A GUIDE TO HARDWOOD FLOORING

As you plan your home and office improvements, think long-term by making choices that are informed, responsible and financially sound.  Hardwood flooring is one of the best long-term investments to be made.  It is environmentally friendly, forever fashionable, and will last for generations.

SOLID HARDWOOD FLOORING

Solid hardwood flooring is just that; a solid plank of hardwood milled into a piece of flooring, usually with a tongue and grove on the edges and ends, so that the pieces fit together on all sides. It comes in a variety of thicknesses, ¾ inch is the most common produced in the U.S. and is usually nailed to a wooden subfloor.  Thinner profiles, such as 5/16inch, can be glued directly on to a surface such as concrete.  Widths typically range from 2 1/4inch strip to 8 inch and wider plank.  Favorite U.S. species are red and white oak, hard maple, ash, hickory and pecan, walnut and cherry.   All solid hardwood flooring sanded and refinished, however special care must be taken with the thinner profiles.  In all cases of hardwood flooring installation, a clean, moisture-free surface is essential to eliminate future problems with movement or moisture.

UNFINISHED SOLID HARDWOOD FLOORING

Unfinished solid hardwood flooring comes directly from the mill and is sanded and finished onsite.   Often used in new home construction, the rough sanding occurs during the early stages of the building process with the final coating being done just prior move-in.

ENGINEERED OR MULTI – LAYER HARDWOOD FLOORS

Engineered hardwood flooring is typically made from seven to ten layers of thin veneers or sheets, glued together to form a type of plywood, then finished with a solid hardwood wear layer.  It can be installed directly over concrete and most other types of subfloors.  The advantage of engineered hardwood flooring is that it will not react to moisture changes and is more stable than solid hardwood flooring.  Because of this stability, engineered is recommended over solid in wide plank applications.  Depending on the thickness of the wear layer, an engineered floor will perform in much the same way as a solid floor.

HAND SCRAPED HARDWOOD FLOORS

With this type of flooring – available in solid or engineered, unfinished or prefinished – the manufacturer hand scrapes each piece of flooring to mimic the look of an old, worn floor.  The look is most popular in wide planks for that “old world” charm.  A WORD OF CAUTION – when refinishing these floors all the detail will be removed in sanding.