If you want hardwood, buy hardwood
Real wood. Real experts. Real fast.
Genuine European oak on the surface, an engineered core underneath. Choose five free samples, see the grain in your own light, and a flooring expert helps you get the rest right.
- Five real-wood samples, free
- Shipped 2nd day air
- A flooring expert on your project, not a call centre
- Real hardwood surface Not a printed wood-look
- 5 free samples
- Free 2-day sample delivery Ships 2nd day air
- Free expert help By phone and email
Not wood-look
One of these is wood. The other is a picture of wood.
Both are good floors and we sell both. But if what you want is real hardwood, the difference is worth two minutes.
- Real oak surface 1.2–4 mm
- Sawn from the log, not printed. This is the part you see, touch and walk on, and it is different on every plank.
- Cross-ply hardwood core
- Layers set at right angles to each other, which is what holds a 9.5-inch plank flat through a humid summer and a dry winter.
- Balancing backer
- Keeps the plank stable from underneath. Every traditional line here locks together with tongue-and-groove edges.
- Clear wear layer
- Transparent vinyl or melamine. It protects the layer beneath it — and it is what a wood-look floor means by "wear layer".
- Printed decor film
- A high-resolution photograph of wood grain. Good ones are convincing, but the image repeats every few boards.
- Vinyl or HDF core
- Hard-wearing, often waterproof, frequently the right floor for the room. Just not wood.
Wood-look vinyl and laminate are excellent floors, and often the right answer for a basement or a laundry room. We sell plenty of both. This page is for the shopper who specifically wants the real thing.
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Grain that never repeats
Every oak plank came off a different part of a different tree. Printed floors cycle through a set number of images, and you start seeing the pattern once the room is finished.
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Texture you can feel
Wire-brushed oak has depth a print cannot copy. It is the first thing people notice when the samples arrive, and the reason a photograph of a floor decides nothing.
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A surface with a future
How much real wood sits above the core decides how much life the floor has in it. That number changes a lot between our lines — it is the first thing to compare below.
Choose your five
Twelve real-wood colourways from our six most-ordered engineered hardwood lines. Compare them here, add up to five, and they ship 2nd day air.
0 of 5 selected
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Grand Width 9.5in White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 4.0 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$8.49 / sq ft
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Grand Width 9.5in White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 4.0 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$8.49 / sq ft
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Southport 7.5in White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 3.0 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$7.39 / sq ft
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Southport 7.5in White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 3.0 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$7.39 / sq ft
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Westport White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 2.0 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$5.29 / sq ft
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Westport White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 2.0 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$5.29 / sq ft
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Advantage Wide Plank Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 1.2 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$4.29 / sq ft
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Advantage Wide Plank Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 1.2 mm wear layer
- Lifetime warranty
$4.29 / sq ft
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Artisan Brushed Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 4.0 mm wear layer
- 25 yr warranty
$6.29 / sq ft
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Artisan Brushed Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- 3.0 mm wear layer
- 25 yr warranty
$7.45 / sq ft
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Celestial Waterproof Rigid Core Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- Waterproof
- 1.2 mm wear layer
- 20 yr warranty
$9.07 / sq ft
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Celestial Waterproof Rigid Core Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- Waterproof
- 1.2 mm wear layer
- 20 yr warranty
$9.07 / sq ft
No floors match that combination. Clear a filter, browse the full range, or ask a flooring expert to shortlist for you.
Not seeing yours? Browse every engineered hardwood floor we carry. Where a free sample isn't offered, the product page says so.
See all engineered hardwoodCompare the lines
Four real-wood floors. The difference is on top.
Every line here is genuine oak over an engineered core. What changes is how much oak is on the surface, how wide the planks run, and what it costs.
Thickest wear layer
Grand Width
The widest planks and the most real wood on top of any line we carry. It makes the room rather than disappearing into it.
4mm real-wood wear layer
- Plank width
- 9.5″
- Species
- & European Oak
- Surface
- , Wirebrushed
- Warranty
- Lifetime residential
$8.49 / sq ft
3 colours you can sample free
Sample this floor : Grand WidthSouthport
Wide European oak with visible character in the grain. The middle of the range in width, in wear layer and in price.
3mm real-wood wear layer
- Plank width
- 7.5″
- Species
- & European Oak
- Surface
- , Wirebrushed
- Warranty
- Lifetime residential
$7.39 / sq ft
5 colours you can sample free
Sample this floor : SouthportWestport
Clean, low-gloss white oak in a width that suits almost any room. Real wood without the drama of a nine-inch plank.
