Why Hardwood?

Hardwood flooring products offer many features and benefits to the home. The elegant look of a hardwood floor can add warmth and character to any room. In fact, the natural characteristics of wood add depth and a visual appearance that many other types of floors try to duplicate.

Rich, inviting hardwood floors are not only beautiful to live with, they can also add value to your home at resale time. As the consumer demand for hardwood floors has grown so has the manufacturer's ability to produce better quality finishes and superior construction techniques.

The result of those advancements is that wood floors can now be installed throughout the home and over a wide variety of subfloors.

How Hardwood is Made

To begin, remember the classic and the common.  When we think of solid wood floors we generally are talking about a 3/4" thick plank that is 2 1/4" wide. This is the classic strip wood floor, although it is possible to find a narrower width or a slightly thinner gage. The strips are generally in random lengths from 12" – 84".

The most common wood species used for solid strip floors are red oak, white oak, maple, cherry, white ash, hickory or pecan. And the three common types of wood floors are Solid, Engineered and Longstrip Plank, each of which we will now address.

Type 1: Solid

Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood that have tongue and groove sides.

When we talk about solid wood floors, we tend to think of floors that are unfinished, but it’s important to know that there are also many pre-finished 3/4" solid wood floors.

You should also be aware of the moisture factor. Solid wood floors are sensitive to moisture so they are used in nail down installations and are not recommended for installation below ground level, or directly over a concrete slab. The good news is that these floors can be refinished, or recoated, several times, which adds to their appeal and to their long life in your home.

In fact, there are solid floors that are over 100 years old that are still in good condition with rich patina and character – enhancing the beauty of the home.

Because they’re a natural product, hardwood flooring will expand and contract in response to seasonal changes in moisture. In the winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract, which creates unsightly gaps between each plank. In the summer months, when the humidity is higher, the wood will expand and the gaps will disappear.

If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. Not something you want in your home. This is why it is important when installing a solid strip floor to leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter and to acclimate the wood prior to installation.

This will help assure a lasting, beautiful application.

Consider oak, for its qualities.

Oak is commonly used for solid unfinished wood floors and there are several different qualities of oak for you to choose from.  These qualities are clear, select and better, #1 common, and #2 common.  The clear has no visual blemishes or knots and is extremely expensive.

While the select and better quality have some small knots and very little dark graining.  The #1 common and #2 common have more knots and more dark graining.

Type 2: Engineered

Engineered wood floors are generally manufactured with 2,3, or 5 thin sheets or plies of wood that are laminated together to form one plank.  These wood plies are stacked on top of each other but in the opposite directions.  This is called cross-ply construction which creates a wood floor that is dimensionally stable and less affected by moisture than a 3/4" solid wood floor. In the presence of moisture, solid wood planks will always expand across the width of the planks, rather than down the length of the boards. The advantage of cross-ply construction allows the plies to counteract each other which will stop the plank from growing or shrinking with the changes in humidity. The other advantage for you is versatility.  You can install these floors over concrete slabs in your basement as well as anywhere else in you home. Most engineered floors can be nailed down, stapled down, glued down, or floated over a wide variety of subfloors, including some types of existing flooring. Engineered floors will range from 1/4" to 9/16" in thickness, and vary from 2 1/4" to 7" in width.  The widths can also be mixed, such as 3-5-7-inch planks installed side by side.  By varying the board widths you can change the total appearance of the floor.  The lengths will be random and range from 12" – 60" in length.

For Versatility, Engineered Is Tops.

Because engineered wood floors are made up of several layers of wood the top finish layer can be a totally different wood species.  A variety of domestic or exotic hardwood species are available such as Oak, Maple, Hickory or Cherry.  You’re free to pick the one that suits your style!

Type 3: Longstrip.

Longstrip plank floors are similar to engineered floors and have several wood plies that are glued together.  The center core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove.  A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the core. The top layer can be almost any hardwood species and is made up of many smaller individual pieces that are laid in three rows.

Longstrip planks are approximately 86" in length and 7 1/2" in width. They generally have between 17 and 35 pieces that make up the top layer of each board. This gives the effect of installing a board that is 3 rows wide and several planks long.  Each Longstrip plank looks like an entire section that has already been pre-assembled for you.  This alone can create a unique look all your own. Longstrip planks are designed for the floating installation, but most can also be glued-down, or stapled down.  Because these floors can be floated they are extremely versatile – they can go over a wide variety of subfloors and on any grade level.  Like engineered floors, Longstrip floors come in a wide variety of domestic and exotic hardwood species. Find the one you love and go for it.  Longstrip plank floors have another advantage. When damaged, they are easy to replace. Good news for active families!

Hardwood Styles

Knowing the distinct hardwood styles can also help you decide if this floor covering is the solution for the way you live.  Considering the vast amount of design options available today with hardwood floors, you can create a look “all your own” that will have lasting beauty and durability.

Today you can choose between a pre-finished hardwood floor and one that is unfinished. Pre-finished hardwood comes ready for installation in your home.  The hardwood boards have already been sanded, stained and finished at the manufacturing plant. In many cases this can provide a harder, better-protected surface.  Pre-finished floors offer a wider variety of wood species and save hours of labor and cleanup. But unfinished wood floors allow you to have a custom job – you choose the wood species and it’s sanded and the stain is applied on site.  With unfinished you also have the chance to level the surface of the entire floor after it has been installed.  You get an extended factory finish warranty with pre-finished floors, but not with most job-site finishes.