Johnson Hardwood Flooring Review | Home Flooring Pros

Johnson Hardwood, headquartered in California, is a leading manufacturer of premium hardwood flooring and also produces SPC engineered vinyl plank floors including a unique hybrid product with a waterproof vinyl core and a natural hardwood top layer. Read on for the full Home Flooring Pros report.

We start our Johnson Hardwood report with a look at the pros and cons of this wood flooring brand.

PROS AND CONS

Here are the advantages:

Selection – Engineered Hardwood: Johnson Hardwood gives you a very appealing array of options in its 12 collections of engineered hardwood flooring. Tones from trendy near-white to richly sumptuous dark shades are available in Maple, Oak, Hickory, Walnut, Birch, European Oak and Acacia wood flooring.

Affordability: While Johnson Hardwood boasts premium quality and a good warranty, they price themselves in the average to high average range costing between $4 and $8 per square foot depending on the collection and wood species.  Other premium hardwood flooring manufacturers are priced between $6 and $14/sq. ft., so Johnson Hardwood does provide good value for the money.

Eco-Friendly: Most hardwood flooring manufacturers now realize that their products have to be produced in a way that respects the planet. It’s responsible – and good marketing too. Johnson Hardwood supports sustainable forestry practices.

Its products meet California’s strict CARB standards and are Lacey Act compliant. The adhesives used in the engineered flooring meets stringent German E-1 standards for formaldehyde emissions. Manufacturing wood waste is recycled.

Warranty: Johnson offers either a 35 or 50 year limited residential finish warranty, depending on the specific collection, stating that the finish will not wear through. They also offer a limited lifetime warranty that the floors are free of manufacturing defects covering milling, grading, staining or coating, lamination and assembly.

Here are the Disadvantages:

Selection – Solid Wood: Johnson Hardwood offers only 2 collections featuring solid hardwood. These collections are available in American Oak or Maple with 4.25” or 4.75” wide planks in a decent variety of colors.

General Hardwood Problems: All hardwood flooring will have the same kind of disadvantages including the fact that they can be dented and scratched by sharp objects.  Hardwood is also not a good choice for areas where floors are frequently exposed to water, as in a bathroom or mudroom. Solid hardwood cannot be installed below grade or in basements unless steps have been taken to completely waterproof your basement against moisture. If your basement isn’t moisture free you might want to consider different basement flooring ideas.

“Perfect” Installation Required: Like all flooring warranties, Johnson Hardwood honor theirs as long as the floor has been properly installed and maintained in accordance with Johnson Hardwood’s guidelines. Whether you DIY or hire a pro, read the installation guide for your specific flooring line and make sure it is followed. Not to be too cynical, but flooring warranties are written to the manufacturer’s advantage, so the floor must be installed properly for a warranty claim to be paid.

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTIONS

Here we’ll look at some of the collections and detail what’s available.

Green Mountain (new for 2021) and Renaissance are your two solid hardwood collection options. Green Mountain is available in hand scraped Maple and lightly wire brushed Oak with planks measuring 4.25” wide, .75” thick and random lengths with a UV-cured aluminum oxide finish.

The 12 hues include off-white, gray, and a full range of browns. Renaissance features traditional hand scraped and sculpted flooring in two choices, a Maple and an Oak with a semi-gloss finish. You may find it harder to find the Renaissance collection now that it has been superseded by Green Mountain.

As noted, Johnson Hardwood manufactures 12 engineered hardwood lines. The Alehouse Collection features a luxury vintage or reclaimed look, though it is virgin flooring. It has multi-layer hand staining in about a dozen tones. Each plank shows high color variation in the wood, not the staining. European Oak and Maple are offered.

The Saga Villa Collection features soft-grain Maple in 9 color choices ranging from light to dark brown. It’s 6.5” wide planks exude contemporary styling. The Roma Collection makes use of distressed Hickory in random width planks at 3”, 5”, and 6.5.” The collection’s eight colors are the boldest Johnson Hardwood offers.

WATER-PROOF WOOD FLOORING

Johnson Floors has developed a new product, found in their Reservoir Collection, and referred to as a “real wood hybrid.” It delivers the look and feel of genuine wood but with the waterproof qualities of luxury vinyl.

The flooring includes a wood wear layer and WaterShield rigid core made with waterproof vinyl. This innovative hardwood flooring is available in Hickory, Oak, Maple and Walnut in 11 color tones. Planks are a robust 6.5” wide.

JOHNSON HARDWOOD PRICES

Johnson’s engineered wood flooring ranges in price between $4.40 and $8.99 per sq/ft which is pretty standard for a high quality engineered floor. Their solid hardwood costs between $7.99 and $8.99 per sq/ft.

Johnson Hardwood also sell a range of engineered vinyl plank floors in six collections (including their innovative hybrid Reservoir flooring) for between $3.60 and $5.40 per sq/ft.

Johnson Hardwood products can be bought from local flooring retailers across the US.

The cost comparison table below lets you compare Johnson, Hardwood prices against other leading brands.

INSTALLING JOHNSON HARDWOOD FLOORING

Johnson Hardwood engineered wood flooring can be installed by staple, cleat, glue or floating methods, in most cases. The engineered floors, but not solid hardwood, can be installed over a radiant heating system. The hybrid flooring, Renaissance, is designed using the 2G Click floating floor system licensed from Välinge.

Renaissance and all Johnson Hardwood engineered flooring can be installed above, at, or below grade.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

One of the plus points for Johnson Hardwood is that they have a detailed section on their website all about maintenance; we like to see manufacturers taking the time to fully inform their clients and help them get the most out of their investment.

Advice on their site is true for most hardwood floors:

• Look after your flooring by keeping rooms temperature and humidity consistent (ideally between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity between 35 – 55%); use exterior and interior doormats, and area rugs in high traffic areas; and add furniture pads to the legs of heavy items.
• Clean Johnson Hardwood floors with regular sweeping or vacuuming (being sure to not use the beater bar head setting on the vacuum cleaner) and avoid using very wet mops, harsh abrasive cleaners, bleach, ammonia or vinegar-based cleaners, wax or acrylic polishes, or oil soaps.

SCRATCH REPAIRS

The section on the Johnson Hardwood website regarding dealing with scratches is the most refreshing we’ve seen in a long time! Unlike some manufacturers that suggest you buy their in-house “scratch repair kit”, Johnson Hardwood’s main advice is to use a Sharpie type felt tip pen to color in the scratch and then – if necessary – add a coat of water base polyurethane to seal it! Simple and effective!

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

In general, homeowners give this brand favorable reviews.

Jeff T. says that he installed Johnson hardwood maple engineered flooring in several bedrooms 5 years ago. He’s had no issues with the floor and recommends it.

Becky indicates that she has flooring from Johnson Hardwood’s engineered Texas Collection, and with 3 dogs, she’s had absolutely no problems at all with scratches or stains. Most reviewers comment on the beauty of the floor.

JM says that after 5 years, some of the urethane finish has worn off on his walnut flooring. He was disappointed when he was told that this was caused by normal wear and tear and was not covered under the warranty. That’s a good reminder to read the warranty of any flooring you’re considering.

If you have a review of any Johnson Hardwood flooring product please leave it in the comments section below.

About the Author: Greca Fotopoulos

Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”