Paradiso Flooring Review: Is It Worth It?

It’s that time again: welcome to another flooring review! As you might know, we review every flooring brand we can get our hands on, so we’re excited to bring you another edition. 

Today, we’re examining another popular flooring brand: Paradiso. This company claims to be “The Ultimate Destination for Luxury Flooring”, according to their website—but what does that mean? What do their offerings look like? How much do Paradiso floors cost? And most importantly, are they worth buying? 

We’ll find out together, friend. Time to dive in!

Who Is Paradiso?

Paradiso is a flooring brand that, judging by their website, seems to be targeting the luxury market. But what does that mean, exactly? 

Well, according to their website, it’s less about the price tag than the products themselves—they claim to focus on “innovation, quality, and attention to detail”. And, judging by their product catalog, they make good on that promise. 

Unfortunately, Paradiso is a flooring brand that’s also somewhat difficult to find—you can’t just roll up to BigBox ‘R’ Us and expect to find it crowding the shelves. From what we can gather, the company only works with dealers that meet their specific standards—but we’ll get more into that later. 

What Products Does Paradiso Offer?

Paradiso’s website is pretty clear about their commitment to luxury, so it makes sense that you would only find types of flooring that are considered high-end (sorry, linoleum fans). Specifically, Paradiso offers:

• Hardwood Flooring
• Carpets
• Natural Stone Tile Flooring
• Decorative Accent Tiles (for backsplashes, shower walls, etc.)

Let’s look a little close at each of these flooring types, starting with hardwood. 

Paradiso Hardwood

Paradiso offers 5 collections of hardwood, with just shy of 50 products in total. All of their hardwood floors are engineered wood, and they’re very pretty. 

What is engineered hardwood? Unlike solid hardwood (which is one piece of wood throughout), Paradiso’s engineered hardwood is made of two layers: a high-strength plywood core, and a solid wood veneer on top. This allows it to go where solid hardwood can’t thanks to its dimensional stability.

The hardwood species that they use are what you’ll typically find in a luxury brand—that is, mostly hickory and oak flooring, with a few maple products for good measure.

So: is Paradiso’s hardwood one of the best engineered wood flooring brands? Let’s find out.

Paradiso Hardwood is Surprisingly Thick

All Paradiso hardwood planks are either 9/16” or 5/8″ thick—significantly thicker than the industry standard 3/8″ planks. That added heft makes Paradiso some of the more durable wood flooring you’ll find. 

The majority of their planks also boast a robust 3mm veneer—more than twice as thick as the industry standard 1.2mm. The thicker veneer means, unlike most engineered hardwood, you can actually refinish Paradiso wood floors. But you’ll likely never need to—we’ll get into why that is in just a bit.

Their Wood is Sawn, Rather Than Peeled 

Paradiso’s veneer layers are sawn, not rotary-peeled like most modern wood floors. What does that mean? 

Well, traditionally, hardwood is sawn into individual planks. Rotary-peeled wood, on the other hand, is sliced off from around the outside to —think of it like a roll of paper towels.

While rotary-peeled wood is cheaper to produce, it’s not as durable (or as beautiful) as traditionally sawn wood. You know it’s luxurious when a brand forgoes cheaper construction methods for the sake of making a better product.

Paradiso’s Thicker Veneers Are the Same Color Throughout

Rather than having a veneer that’s stained on the surface only, Paradiso’s thicker veneers are the same color throughout. This is because Paradiso wood gets its color from a thermal treatment process that actually caramelizes the sugars in the wood (like a creme brulee!)—which means the entire veneer is the same color. 

That’s important as most modern wood is stained, which a scrape or scratch to the veneer layer reveals a different color of wood underneath—emphasizing the imperfection. 

Since these veneers are consistent in color, it means any gouges or scrapes will be indistinguishable from the rest of the wood. It’s easier to maintain and doesn’t require as much refinishing (if any).

Most Paradiso Hardwood Has a Natural Oil Finish 

Ever wonder how hardwood floors in old buildings (we’re talking Renaissance-old, not 80’s shopping mall-old) still look great after centuries? They’re finished with layer upon layer of natural oil rather than the plasticate finishes that are common today. 

Let’s be clear here: there’s nothing wrong with a polyurethane coating—almost all of the best hardwood flooring brands (including a handful of Paradiso products) are finished this way. But a natural oil finish adds an added layer of luxury—you get that real wood feel underfoot that doesn’t come with most modern products.

On top of that, you’ll almost never need to sand or refinish oil-finished products—with proper care and an occasional oil treatment, your wood floors can potentially outlive you (which is impressive, despite being a pretty grim thought). And, of course, most damages can be touched up by the homeowner, allowing the floor to always look like new!

Their Hardwood Comes in Timeless Styles

Luxury products come in designs and colors that are always in style, not fads that will fade away. Paradiso flooring is no different—you’ll find simple, natural wood floor colors that will stand (and have stood) the test of time. 

