Maple Pacifica 1/2 in. Thick x 7-1/2 in. Wide x Varying Length Engineered Hardwood Flooring (23.31 sq. ft./case)

The Malibu Wide Plank Hardwood Collection is sealed with 7 layers of the latest super low gloss urethane finish with aluminum oxide, providing protection from everyday wear and tear, there is nothing you can add to a hardwood floor to waterproof it. This floor would be considered Water Resistant. If you review the definition of "water resistant" = able to resist the penetration of water to some degree but not entirely, most hardwood flooring would fall under this category, however key is how long the water, spill, liquid stays on the floor. If you spill water, drips from dishwasher, or track in water from outside etc, solution would be cleaning/drying up the spill. If you clean up the liquid within a reasonable timeline, there should be no issues. if you ever have a flooding in your home, then even though you decided to purchase a "Waterproof" flooring option, the installation would also need to be waterproof. If there is a major flood in your home, more than likely homeowners insurance would need to be involved based on monetary amount it would cost to attempt to salvage floor, do water remediation, re-install a new floor, rip out damaged floor etc. Hardwood Flooring is the flooring of choice among the majority of homeowners, is extremely durable, easy to maintain, and an excellent investment in your home.

Hardwood Flooring is extremely popular in Kitchens and Half Bathrooms, do not recommend for full Bathrooms. The Malibu Wide Plank Hardwood Collection would be considered Water Resistant. If you review the definition of "water resistant" = able to resist the penetration of water to some degree but not entirely, most hardwood flooring would fall under this category, however key is how long the water, spill, liquid stays on the floor. If you spill water, drips from dishwasher, or track in water from outside etc, solution would be cleaning/drying up the spill. If you clean up the liquid within a reasonable timeline, there should be no issues. if you ever have a flooding in your home, then even though you decided to purchase a "Waterproof" flooring option, the installation would also need to be waterproof. If there is a major flood in your home, more than likely homeowners insurance would need to be involved based on monetary amount it would cost to attempt to salvage floor, do water remediation, re-install a new floor, rip out damaged floor etc. Hardwood Flooring is the flooring of choice among the majority of homeowners, is extremely durable, easy to maintain, and an excellent investment in your home.

CAN FLOOR BE SANDED THEN REFINISHED or JUST REFINISHED AS THESE ARE 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PROCESSES: The entire collection of Engineered & Solid Hardwood Flooring is extremely durable, easy to clean and easy to maintain. All of our floors are sealed with 7 layers of the latest super low gloss urethane finish with aluminum oxide, providing protection from everyday wear and all backed by a Lifetime Residential Finish & 5 Year Commercial Warranty. If you wanted to strip off all (7) Layers of Factory UV Cured Stain & Finish, and bring floor down to raw unfinished smooth wood, pending the install application this could technically be done (1) time on the 3/8” & 1/2” Engineered Locking which has a 1.2mm Thick Face Veneer and (2) times on the 1/2” & 9/16” Engineered Tongue & Groove which has a 2mm Face Veneer. However this sand & finish is not covered under warranty as there are too many variables which can affect the outcome performed by your professional sand and finish mechanic. More then likely you would never sand and finish a prefinished floor unless you want to 100% Change the color. You would also lose your lifetime residential finish warranty and the surface texture which is wire brushed or distressed with saw mark etc. If needed for whatever reason you could apply a new coat of finish (refinish with no sanding) to the floor using the Basic Coatings TyKote or Bona Prep recoat adhesion method for recoating a prefinished hardwood floor that contains aluminum oxide in the urethane finish. If board damage occurs, you can always have a professional mechanic perform board replacement.

YES. For detailed installation instructions, please refer to the "Installation Guide" located as a PDF file attached to each Product listing page under "Info & Guides".

Case size on the 1/2" Thick x 7.5" Wide @ 75.71"Length x 7.99" Wide x 3.15"Height. Each Case weighs approx. 37 lbs.

Yes available online samples are 5" x 7" In size, go to same Maple Cardiff product listing page and add sample to your cart. URL @ https://www.homedepot.com/p/Malibu-Wide-Plank-Maple-Cardiff-1-2-in-Thick-x-7-1-2-in-Wide-x-Varying-Length-Engineered-Hardwood-Flooring-23-31-sq-ft-case-HDMPTG046EF/300194271

This Engineered 1/2" Tongue & Groove Collection can be full spread glue down, staple, nail down or floating application. Please refer to the "Installation Guide" located as a PDF file attached to each Product listing page under "Info & Guides". Engineered Flooring can be fully-glued to wood subfloors and concrete. Follow the glue manufactures labeling instructions regarding correct trowel size. Recommended Adhesives: Use 100% urethane or a Silane based adhesive that are designed for use with engineered wood floors. Technical Data Sheets for these adhesive can be found on the adhesive manufactures website. Technical data sheets provide the guidelines for approved subfloors, approved floors, subfloor prep, cure times, and trowel sizes among other information.

I use wood cleaners only or a very well wrung mop; never sopping wet. IF you bought the lower priced version of the floor be careful; the core layer looks like a pressed fiber-board And running it under water, I found it actually absorbs water, which can damage your floor. For that reason, I upgraded to the 1/2” version which has slices of wood beneath the wear layer and doesn’t draw water. There are many commercial wood floor cleaners on the market to choose from.

Buy the upgraded version! Not only is the top thicker, but the bottom layers of the cheaper 3/8” product are made with a fiber-board like core, that when wet will actually pull in water! Water damage to a floor usually appears on the edges of the boards; you do not want a product that absorbs water. The upgraded version has wood layers sandwiched beneath the wear layer and the boards are both longer and wider. The floor is really beautiful, but you want it to last for years. The price difference is not that great for a huge difference in quality.

The Malibu Wide Plank Maple Cardiff has hand-rolled edges and ends, same as micro-bevel edges/ends.