Duchateau Flooring | 2022

Inspired by architecture, design and fashion, Duchateau flooring is a premium hardwood and vinyl flooring that attempts to capture elegance.

With several options to choose from, they hope to woo you over to their brand and keep you for life.

In most cases, the brand has no problem doing this. The flooring sells itself, as they say.

But is the premium price tag worth the switch? We aim to find out.

What Duchateau Flooring Offers

Duchateau is considered a premium specialty flooring brand. They don’t offer a solution for every possible need.

Instead, they focus on only two items: hardwood and vinyl. Here is what they offer you.

• Premium quality. The highest quality, proprietary additives and expert construction.
• Elegance by design. Looks inspired by design, architecture and life.
• Hand crafted construction. Durable, hardy construction made in the USA.
• Residential and commercial applications. Regardless of where it is installed, the flooring works.
• Hardwood and vinyl options. Whether you need engineered hardwood or luxury vinyl, the brand has you covered.

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Ideal Duchateau Floor

Area/Coverage Size

Unless you know the size of the floor you wish to cover, you won’t know how much material to buy, what the cost will be or what to tell the installers as far as helping them prep for the project. Your space should be measured in square feet (length times width) and should include all areas you wish to cover.

Knowing this one number will save you several hours of frustration and help you plan, budget and prepare your floor for the final installation. 

Board/Plank Construction

When buying vinyl planks or engineered hardwood boards, you want to pay attention to how they are constructed. It may not seem like a big deal, since you only see and walk on the top layer.

However, the core of the board is critical to the amount of weight you can place on the flooring. It determines the overall strength, durability and comfort when walked on. Some cores are better than others at large amounts of weight, others feel better when walking on them.

You also want to make note of the bottom layer. Many brands will add an underlayment to each plank, others don’t.

This can be a huge savings aspect. If the underlayment is attached it saves you both time and money during the install process.

Availability

Once you decide on a brand and style, you also want to ensure you can get the materials.

Having to wait once you make your decision can be rough and make you start to doubt your initial choice. Make sure that the product is not only readily available but also in stock.

Some premium brands will have an ordering and delivery process. While you will be assured you get the flooring in the amount you ordered, there may be an extra wait compared to cheaper options that are sitting on a shelf in a store somewhere.

Underlayment & Additional Materials

If the bottom layer of the board is not already equipped with an underlayment you will need to purchase one. Each brand will have a different requirement for their underlayments. Some will need felt or cork while others may recommend rubber.

You need to account for this purchase in your budget. It also helps to account for any additional materials you may need, as well.

Things such as transition strips, baseboards, kick boards, adhesives, saw blades and more need to be considered, budgeted and planned for.

Cost & Warranty

Finally the cost of the planks and any warranty they carry will be highly important. Premium brands have premium prices. This doesn’t always mean they are better or even the best option for your needs.

Make sure you read through the warranty to find out what is and isn’t covered and for how long. You also want to study the claim process.

This will tell you everything that is expected on your end before a claim can be processed. Sometimes this claim s process makes the rest of the warranty less valuable. Understand all the steps before you buy.

Duchateau Flooring Options

Duchateau Hardwood Floors

Just because the series lines are limited (three hardwood options) doesn’t mean your choices are limited. In fact, when it comes to the hardwood division of the brand there are over 80 different combinations to wade through.

From color, grain, species and construction you can choose from any aspect you desire. This also includes the length and width of the planks. Duchateau utilizes the European wide-plank matte finish to the US market, and was the first to do so.

They offer three series lines of hardwood planks, including the premium Atelier, base Duchateau Signature and the more affordable Guild series.

Atelier

The Atelier line is the most premium of all the lines. Each order is hand finished with a made-to-order aspect. You won’t find any planks in boxes sitting on a shelf. Instead, you pick your wood, color, grain and size and the boards are made from scratch and delivered to you.

From the jet black Diablo to the ghost white Driftwood, they have a color palette to match your needs. As of this writing there are 9 color options to choose from. You will also find plank widths between 3 and 9.5 inches, though the majority of this series comes in 8-inch widths.

By the nature of the build, the Atelier series is the most expensive option. However, they are also the most custom, unique and durable of the line ups.

With a slightly higher maintenance and a slower install process, the end result is a floor you can show off in any room of your home.

Duchateau Signature

The Signature series is the base of the brand. It is the first made and the most popular of the bunch. It is also the most complete series, with 45 different options. Once again you can choose color, finish, wood species and width of th3 planks.

Unlike the Atelier series, you won’t have to wait for hand finishing. The oil-infused top coat is factory produced and ready a lot faster. Once you make your decision the shipment is sent within a week.

The width choices are a bit more limited with only 3, 6, 7.5, 8 and 9.5 inches available (3 less choices than Atelier) but you still get the European wide-plank influence and expert finish. These boards are slightly more affordable than the premium series, but don’t lose anything in the way of performance or value.

The Guild

The Guild is the newest series introduced by the brand. There are currently 15 options available with more natural tones and grain patterns. The idea behind this series is a high style floor that has a more affordable price.

To achieve that more affordable pricing, there are a few aspects from the other series removed to save on costs. The Guild isn’t as highly durable as the other two but it still holds up to high traffic areas and even light commercial use.

Duchateau Luxury Vinyl

The LVP from Duchateau comes in two forms, either click-lock or glue-down installation types. Like their hardwood collection, you get a wide variety of styles and options. From width and length selection to color, wood grain pattern and more, you have complete control over your choices.

