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"Hardwood 101": an in-depth look at hardwood floors

Hardwood floors have long been desired for their beauty, warmth and durability.  Less than a generation ago, hardwood floors had to be installed when a home was constructed or during a major renovation.  And choices were limited to local species and standard installations.  Today, a beautiful hardwood floor is within everyone’s reach.

The price per sq. ft. is higher compared to other flooring surfaces.  But over the long term, when considering replacement costs, as well as the appreciation in value of homes with hardwood floors, hardwood represents a very good value.

Hardwood Styles

The appearance of a hardwood floor depends on the species of tree from which it is made.  Each species has its own identifying grain pattern, like a fingerprint.  Oak’s pronounced grain, for example, is distinctly different from the subtler grain of Maple. 

Determining the right species of hardwood floor depends on what you are looking for in terms of color, style, grain and overall fashion. 

Traditional Hardwoods

Traditional hardwoods include oak, maple and hickory.  Each has a unique grain and coloring, creating a different look and feel. 

Exotic Hardwoods

Exotic refers to hardwoods that come from countries other than the US, such as Brazilian Cherry, Tigerwood, and South America Mahogany. The term “exotic” comes from the fact that the wood has a “foreign” look, with unusual eye-catching colors and grains.

Rustic Hardwoods

This refers to hardwoods that are “distressed” during the manufacturing process to give them an aged, antiqued or hand-milled look.

Hardwoods can be distressed with metal chains or a wire brush to give it the look of old, reclaimed wood that has been walked on for centuries.  Or it can be hand scraped to create the look of old fashioned, hand milled wood. 

These woods have the same performance characteristics as traditional hardwood:  but they are put through a time consuming, labor intensive process to give them the distinctive look of aged, reclaimed wood.  

The distressed look also makes these woods easy to care for because they great disguise incidental scratches and dents

Cork and Bamboo

Cork and Bamboo have been cited as “green” friendly floors due to their ability to replenish themselves quickly.

Cork floors are made from the bark of cork trees.  After the cork bark is harvested, the tree will regrow its bark, and be ready to harvest again in 9 years.  Cork floors are also quiet due to their natural sound absorbing properties.

Although it is maintained and installed similarly to hardwood, Bamboo is technically a grass.  Like cork, the bamboo plant can be repeatedly harvested (every six years), making it a replenishable resource.   Bamboo is preferably nailed down over a wood subfloor.  However, it can also utilize a glue down, or floating installation. The natural and carmelized (steamed) colors are the most popular.  Stained bamboo is also available.

We have more information on our selection of cork and bamboo here.

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Hardwood Construction

Solid Hardwood

Solid hardwood floors have been around for a long time.  They are generally ¾” thick and can be purchased raw or pre-finished.  Because each plank is made from a single piece of wood, it tends to be very expensive. 

In addition, solid wood floors expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity.  Running a dehumidifier in the summer and a humidifier in the winter can minimize these gaps.

Prefinished Hardwood

Hardwood Widths and Edges
Board width significantly impacts how a hardwood floor will look in the home. Hardwood floors are traditionally milled in narrow strips 2 ¼” wide with random lengths.  Or, hardwood can be milled into wider “planks” of 3”, 4” or 5” width with random lengths.

Hardwood edges impact both the look of the floor and how easy it is to clean:

Square Edge	Micro Bevel Edge	Full Bevel Edge
The boards fit flush against each other for a smooth, traditional look.	Features a slight angle at the top edge, giving some definition to each plank. You can feel the edge when you walk over the floor. It also helps mask slight imperfections in the floor.	Features a more significant bevel along the edge, resulting in pronounced joints between the planks, adding more depth and dimension, creating a hand-crafted look. A disadvantage is that the edge captures dirt.

Engineered Hardwood

Multi-layer, cross grain constructed hardwood, sometimes referred to as “engineered” hardwood, is becoming more and more popular. 

Engineered Hardwood is constructed by taking multiple layers of hardwood and fusing them together at perpendicular angles to create a stronger, more stable hardwood. It is constructed of a face or wear layer (made from the species that defines the look of the hardwood), a core layer and a back.  Each layer is made from solid hardwood and fused together.

Some lesser quality engineered hardwood is made with three layers of hardwood, versus the five layers found in better quality flooring. Each layer substantially increases the product’s stability.

The term “engineered” is misleading, because it implies that the wood is not real.  In fact, many people mistakenly think that engineered hardwood is laminate.  Engineered hardwood is 100% real wood. 

Multi-layer, cross grain constructed hardwood is gaining popularity because it is more stable than solid hardwood, which means the wood is less likely to expand and contract with changes in temperature.  The increased stability also means that engineered hardwood can be installed on floors that are below grade or on concrete, something you wouldn’t do with solid hardwood.

Buyer’s Tip: Not all hardwoods are created equal.  Lesser quality hardwoods are not milled to the same tolerance as better quality hardwoods. The result is planks that are not square or may have different heights, resulting in unsightly gaps between the planks when installed. 

Also, when looking at engineered hardwood the cutting method of wood can affect how the graining of the floor looks. Engineered floors use one of two cutting processes. “Sliced Cut” shows a more uniform pattern (solid ¾” hardwood floors are slice cut) whereas “Rotary Cut” displays a larger and bolder graining pattern. 

Hardwood Finishes

In pre-finished floors wood is sanded, stained and finished at the factory, providing significant benefits:

• Better quality and more layers for greater consistency in finish;
• Enhanced urethanes, including those impregnated with aluminum oxide, which strengthen the surface and increase resistance to scratching; and
• Easier to maintain.

The three standard finishes for hardwood are:

• High Gloss
• Semi-Gloss
• Low–Gloss (Satin)
• Low gloss and semi gloss finishes are less likely to show minor scratches and scuff marks.

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Hardwood Installation

In general, hardwood floors are installed using one of three methods:

• Nail-down: The traditional (and primary) method for installing hardwood. The installer nails (or staples) each board to the sub-floor, and then nails (or staples) that board into the next board in the line. This process is continued across the entire floor. 
• Glue-down: Floor boards are glued to the sub-floor using a strong adhesive.
• Floating: Strips of flooring are glued or snapped together and then laid on top of underlayment. The underlayment serves as a moisture barrier, preventing moisture from seeping back up from the sub-floor into the hardwood, substantially extending the life of the floor

Popular Benefits

There are many benefits to installing a hardwood floor:

• Natural beauty – endless grains and colors
• Complements every décor
• Appreciation of your home’s value 
• Adds strength and stability to existing floor
• Easy to maintain and can be easily restored, so it lasts for decades

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