Hardwood Flooring Buying Guide

Hardwood floors are a timeless investment which bring warmth and beauty to any décor.

This is one of the few interior design selections that will actually increase the value of your home by making a statement of impeccable taste and style.

There are several important things to consider, including the type of wood suitable for your geographical location and the amount of traffic it will be required to handle.

Things to consider

There are a lot of hardwood choices available today, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Keep in mind that choosing the color is only the beginning.

You also need to take into consideration the following:

Type of flooring: Solid wood flooring is widely available with options in type of wood, grade, thickness and finish.

Solid wood flooring, ¾ inch thick: This is the most common type of hardwood flooring and certainly the most durable. But the truth is that this is not always the most practical.

The main advantage to thick solid hardwood flooring is that some wood floors have survived over a hundred years. They can be re-sanded and refinished many times, and while you can expect color changes within the wood over time, this usually serves to enhance the beauty, depth, and character.

Thick solid woods are vulnerable to moisture and most likely to warp and buckle in a wet climate or in case of improper installation. You should never install a thick solid wood floor directly over concrete. A wood subfloor is always a must. Thick solid woods are also not recommended for subtropical, humid regions, unless the wood you choose is impervious to moisture.

Solid wood flooring, 5/16, 3/8 or 1/2 inch thick: Thinner profile wood flooring offers more versatility over thicker boards.

But the truth is that it is little less vulnerable to moisture and can be installed in more humid locations.

Of course, the installation is still not recommended directly over concrete, below grade (ground level or sea level), or in areas where it may become saturated with standing water (for example bathrooms).

Engineered woods: Engineered woods are more stable. A veneer glued over layered core, similar in construction to plywood with a hardwood top layer known as the wear layer.

Engineered woods are more dimensionally stable than solid wood. This means that they are less vulnerable to moisture, and can be used below grade, directly over concrete, and in any humidity.

Grades of wood: Not all woods and manufacturers use this grading system. These may not apply to certain kinds of wood (for example Maple).

Prefinished Wood Grades

Clear Grade – Uniform color, no flaws or knots, and longer lengths.

Select & Better – The second best grade which indicates mostly uniform color, no flaws or knots, and longer lengths.

Country or Exclusive Grades – More natural wood character shows in this grade such as variations in color, shorter board average, and small flaws like pinholes and tiny knots are often present.

Traditional, Antique, Character Grades – Variation in color, pinholes and knots, creating a rustic, natural looking floor. Board lengths are usually shorter.

Tavern or Cabin Grade – Variation in color, with pinholes and knots very common, creating a rustic, natural looking floor. Board lengths usually average 24″ or less.

Unfinished Wood Grades

Clear Grade – Uniform color, no flaws or knots, and longer lengths.

Select & Better – The second best grade, indicating mostly uniform color, no flaws or knots, and longer lengths.

#1 Common – Variations in color, shorter board average, and small flaws like pinholes and knots are evident.

#2 Common – Variation in color, pinholes and knots, creating a rustic, natural looking floor. Board lengths are usually shorter.

Shorts – Variation in color, with pinholes and knots, creating a rustic, natural looking floor. Board lengths are very short, usually averaging 16″ or less.

Finish

After installation, wood may be prefinished or site finished.

Prefinished wood flooring has multiple layers of finish, even and uniformly applied. This results in a harder and more durable finish. Site finishing after installation provides a finish more impervious to moisture, without the possibility of cracks between the boards where spills may seep beneath.

The truth is that site finish is an expensive installation but the finished look will be subtly different than that of a prefinished flooring application.

Room Location

In most cases, you’ll want to choose an engineered wood and you may want to go with a type of wood common to shipbuilding, like white oak or teak.

For installation in a room bathed in sunlight, you may want to consider color change before purchase. Some woods change dramatically when exposed to sunlight, and if you choose a wood for its color, you may be disappointed over time.

Durability

If traffic in a home is light, it doesn’t require special consideration. Issues may arise when it comes to children and pets or heavily trafficked areas.

The Janka Hardness Scale is an important aspect of choosing the right wood flooring. This classification determines the durability of a particular type of wood over another.

The test uses a 2″ x 2″ x 6″ piece of wood and a 0.444″ steel ball to determine how hard the wood is. The test sums out how many pounds per square inch, or PSI, of force is needed to push the steel ball half way into the wood plank.

A certain level of hardness may make a more charming choice, depending on the room where the flooring will be installed. The higher the number on the scale, the harder and more scratch resistant a wood is. The harder a wood is, the more difficult it becomes to saw or run through a mill. The great news is that this does not impact the price for flooring.

Exceptionally hard woods tend to be harder on the legs and feet, produce more impact sounds, and scratch more easily, but wear longer and are less likely to dent.

Sound

Sound transmission can become an issue in multi-story installations, including apartments.

You can address sound issues by adding underlayment, by assuring that the subfloor is sound, even and flat, and by repairing the joists before installation, or by floating the floor.

Keep in mind that the harder the wood, the louder the sound.

