Somerset Hardwood Flooring Louisville KY | Carpet Selections

Somerset Solid vs. SolidPlus® Engineered

Somerset makes both solid and engineered hardwood floors, and the right one depends on your subfloor, the room, and how you want to care for it. Of course, both are 100% real hardwood finished with Somerset’s Ultimate™ UV-cured aluminum-oxide/urethane — so here is how they compare, and why hardwood installation method matters for each.

In short, choose solid 3/4″ when you want hardwood floors you can refinish again and again on a wood subfloor above grade; on the other hand, choose SolidPlus® engineered when you need extra stability — over concrete, in a basement, or in a wide plank. Either way, our crews handle the hardwood installation, and every Somerset floor here carries a 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty.

Color Strip & Color Plank — Same Colors, Different Board

Somerset’s Color Strip and Color Plank collections are oak floors that share the exact same seven stains — so you can pick a color first and then choose the board format that fits your room. The difference is width and construction, not color. Color Strip is the classic narrow strip; Color Plank is the wider, more modern board and the only one of the two also offered as engineered.

The width difference, board by board. This is the main thing that sets the two apart. Color Strip is “strip” flooring — boards under 3 inches wide — while Color Plank is “plank” flooring, meaning 3 inches and wider. Narrow strips read busier and more traditional because you see more seams per square foot; wider planks read calmer and more contemporary, showing off more of each board’s grain.

Color Strip widths (solid only):

Color Plank widths (solid and engineered):

So the widest you can go in Color Strip is 3-1/4″; Color Plank starts at 3-1/4″ and goes up to 5″. The one overlap is 3-1/4″ — you can get that exact width in either collection, but only Color Plank offers it as engineered (and only Color Plank reaches the wider 4″ and 5″ solid boards). If you want anything wider than 3-1/4″, that’s Color Plank.

Both share an eased-edge profile and Somerset’s Ultimate™ UV-cured aluminum-oxide/urethane finish, with a 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty. The quick rule: pick Color Strip for a traditional narrow-board look on a wood subfloor above grade, and Color Plank when you want a wider board or need engineered stability. View on Somerset: Color Strip · Color Plank.

Euro Wide Plank — Somerset’s Widest Board

The Euro Wide Plank collection is Somerset’s premium, extra-wide white oak — a single sweeping 8.25″-wide board in lengths up to 86″ for the long, open, European look. It’s built on Somerset’s SolidPlus® XP engineered platform with a thicker 3.5mm wear layer, so you get the widest, longest plank in the lineup with the stability to install it almost anywhere — including over concrete and below grade.

How it compares to our other wide white oak: the Classic Character collection tops out at a 5″ board, while Euro Wide Plank stretches to 8.25″ wide and 86″ long on a thicker XP wear layer — the most premium, most dramatic floor Somerset makes. It carries the same 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty (5-year finish wear commercial).

Hand Crafted — Hand-Scraped Texture

The Hand Crafted collection is Somerset’s textured, hand-scraped hardwood — each board is surface-worked so the floor has real dimension and a warm, time-worn look that hides everyday wear better than a smooth finish. It’s offered on the SolidPlus® engineered platform across multiple species, and it’s the one collection available in random widths for an authentic, old-world plank layout.

In short, choose Hand Crafted when you want texture and a rustic, lived-in character that a smooth floor can’t give you — with the option of mixed random-width planks. Like every Somerset floor here, it carries a 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty (5-year finish wear commercial).

High Gloss — A Formal, Polished Shine

The High Gloss collection is solid oak finished to a rich, reflective shine — the most formal, dressed-up look Somerset offers. That mirror-like surface adds depth and elegance to traditional and formal rooms, and because it’s solid 3/4″ hardwood, it can be sanded and refinished over its lifetime. It comes in the classic 2-1/4″ and 3-1/4″ strip widths.

A quick care note: a glossy finish makes a floor look stunning, but it also shows dust and footprints more readily than a satin sheen — so it’s best suited to formal spaces rather than high-traffic mudrooms. Like every Somerset floor here, it carries a 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty (5-year finish wear commercial).

Homestyle — Everyday Solid Oak

The Homestyle collection is Somerset’s straightforward, everyday solid oak — real 3/4″ hardwood in classic strip widths, finished simply and priced to be the practical choice for a whole-home install. It’s the same Appalachian oak and the same durable Ultimate™ finish as the rest of the lineup, in a clean, no-frills package. Because it’s solid, it can be sanded and refinished over the years.

How it compares to our other solid oak: Homestyle has eased ends all around for a softly defined plank look and is built to be the value choice, while Classic and High Gloss use a square end and a more premium presentation. All carry the same 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty (5-year finish wear commercial).

Wide Plank — Bold, Wide Engineered Hardwood Floors

The Wide Plank collection delivers Somerset hardwood floors at their most dramatic — broad 6″ and 7″ boards that make a real design statement. Moreover, every plank is built on the SolidPlus® engineered platform, so these wide hardwood floors stay flat and stable where solid wood might not. As a result, you can enjoy a wide-board look almost anywhere in the home, and our team can handle the hardwood installation from subfloor prep to the final row.

One note on species: Somerset keeps each board to a single species rather than mixing them, so the grain stays consistent across your floor. In this collection, the hickory colors come in a 6″ width while the white oak runs a full 7″. Furthermore, like all of our Somerset hardwood floors, the Wide Plank collection carries a 50-Year Finish Wear / Lifetime Structural warranty (5-year finish wear commercial).

Our Service Area

From our Louisville showroom at 11842 Capital Way, we proudly bring Somerset hardwood floors and professional hardwood installation to communities within about an hour’s drive across Greater Louisville, surrounding Kentucky, and Southern Indiana. What’s more, our Prospect location serves customers to the northeast.

Not in the Louisville area? However, we can still ship select Somerset hardwood products to you. Of course, terms and conditions apply, so call us for availability and details. What’s more, if you’re near Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, or Columbus, we can also arrange terminal pickup in these Ohio Valley cities through our partnership with our distributor.