transitions cut to fit at doorways and room changes, owner-led job supervision, furniture moving and protection within the work zone, daily site cleanup, and a final walk-through with written care kit. The labor rate is not stripped down to a teaser number that grows once we are on-site.
Quoted separately on top of labor: the wood or product itself (priced by species, board width, grade, and quantity); any subfloor repair we find during prep (rotted plywood, reinforcing floor beams, leveling beyond minor patching); stair treads and their front edges, and risers; custom stain blends beyond a single tone; specialty moldings and transitions we need to fabricate rather than buy stock; and after-hours scheduling for commercial work. Each line item appears on the proposal so you see the math before signing.
Not included, and we will tell you up front: any work outside the scope on the proposal. If we find something during prep that changes the scope, we stop, photograph it, email you a change-order with a real number, and wait for your sign-off before proceeding. We do not silently expand scope and present a larger invoice at the end.
Warranty: written workmanship warranty on every project, plus the finish manufacturer's product warranty on the coating system. If something we did fails (a cup, a lifted board, a finish failure that we caused), we come back. We have been doing this work since 1928 and we plan to be answering the phone for the same floor in twenty years.
Where we provide this service
Engineered Hardwood across Eastern Massachusetts.
Honest expectations
What we will and will not promise on engineered hardwood.
What we will promise: owner-led work from start to finish, a fixed completion date in writing, full HEPA dust containment where the service calls for it, three coats of premium polyurethane where the finish type calls for it, transitions cut to fit every doorway and room change, daily cleanup, written workmanship warranty, and a phone number staffed by an owner for the years after the job. Free in-home estimate, written itemized proposal within 48 hours.
What we will not promise: a price quoted sight-unseen, a refinish on a floor whose wear layer is gone, a finish type that we know will yellow over the stain you chose, an install schedule that cannot accommodate proper wood acclimation, or work outside the scope on the proposal. We will tell you honestly at the in-home visit if what you are asking for is not a good fit for your floor for your situation and what we recommend instead, even when the recommendation is a smaller project than the one you called about.
Other services
You might also need…
These related services are often done alongside engineered hardwood, each with its own page, starting price and process. All of them can go on the same written proposal as your engineered hardwood work, so one visit and one estimate cover the whole floor.