Paradiso also claims that their hardwood actually becomes richer in color as they age—something that not many types of wood flooring can claim. That’s thanks to their use of thermal coloration treatments rather than modern staining techniques.

But it’s not just their colors—Paradiso hardwood comes as long, wide plank wood flooring. The majority of their wood flooring comes in planks that are more than 7 feet long, and start at widths of 7.5 inches. This long and wide style is a classic look that, if we’re being honest, will probably still be in style until the sun burns out. 

All Paradiso Hardwood is Environmentally Friendly

Remember how we mentioned that most Paradiso hardwood is finished with oil? Well that, plus the fact that they’re made with natural materials, virtually eliminates the risk of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—the floors are just wood and oil!

And products that are finished with aluminum oxide are FloorScore certified as low-VOC flooring, so you can install them without worrying about the air quality in your home.

All of their hardwood products are Lacey Act, TSCA Title VI, and Carb II compliant, too—meaning they’re sustainably harvested.

How Much Does Paradiso Hardwood Cost?

On average, Paradiso hardwood costs $11.00–$15.00 per square foot. 

That’s about on par with what you’d expect for luxury wood flooring costs—and if Paradiso reviews are to be believed, it’s well worth the price. 

How to Install Paradiso Hardwood

Paradiso hardwood can be installed in a variety of ways: as glue-down, nail-down, staple-down, or even a floating floor.

We should mention, we don’t recommend trying to install these products as DIY wood flooring—with floors in this price range, it’s best to hire a professional.

Paradiso Hardwood Warranties

Like we said, these floors are expected to last a long time, and their warranties reflect that. Almost all Paradiso hardwood floors come with a limited lifetime residential warranty—the few that don’t are still covered by 20-year residential warranties.

They’re approved for commercial use, too—all Paradiso hardwood is covered by a 10-year structural commercial warranty, and much of it also carries a 3-year finish warranty on top of that. 

Paradiso Carpet

Paradiso offers 48 total collections of carpet—24 in their standard carpet category, and 24 in their Artisan category. We’ll get into it more later but, spoiler alert: one of these collections offers exclusively hand-woven carpets.

In total, you’ll find close to 400 carpet products to choose from. Let’s look at why we’re calling Paradiso one of the best carpet brands around.

All Paradiso Carpet is Woven

Unlike most carpet brands these days, all Paradiso carpet is 100% woven (rather than tufted and glued to the carpet backing). Why does that matter? Since the fibers are woven together rather than held together with glue, woven carpet lasts longer than your standard tufted carpet.

Plus, woven carpet offers more design capabilities and reduces the “new carpet smell” caused by a glue backing.

And More Than Half of Paradiso Carpet Is Made by Hand

Is there anything more luxurious than something that’s handmade? You know you’re getting a true one-of-one product, and there’s a certain character that comes with the natural variation of handmade products.

What Is Paradiso Carpet Made Of?

Paradiso carpet uses a number of different blends and fibers. The majority of it is either wool or a wool blend, but you’ll also find polysilk, polypropylene, polyester, and nylon carpet in their catalog. We just don’t have the space to get into each of these in detail—check out our guide on the different types of carpet if you’re curious!

Paradiso Carpet Is Certified as Environmentally Friendly

All Paradiso carpet carries CRI Green Label Plus certification—meaning it’s certified as low-VOC carpet that you can install with peace of mind regarding your home’s air quality. 

We should also mention here: a good chunk of their carpet (about 1/4 of their offerings) is also recyclable. That’s not exactly common among carpet brands, so we want to give a tip of the cap to Paradiso on that front. 

Paradiso Carpet Cost

All things considered, Paradiso carpet isn’t too expensive—especially in the lower price range. You’ll find Paradiso carpet for $5.00–$14.00 per square foot, with the handmade products being on the more expensive side, of course.

How to Install Paradiso Carpet

Installing carpet requires a lot of specialized equipment (unless we’re talking about how to install carpet tiles). 

We don’t recommend installing any carpet without professional assistance—especially carpet of this quality. Contact an installation expert for help on this front—it’s well worth it!

Paradiso Carpet Warranty

All of Paradiso’s handmade carpet products come with a limited lifetime residential warranty, which is a testament to their construction quality. The rest of their products have pretty standard warranties too, with residential coverage ranging from 15 years to limited lifetime.

Paradiso Tile

Paradiso offers just under 40 floor tile options. We’re specifying that they’re floor tiles because, if you look at their website, you’ll see that Paradiso also offers hundreds of decorative tile options (for walls and backsplashes, etc.)—but we’ll get to those later.

There are a few different types of tile here, so let’s break them down.

Their Stone Tile Is All Marble 

Is there any material more luxurious than marble? We don’t think so (go ahead and try to make your floor out of diamonds, we’ll wait).

All of the stone tile that Paradiso offers is marble—so if you want your space to feel like a palace, it’s hard to go wrong here. That’s true for both the floor tiles and decorative tiles, too.

Paradiso Offers Water Jet-Cut Stone Tile

All Paradiso stone tile is cut with a water jet. That might not sound like it matters, but trust us, it does! Cutting tile with a water jet allows manufacturers to carve intricate, unique designs into the stone.

