ALL ABOUT HARDWOOD
FLOORING

Types of Hardwood

Solid Wood Floors

• Solid hardwood floors are the sturdiest option and can handle heavy foot traffic in high-use areas of your home
• Ideal for kitchens, living rooms and entryways
• Produced from some of the finest domestic and exotic hardwoods including red & white oak, American cherry, hickory, maple, and Brazilian cherry - all available in several widths.
• More susceptible to humidity and temperature changes than engineered wood
• Should only be installed above grade over approved wooden subfloors and must be nailed or stapled down
• Solid wood floors can generally be recoated and refinished several times to keep them looking wonderful for a long time

Engineered Wood Floors

• Engineered wood floors are produced by laminating several hardwood plies together to form planks
• This stable, multi-layered flooring option is ideal for basements and other places where high humidity levels can sometimes cause challenges to keeping the floor in tip top shape
• Most engineered floors can be glued-down, stapled-down or floated over a variety of subfloors including wood, dry concrete slabs and some types of existing flooring.
• Engineered hardwood floors have cross-ply construction which reduces the expansion/contraction of planks caused by variations in humidity
• Engineered wood floors come in an array of shades and widths, and work well on any level in the home

View our hardwood gallery

Qualities To Consider

Hardness

It is important to know the characteristics of your wood species. Along with the grain, width, and stain you'll want to pay close attention to the degree of hardness of the wood type. For the most part, there are subtle differences between species.

Here is a simple way to visualize it: Dropping a can of beans on a wood floor will most likely leave a dent. However, the extent of the dent will vary slightly from species to species. So choosing widely, depending on what your floor will be handling on a daily basis, is important.

Plank Thickness

One of the most functional and beneficial features of hardwood floors is that they can last for a very long time, and can stay looking beautiful. This longevity is helped along because wood can be periodically refinished when needed in order to restore it to its original beauty.

The general rule is that solid ¾-inch hardwood boards can be refinished up to 10 times, sanding them each time to remove scuffs and stains. Floors consisting of thinner planks, unfortunately, can’t withstand the refinishing process as much as their thicker planked counterparts. Luckily, today most floors come with a durable coating, meaning they can be enjoyed without having to be refinished often.