Mirage calls itself “THE WORLD’S FINEST HARDWOOD FLOORS!” But is its flooring really the best? We’re reviewing Mirage to to see.

In this guide, we’re going to take an in-depth look at Mirage hardwood floors. We’ll evaluate factors like cost, selection, and durability using consumer reviews and other resources.

This analysis is personal. You see I installed Mirage engineered flooring into my home years ago. I’m happy, and they look beautiful. But not sure I would recommend Mirage Flooring to a friend. I have 2 dogs, and 3 kids, and it seems like every time someone walks across the floor it scratches. But Mirage flooring isn’t cheap. So, I wanted to find out if my experiences were common. But, are customer expectations just unrealistically high since it costs higher than average?

Is Mirage Hardwood Flooring Durable?

Durability is a relative thing. When you buy a coffee to go from Pete’s or Starbucks the cup is thrown away after you’re finished. But, hardwood flooring is expensive to purchase, expensive to install, expensive to refinish, and super expensive to replace. So, if you’re spending the money, and moving out of the house while it’s installed, you want them to be durable. Mirage promises that its floors are “the world’s finest and best hardwood floors,” but is this claim really true?

Unfortunately, there are quite a few consumer experiences about Mirage Flooring that reflect the same issues I have with mine. Complaints about how easily the floors are dinged and dented.

Now we know there are folks who are harder on floors than the average. However, during normal use and taking steps to avoid scratching and wear consumers are seeing their floors become easily damaged.

Several consumer complaints draw attention to how pets, and furniture can scratch and dent their flooring. Myself I have a 20 lb Welsh Terrier, and a 65 lb Australian Sheppard. The terrier doesn’t seem to create any damage, but the Aussi is literally creating a pathway through the middle of the room where she’s known to run out the back door. Keeping the dogs nails trimmed, using area rugs in the high traffic areas, and coasters under furniture legs, does avoid these issues. However, they still happen – you can’t cover everything!

In addition to these problems, consumers also complained about customer service. These consumers state that customer service did not adequately resolve problems with wood flooring that objects easily damaged.

Here are some complaints from real customers:

“Never Again”
We had Mirage engineered wood flooring in Red Oak, Sierra finish installed professionally five years ago. Initially, the floor looked beautiful, we loved it, Then it started, the denting issues others complain about – especially in the kitchen – a lid to a pan, a glass bowl, a piece of flatware, literally anything with a little weight will dent the floor if dropped on it.

“Just The Worst Quality”
My hardwood is 10 years old and it’s completely covered in scratches…We have a 35 Lbs French Bulldog and it couldn’t take him walking on it. Every inch of the floor is covered with scratches. My parents’ hardwood is 30 years old and had two dogs, twice that size, run all over it and it has almost no wear. If your builder shows you anything from Mirage, run the other way.

But you’ll also here this:

“Many of these reviewers held false expectations”
We install many brands of wood flooring and have found Mirage to be of the very highest quality in the marketplace. What I am reading in these negative reviews is disappointment due to false expectations. I may blame the salesperson for not informing the customer of wood floorings basic characteristics. Woods vary in hardness. Most wood flooring falls in the medium hardness range ie.oaks and maple. These will dent when a heavier object falls on it or a high heel has lost its cap or an active dog of 30 lbs or over with longer claws is living on it. These problems are not anything the manufacturer did or did not do but a lack of adequate up front education.

Generally professionals and installers give excellent feedback on the product. And, when I read feedback like this I remember that my flooring is middle of the road from a hardness standpoint – Maple. I’m in love with the way Maple looks, but it’s not the hardest for sure. And, the only thing that really scratches them are powerful 70 lb dogs in a hyper-run to chase a squirrel in the back yard. Or, one of my sons dropping a baseball bat.

What About A Warranty?

Mirage hardwood flooring, like most others, come backed with a warranty. This includes a lifetime structural warranty and a 35-year finish warranty with residential installation. The finish warranty is lower at 3 to 5 years for commercial use.

The structural warranty does not cover fading due to excessive exposure to sunlight, distortion caused by nails or staples, and installation of Classic flooring over radiant heating systems.

The finish warranty does not cover floors that are improperly cleaned or maintained, floors that are damaged as a result of negligence or accidents, water damage, pet claws, insufficiently protected floors, or floors that are scratched by sand or other abrasives.

The warranty proved to be a problem for many consumers that experienced damage to their floors. The consumers that contacted Mirage were not given a refund or replacement for floors that were damaged from typical use.

To make sure your warranty stays intact, make sure that your floors are properly installed by a professional. You also need to properly care for and maintain your wood floors, which we’ll go into more detail on in a later section.

Cost of Mirage Flooring?

Hardwood flooring is always expensive, and Mirage is no exception. As a matter of fact they’re very much on the high end.

Hardwood flooring typically costs around $4 to $10 per square foot. If you purchase an exotic species, you may easily pay $10 or more per square foot.

You do need to remember that pricing varies based on a number of factors, including but not limited to the species of wood, the brand you select, and where you purchase the flooring. This pricing also does not include installation costs, or the cost of additional materials needed for installation.

The pricing on Mirage hardwood flooring also varies based on the style you select, the size of the planks, and the retailer that you make your purchase from. However, you’ll mostly find that Mirage flooring cots between $6 and $8.50 per square foot. Some exotic species cost around $10 per square foot.

When you compare it to the typical costs of hardwood flooring, Mirage hardwoods have a price on the higher end, although it is not the most expensive brand out there. However, it is not the best choice for any consumer that’s shopping on a budget, as there are plenty of more affordable options available on the market.

What Styles & Colors Are Available?

One major benefit of Mirage hardwood flooring is that there are plenty of style, color, and texture options available. Choose from one of the company’s many collections, including Admiration, Exotic, Flair Herringbone, and Natural.

Mirage offers hardwood flooring with matte, semi-gloss and ultra-matte finishes. You can choose from textures including distressed, engraved, smooth, and brushed, as well as colors like white, black, brown, beige, and grey.

There are a variety of species available to purchase through Mirage. Choose from options such as maple, red oak, walnut, Brazilian cherry, and African mahogany.

Maintaining Mirage Floors

Maintenance of Mirage Flooring products is likely one of its strong suites. My Mirage flooring is engineered, with a satin finish. Any of the well known cleaners do very well when surface cleaning. As a matter of fact they clean up very easily.

If you’re using a mop with water your Mirage floors will fade, and not look their best. However, that’s known for all hardwood floors. If a deep cleaning is necessary use a steam mop. If one is not available use a towel and warm water, followed by a dry towel to wipe it up. Prolonged moisture is very bad for flooring as it will enter the cracks.

Another issue to note is that on several (too many) occasions our dogs have had accidents on the floor and not discovered until much later. This was remarkably not a big issue however. These floors are finished well and can take the occasional liquid spill, or pet accident, remarkably well.

Is Mirage Right for You?

Mirage has several species, finishes, and styles available. It is one of the most expensive brands, but the style and long lasting wearability is still top quality. Don’t go for the less expensive Mirage products, or the softer wood species, if you expect to have lots of hard wear from children, pets, parties, you name it. Also, consider brushed satin styles if you know you’re going to have a dog around. It shows the scratches less.

Overall I’m very happy with the purchase I made, and the look of my floors. However, if I made the decision all over again it would be a harder wood species and would be a brushed or scraped style to hide the scratching. And, I would have gotten the dogs nails clipped much sooner!