Luxetech

Luxetech is the premium version of the LVP offered by the brand. It features extra thick planks that are more durable and longer lasting than others in this price range. This alone makes them stand out.

Add on top a 0.5mm wear layer and the click-lock floating floor installation method and you get a premium LVP that looks as great as it feels. The Luxetech series also features an attached underlayment so you won’t need to buy additional materials to install.

Vinyl Deluxe Classic

The Deluxe Classic is the original series made by Duchateau. It is a glue-down only option, which may be a turn off to many. However, with this LVP you get a highly durable and customizable plank that works in any install location.

Waterproof, scratch and dent resistant and without the risk of warping, tearing or denting, you have a plank that will last for decades. Once you pick the color and style, have the flooring installed and replace your furniture and belongings to the room, you will wonder why you waited so long.

Kindred

Kindred is the newest addition to the LVP family and features 12 styles (currently) to choose from. Like the other options you can choose from 7, 9 or 9.25 inch widths. The same durability, resistances and longevity are included, but you can choose to install with glue or as a floating floor.

What People Are Saying

Duchateau isn’t the most popular or recognizable brand on the market, yet. Because of that they are still fairly undiscovered and unknown. For those that have heard of them, take the chance and install the flooring, though, it is nothing but rave reviews.

Professional installers like to install the flooring. It is fairly simple and the premium quality means all planks and tiles are uniform in width and the bevels are all even.

The end users love the look, dedication to detail and comfort when walking. Both glued and floating options have the same reviews, with comfort, style and looks topping the list of accolades. 

At a Glance

For the most part there isn’t much difference in performance or factors between the series of each type. What is different is the coloring, thicknesses, options and how it is constructed. Below is a quick look at the various series options, their sizes, types and warranty coverage.

Pros and Cons

Duchateau Vs. Other Flooring Brands

While Duchateau is a newer brand (established in 2007), they have already taken a foothold in the premium flooring arena.

How do they hold up against other big name flooring brands?

We compare them to Mannington, Shaw and Mirage to find out exactly that.

Duchateau Vs. Mannington

Mannington is a high-end LVP brand that offers hundreds of options. The collections (there are 6 of them) cast a large shadow over the small line up from Duchateau.  Mannington incorporates stone-look tiles as well as wood grain patterns on their LVP that balance value and performance.

Unlike Duchateau, Manning has an underlayment attached on every board they produce. The Mannington brand is better known for their LVP than their engineered hardwood lines. This is the opposite of Duchateau who is best known for their engineered hardwood.

The main difference is that Mannington is less exclusive. While still being top-tier, they don’t quite reach the premium level, keep prices lower and are more readily available around the country.

Duchateau Vs. Shaw

Shaw flooring is a brand that is best known for their carpeting. They are the largest single manufacturer of carpet in the world and the second largest flooring brand (behind Mohawk). However, their LVP and engineered hardwood divisions are also well established.

The Shaw Floorte LVP lines offer more options, colors and sizes than Duchateau does as a whole. Shaw also has a budget-friendly option in the DuraTru line that makes Shaw premium quality available to almost every budget.

While Duchateau may not be able to, as of yet, compete with the likes of the world’s most premium flooring brand, they do offer a high quality product and the future looks bright. If they expand their line ups and continue to offer their premium services, they will be a force in the flooring industry.

Duchateau Vs. Mirage

Mirage is a premium manufacturer of solid and engineered hardwood flooring. With Mirage you get a high quality product and a durable flooring for any home. Like Duchateau, Mirage has multiple lines that feature various widths and lengths of planks.

However, Mirage has one downside that their boards tend to be much shorter than other brands, including Duchateau. The smaller boards can make installation more difficult, and this is where Duchateau can take a lead in the industry.

With Mirage you get long warranties. You get a lifetime structural warranty on all lines and all options, and up to 35 years wear and tear warranties for the lines. The price, though, is at least half that of Duchateau and is what keeps Mirage near the top of the industry popularity charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section we will answer the more common questions about Duchateau and flooring in general. If you have other questions, feel free to use the comment section below.

Q. Where is Duchateau flooring made?

1. Duchateau is produced and manufactured in California, USA. The main headquarters of the brand are found in San Diego, California.

Q. Can I install Duchateau flooring myself?

1. Duchateau is a brand that offers two types of install, click-lock and glue-down. One thing that the brand does is offer step by step install instructions for all of their flooring. While you will need time, skill and knowledge of the flooring installation procedures, it is possible to install as a DIY project.

Q. How do I care for my new Duchateau floor?

1. One thing you will find with hard flooring is that there are multiple cleaning products, services and brands that have everything you need. However, in the case of Duchateau, they make their own line of cleaning and care products.

On top of that, they offer complete care instructions, maintenance and how and when to use the products. Everything you need to prolong the life, shine and durability of their products is included here.

Conclusion

Duchateau is a new brand in the flooring industry that you may not have heard of. However this premium brand, based in the US, has more to offer than meets the eye. While their current lineups may not be as vast as the competition, it is growing.

You can order engineered hardwood in one of three lines or luxury vinyl, also from three series. With eco-friendly options, high quality and hand-crafted options, it is an easy decision to make. While the prices are higher than average, so is the construction and quality of the product.

If you don’t know Duchateau as a major flooring brand, it is time to get to know them. From ordering to installation to the years of comfort and beauty the flooring offers, you won’t want to miss it.