We could spend 500 words trying to describe the detailed designs that Paradiso tile comes in, but we just don’t have the time. Check out their stone tile catalog for yourself!

Paradiso Also Carries an Extensive Line of Exclusive Wall Tile

This might be a first for a FlooringStores review: wall tile! We won’t get too far in the weeds with these products—this isn’t BacksplashStores, after all (although, that does give us an idea…)

Paradiso offers over 100 glass mosaic, glass tile, and ceramic wall tile products. Wall tile (or tile decos) can be a great way to liven up a space—in your kitchen, bathroom, or even the bedroom.

A quick disclaimer: wall tile is not approved for floor installation. We know you can probably assume this by the name, but we’d just hate to see you install a backsplash on the floor of your bathroom—so we’re saving you the potential issues.

How Much Does Paradiso Tile Cost?

Paradiso wall accents cost between $6.50 and $31.00 per square foot, so if you’re making a backsplash or tiling a bathroom wall, you can get some decent bang for your buck! 

Their stone floor tile, on the other hand, costs a pretty penny: anywhere from $80.00–$165.00 per square foot.

The reason for that high cost? The amount of marble needed to create a durable floor is quite high, so less expensive marble is full of imperfections, making it significantly more fragile. Don’t trust a cheap marble floor—trust us on this one.

How to Install Paradiso Tile

Off the bat, we should mention that Paradiso tile (and most tile flooring in general) is not DIY-friendly. 

We just don’t have the space to break down all of the steps that go into installing tile flooring—reach out to a local installer instead and save yourself the headache (and a lot of broken tile).

Paradiso Tile Warranty

All Paradiso stone tile is covered by a limited lifetime residential warranty.

Paradiso wall tile warranty coverage is a bit less extensive (which shouldn’t be an issue unless you plan on doing a Spider-Man impression all over your walls). Most of their wall tile products are covered by a residential warranty of 5–10 years.

Paradiso Flooring Pros and Cons

Phew! Now that we’ve gone deep on the different types of flooring that Paradiso offers, let’s look at some of the Paradiso flooring pros and cons. 

Pro: Paradiso Costs Less Than Other Luxury Flooring Brands

Paradiso is an entry-level luxury brand. By that, we mean that these floors are fantastically well-made, like other luxury brands, but don’t come with as much of a luxury price tag. Offering high-end products at a more affordable price is something we can get behind!

Sure, the stone floor and decorative tile they offer is expensive compared to many of the other brands we’ve reviewed. But if the limited lifetime warranties and positive Paradiso reviews are any indication, it’s well worth the price for flooring that’s built to last decades upon decades. 

Pro: Their Flooring Is Built to Last (Essentially) Forever

We’ve said this over and over: Paradiso products are truly built to last a long time. 

They offer a lot of different construction methods and materials that you just don’t see often: oil-finished hardwood, hand-woven carpets, water jet-cut stone tile, in particular. These aren’t just fancy-schmancy gimmicks—they’re methods that, for a slightly higher cost, help create a floor that’s durable as all heck (for lack of a better word). 

Pro: Their Designs Are Classic and Timeless

Paradiso isn’t focused on what’s hot now (and will inevitably fade in 6 months)—they offer timeless flooring that doesn’t go out of style. Whether you go with tile, carpet or hardwood, it will always be just as en vogue as the day you bought it.

Pro: Paradiso Flooring Is Environmentally Friendly

Paradiso only carries low-VOC, environmentally friendly flooring. You can install it in your home with peace of mind when it comes to creating a safe, healthy space.

Pro: Paradiso Warranties Are Excellent

It says something that the majority of Paradiso flooring is covered by lifetime warranties. To us, that makes it easier to spend a bit more on a luxury product—you know it’s backed by the company.

Con: Paradiso Products Are Not DIY-Friendly

For anyone familiar with luxury products, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, you wouldn’t crack open a Rolex to try and fix it yourself.

These products (especially tile) should be installed by a professional—we do not recommend using Paradiso floors to try your hand at do it yourself flooring.

Con: Not Many Retailers Carry Their Products

We mentioned this earlier—it can be difficult to find a flooring dealer who carries Paradiso products. But for a luxury brand, that’s pretty much par for the course; they don’t put Versace stores on every corner! 

But they’re not in most luxury showrooms either—instead, Paradiso only works with locally owned flooring stores that meet their standards for customer service and distribution. 

Luckily, Paradiso’s website makes it easy to find a retailer near you.

Conclusion: Paradiso Is One of the Best Luxury Brands We’ve Come Across

If you have the cash, Paradiso is absolutely worth buying. And even if it’s a tad outside your budget, it might be worth springing for a floor that you know is going to last. 

If you’re interested in learning more, or ready to buy, you can find a retailer on their site. Or fill out this form to contact us directly, and we’ll point you in the right direction. 

That about wraps up this Paradiso review—good luck on your floor buying journey, and stay tuned for our next review!