Hardwood flooring factsSpecies of WoodThere are many wood flooring species, domestic and imported, available to the consumer today. The appearance of the wood determines how it is "graded." All grades are equally strong and serviceable, yet afford the consumer different looks. Oak and ash have four basic grades when it comes to classifying wood flooring "Clear" is free of defects though it may have minor imperfections.Wood
flooring in this category tends to be very consistent with little mineral straeking
and knots. "First" has the best appearance, natural color variations and limited
character marks. Wood Flooring Cuts The angle at which a board is cut makes big differences in how the finished product looks. Wood flooring is either plainsawn, quartersawn or riftsawn. Plainsawn is the most common cut. The board contains more variation than the other two cuts because figure patterns resulting from the growth rings are more conspicuous. Quartersawing produces less board feet per log than plainsawing and is therefore more expensive. Quartersawn wood twists and cups less and wears more evenly. Riftsawn is similar to quartersawing, but the cut is made at a slightly different angle.
Hardwood floors constructionEngineered floors Engineered floors can be installed above, on, or below ground level. constructed of multiple layers of 3- or 5-cross grain wood piles, engineered floors offer dimensional stability, eliminating the natural expansion and contraction of wood. They can be glued to the sub floors and slab foundations or in most cases, stapled down. Each layer is stacked in a cross-grain configuration and bonded together under heat and pressure. As a result, engineered wood flooring is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity and can be installed at all levels of the home. Solid floors Solid, like it sounds, is milled from a single 3/4" thick piece of hardwood.
Because of its thickness, a solid hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished
over several generations of use. One of the characteristics of solid wood flooring
is that it expands and contracts with changes in your home's relative humidity.
Normally, installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap
between the floor and the wall. Base molding or quarter round is traditionally
used to hide the extra space. Floating floors Floating floors are manufactured in large, wide pre-assembled wood panels that make installation fast and easy. The individual boards actually float above the sub floor with no direct attachment. Of course, if you prefer, they can also be glued directly to the sub floor
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