FLOORING FAQ

  • Solid: Solid piece of wood from top to bottom

    Engineered: Made up of several layers of wood. The top, or wear, layer of engineered flooring is the species you are purchasing (red oak, white oak, maple, etc.). The layers beneath might be of different species. Those layers are applied in perpendicular directions, adding stability to the floor. Generally suggested for installation over radiant heating or high moisture areas.

  • COLOR:

    Red Oak: Pinkish/ Red Undertones

    White Oak: Brownish/ Tan Undertones

    GRAIN PATTERN:

    Red Oak: Has a more varied or “wild” grain, with many swirls and deviations. The grain lines are also wider which can can give them a wavy or zigzag appearance.

    White Oak: Grain lines are smaller and tighter, making it look much straighter and uniform.

  • Expect your floor to have natural variations in grain and color from piece to piece. That’s what makes real wood uniquely beautiful. We provide product samples and photographs to help with your selection, but your newly installed floor will vary from any samples or photos, because wood is unique.

  • NWFA/NOFMA certified flooring is graded in accordance with the NWFA/NOFMA specifications. Appearance alone determines the grades of hardwood flooring since all grades are equally strong and serviceable in any application. Boards are individually graded according to the natural characteristics of their appearance. Grades are determined by clarity, grain appearance, knots, dark stains, character marks and other features that might have been present in the tree. All characters included in a higher grade are automatically accepted in lower grades.

    Select Grade: Contains all the variations in coloration produced by the contrasting differences of heartwood and sapwood. Also included are minimal character marks, such as small knots, worm holes, and mineral streaks, as well as slightly open characters. The combination creates a floor where the light sapwood and dark heartwood are combined with small characters and other small color interruptions.

    #1 Grade: A flooring product characterized by prominent color variation that also contains prominent characters such as knots, open checks, worm holes, along with machining and drying variations. No. 1 Common is a tasteful floor where prominent variation is expected.

    #2 Grade: Contains sound natural and manufacturing variations including knot holes, open worm holes, and other open characters along with prominent color variations. Manufacturing variations include drying characters and machining irregularities. No. 2 Common is most desirable for applications where numerous notable character marks and prominent color contrast is desired.

  • Select Grade: Random Length 1’-7’ With An Average Length of 33”

    #1 Grade: Random Length 1’-7’ With An Average Length of 30”

    #2 Grade: Random Length 1’-7’ With An Average Length of 24”

  • PLAIN SAWN: Wood that is cut parallel to the growth rings so that the growth rings are cut 0 - 45 degrees to the wide face of the board.

    QUARTER SAWN: Wood that is cut perpendicular to the growth rings so that the growth rings are cut from 45-90 degrees to the wide face of the board.

    RIFT SAWN: Wood that is cut neither parallel nor perpendicular to the growth rings so that the growth rings make angles of 30-60 degrees to the wide face the board

    RIFT & QUARTER SAWN: A combination of quarter sawn and rift sawn wood

  • A. Storage and Conditions

    1. Do not store wood flooring at the jobsite under uncontrolled climate conditions. Garages and exterior patios, for example, are not acceptable areas to store wood flooring.

    2. Ideal interior climate conditions vary from region to region and jobsite to jobsite. It is your responsibility to know what your “ideal” climate conditions are and build your floor around those conditions.

    B. Acclimation

    1. Ensure that the building is enclosed.

    2. Verify that the building is maintained at normal living conditions for temperature and humidity.

    3. Where building codes allow, permanent heating and/or air-conditioning systems should be operating FOR AT LEAST 5 DAYS PRECEEDING INSTALLATION to promote proper acclimation.

    4. If it is not possible for the permanent heating and/or air-conditioning system to be operating before, during and after installation, a temporary heating and/or dehumidification system that mimics normal temperature and humidity conditions can enable the installation to proceed until the permanent heating and/or air-conditioning system is operating.

    5. Upon delivery, check wood flooring moisture content with a moisture meter to establish a baseline for required acclimation. Check the moisture content of multiple boards. A good representative sample is typically 40 boards for every 1,000 square feet of flooring. Acclimate to manufacturer’s recommendations or as necessary according to geographical location and your jobsite location.

    6. Prior to installation, ensure that wood flooring is within acceptable range of moisture content with the wood subfloor. For solid strip flooring (less than 3” wide), there should be no more than 4 percent moisture content difference between properly acclimated wood flooring and subflooring materials. For wide-width solid flooring (3” or wider), there should be no more than 2 percent difference in moisture content between properly acclimated wood flooring and subflooring materials.

  • The ideal moisture content (MC) for hardwood flooring is about 6–9% when the indoor environment is 60–80 degrees Fahrenheit and 30–50% relative humidity.

    Actual interior MC conditions in any location may differ significantly from these numbers. BE SURE TO ACCLIMATE THE FLOORING, CHECK THE MC IN THE SUBFLOOR, CHECK THE MC IN THE FLOORING ITSELF, AND CHECK THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN THE ROOM BEFORE INSTALLATION.