CMC Flooring breaks down the four layers of import duty already built into Denver flooring quotes, and why a scheduled Commerce Department review could add engineered hardwood to the list.
Denver, Colorado Sep 13, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - A federal review due in less than three weeks could reshape the cost of one of the most common flooring products in Denver's newer homes, and CMC Flooring LLC, a Denver-based flooring installation company, is explaining what homeowners should understand about it before requesting a quote.
When the federal government imposed Section 232 tariffs on timber, lumber, and wood products in September 2025, the proclamation left hardwood plywood and related products out of the first round. Plywood classified under HTS 4412, along with most wooden furniture, was explicitly excluded. But the same proclamation instructed the Commerce Department to keep monitoring hardwood imports, with a formal update requested by October 1, 2026, at which point the President will reconsider whether to impose tariffs on those products and their derivatives.
That matters for flooring because engineered hardwood, the dominant wood floor in new Denver construction, is built on a hardwood plywood core. Solid hardwood is largely domestic and less exposed. Engineered is the product that would feel an expansion.
"Most people picking out a floor have no idea there's a federal report due in three weeks that could change the price of what they're looking at," said Christian Martinez, owner of CMC Flooring LLC. "I'm not predicting what happens. Nobody should. But if you're planning an engineered hardwood install this fall, you should know the review is scheduled, and you should know what's already in your quote before you compare numbers."
What is already in the quote is more than most homeowners realize. Flooring pricing in 2026 reflects several overlapping layers of import duty, and the picture changed twice this year.
In February 2026, the Supreme Court struck down the broad tariffs that had been imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which had applied to laminate, vinyl, and engineered flooring since October 2025. Within hours, the administration replaced them with a 10% surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act, effective February 24. That surcharge carried a 150-day statutory limit and expired July 24, 2026. At that same moment, new Section 301 duties took effect on imports from roughly 60 economies, at rates of 10% or 12.5%, with no built-in expiration. Because those duties apply economy-wide, they cover nearly all products from each affected country, including flooring. Beneath all of that, the Section 301 duties on Chinese goods dating to 2018 and the Section 232 wood duties from 2025 remain in place.
The newer measures are also being contested in court, which is one more reason the landscape may continue to shift.
"Four layers of duty, two of which didn't exist in January, and the homeowner sees one number on a quote," Martinez said. "That's the part I think people deserve to understand. It's not that any contractor is hiding something. It's that the cost of an imported plank has a lot of federal policy baked into it now, and it can move."
Denver's housing stock makes the question concrete. In neighborhoods of newer construction such as Green Valley Ranch, wood floors are almost entirely engineered rather than solid, meaning the exposed product is the one already installed in entryways and living areas across the area's most recently built homes, and the one homeowners in those neighborhoods are most likely to choose again.
For homeowners weighing a flooring project this fall, Martinez recommends asking any contractor to break out material cost from labor on a quote, so that if pricing shifts after the Oct. 1 review, the homeowner can see exactly which part of the number moved and why. He also notes that solid hardwood, laminate, and luxury vinyl plank each carry different levels of import exposure, and that the right product for a given home depends on the room, the subfloor, and the budget rather than on tariff headlines alone.
CMC Flooring has served the Denver metro area for more than five years, providing LVP, hardwood, and laminate installation, along with hardwood refinishing, across Denver, Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Castle Rock, Centennial, Commerce City, Highlands Ranch, and Lakewood.
Homeowners with questions about current flooring pricing or planning a fall installation can visit cmcflooringllc.com or call (720) 382-3006.
About CMC Flooring LLC
CMC Flooring LLC provides professional flooring installation services throughout the Denver metropolitan area. The company specializes in luxury vinyl plank, hardwood, and laminate installation, along with hardwood refinishing, for residential and commercial properties.
Contact:
CMC Flooring LLC
Denver, CO
(720) 382-3006
https://cmcflooringllc.com/