2mm real-wood wear layer
- Plank width
- 6.5″
- Species
- & European Oak & White Oak
- Surface
- , Wirebrushed
- Warranty
- Lifetime residential
$5.29 / sq ft
4 colours you can sample free
Sample this floor : WestportLowest price per sq ft
Advantage
Genuine oak and hickory at the most accessible price in the range. Real wood, wide planks, smaller budget.
1.2mm real-wood wear layer
- Plank width
- 6.5″
- Species
- & White Oak & Hickory
- Surface
- , Wirebrushed
- Warranty
- Lifetime residential
From $3.95 / sq ft
6 colours you can sample free
Sample this floor : Advantage
The wear layer is the real hardwood above the core — the part you see, feel and walk on, and the part a thicker floor has more of. Every specification on this page is read from the live product catalogue, so it cannot drift from what you receive. Not sure which number matters for your rooms? That is exactly what your flooring expert is for.
Real wood is too important to guess
Colour is the easy part. Plank width, wear layer, finish, construction and installation are where a hardwood project goes right or wrong. Every sample order is assigned a flooring expert who knows these oak lines and will work through all of it with you.
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Which wear layer you actually need
Traffic, pets and how long you plan to stay all change the answer. Your expert will tell you when the thicker floor isn't worth it.
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Comparing your samples
Grain, colour variation and finish against your cabinets, your trim and your light — not against a screen.
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Measuring and quantities
What to measure, how, and how much overage your installer will need. Wide planks change the number.
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Underlay, trims and transitions
Matching mouldings, thresholds and underlayment to the oak you chose, so nothing is missing on install day.
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Acclimation and delivery
Real wood needs time in the room before it goes down. We plan the delivery around your install date and your site access.
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One complete quote
The floor, the extras and the delivery in a single written quote, so there are no surprises later.
Your expert works with you by phone and email. We don't offer in-home design visits.
No surprises
What happens after you order
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Today
You choose five real-wood samples and check out. No card needed for the samples.
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Within 2 days
Your samples arrive by 2nd day air. Lay them out in the room, in morning light and again at night.
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Soon after
Your assigned flooring expert gets in touch to help you compare what you received and work out quantities.
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When you're ready
You get one complete quote covering the floor, the trims and delivery — and you order only if it's right.
What hardwood shoppers tell us
★★★★★
I received a sample piece of wood and everything was perfect about the sample. The thickness, sturdiness, the color. I would buy from BuildDirect.
Bobbi H. · Yotpo verified buyer · Southport · January 2026 ★★★★★
Sent the sample immediately and now just waiting to finish the move to order and install. The sample is perfect and extremely high quality!!!!
Susan G. · Yotpo verified buyer · Westport · May 2026 ★★★★★
The salesperson was great at listening to my needs and discussing my options. Also sent me the samples within 2 days.
Noemio O. · Yotpo verified buyer · Advantage · May 2026
Questions before you order
Is this actually real wood?
Yes. Every floor on this page has a genuine hardwood surface — European or white oak, with hickory on some Advantage and Celestial colourways — bonded to an engineered core. None of them is a printed wood-look.
What's the difference between engineered hardwood and solid hardwood?
The surface is the same real hardwood. Underneath, an engineered plank uses a cross-ply core instead of a single piece of timber, which is what keeps a wide plank flat across seasons and lets it go in more rooms. It is also why we can offer widths like 9.5 inches.
What is a wear layer, and how much do I need?
It's the thickness of real hardwood above the core, and on this page it runs from 1.2 mm to 4 mm depending on the line. More wear layer means more life in the floor. Your flooring expert will tell you what your rooms actually call for — thicker is not automatically the right buy.
Are the samples really free?
Yes. You can choose five engineered hardwood samples at no cost, and they ship 2nd day air.
What happens after I order samples?
We assign you a flooring expert. They'll get in touch to help you compare what you received, work out quantities, and put together a complete quote covering the floor, the trims and delivery. There's no obligation to order.
Which of these can go in a kitchen or a basement?
Celestial is our waterproof rigid-core line — real oak and hickory over a waterproof core, built for kitchens, basements and bathrooms. The other lines here are traditional tongue-and-groove engineered hardwood. Tell your expert which rooms you're planning and they'll steer you to the right one.
Can I get more than five samples?
Five is the free allowance. Your expert can arrange more, and larger XL samples are available to buy on several of these lines if you want to see a bigger piece of the grain before you commit.
Bring the real wood home
A screen can't show you grain, texture or how oak changes through the day. Five samples can — and a flooring expert turns the one you love into a complete plan.