Radiant Heating

While some woods will do fine when installed over radiant heating; others will not.

A general rule is that no wood floor should ever be installed over a radiant heating system with a temperature that exceeds 85° F.

Types of wood

Traditionally, hardwood represents wealth, taste and style, with each grain pattern and texture bringing a unique masterpiece of natural splendor to the indoors.

Common woods are often dyed or printed to resemble more exotic woods, which means you can often get an expensive look at a fraction of the cost. Here are some of the most common woods used in flooring with a brief description of their natural appearance.

Alder – A popular choice for “shabby chic” décor, this is a light brown wood with a yellow or pink tinge. It is one of the fastest growing hardwoods, fully maturing in just 10 – 15 years, making it a sustainable, eco-friendly material. Alder measures 590 on the Janka Hardness scale, meaning it is one of the softer hardwoods.

Ash, White – Ash trees belong to the olive family but do not produce edible fruit. Its color ranges from a lustrous white to a rich cream or very pale tan with a distinctive grain pattern and above average hardness of 1320 on the Janka Hardness scale.

Beech – has a lot of color variation, reddish brown to creamy white, with distinctive streaks and whorls throughout the wood and a medium hardness factor of 1300 on the Janka Hardness scale.

Birch – most commonly yellow birch is cream or light brown to medium reddish brown with noticeable but not dramatic color. It has a below average hardness rating and is one of the softer woods by measuring 1260 on the Janka Hardness scale, just slighter softer than red oak.

Bubinga is an exotic wood with a deep, rich reddish color variegated with darker streaks and grain patterns. It is one of the hardest and most durable woods on the market, rating 2690 on the Janka Hardness scale.

Cherry, American (aka Black) – This wood has a color of light to medium reddish – brown with a tight, often wavy grain and a satiny, lustrous finish. It is one of the softest hardwoods with a rating of 950 on the Janka Hardness scale. However, it has good dimensional stability at 7.1.

Cherry, Brazilian (aka Jatoba) – Brazilian cherry is one of the hardest woods, rated 2820 on the Janka Hardness scale and ranging in color from medium hued reddish wood with darker streaks.

Cypress, Australian – Australian Cypress is similar to pine in appearance. The wood is some-kind of honey gold to light cream with wavy dark brown streaks and knots, ideal for creating a rustic look. Rated 1375 on the Janka Hardness scale, it has excellent durability and dimensional stability.

Hickory – Hickory is medium tan or light reddish brown to creamy white, very similar to pecan. Hickory has an above-average Janka Hardness scale rating of 1820.

Kempas – Kempas presents a color ranging from orange red to reddish brown without much contrast or grain definition. It has a coarse texture and a Janka Hardness scale rating of 1710, but a low stability rating.

Mahogany, Asian (aka Keruing) – Keruing is a general name assigned to wood from many different species of trees whose wood is nearly indistinguishable. Color varies from pinkish-brown to dark brown without significant contrast. The texture is coarse and the grain shallowly interlocked or straight. This wood is among the hardest of woods by rating 1270 on the Janka Hardness scale.

Mahogany, Santos – Santos Mahogany is a rich dark reddish brown with darker striations and it is exceptionally hard, rating high on the Janka Hardness scale at 2200.

Maple, Hard (aka Sugar) – Hard Maple is creamy white to light reddish brown. with an above average hardness rating and distinctive grain patterning. Hard Maple rates above average on the Janka Hardness scale at 1450.

Merbau – Merbau is a rich, lustrous brown or dark reddish brown color. It is exceptionally hard and durable with a rating of 1925 on the Janka Hardness scale

Mesquite – Mesquite is light brown to dark reddish brown with distinctive patterning from ingrown mineral streaks. Mesquite is a very durable wood with a rating of 2345 on the Janka Hardness scale.

Oak, Red – Red Oak is a general term used for more than 200 subspecies common to North America. Red Oak is light in color, reddish in tone and of medium hardness. Northern Red Oak scores a 1290 on the Janka hardness scale and is the benchmark average rating. Southern red oak is slightly softer, scoring 1060 on the Janka scale.

Oak, White – White oak heartwood is pale brown in color and may have a pinkish or slightly silver/gray cast with a medium hardness rating.

Padauk – Padauk is a dark, rich reddish or purplish brown or black with little variation in color. Padauk rates 1725 on the Janka hardness scale and is exceptionally strong and stable.

Pecan – Pecan wood ranges in color from the reddish brown with dark brown streaks to the creamy pinkish white. It has an above average hardness rating with a score of 1820 on Janka Hardness scale rating.

Pine (aka Southern Yellow) – Southern Yellow Pine is light yellow to yellowish brown and can have an orange cast with distinctive grain patterns featuring knots and whorls. It is also a very soft wood, falling between 690 and 870 depending on species.

Pine, Heart – The term heart pine is usually used to describe wood that has been reclaimed and recycled from old buildings. Its color is warm reddish brown with pale yellow sapwood and some black sap staining. It falls just under the median hardness rating with a value of 1225 on the Janka hardness scale. The dimensional stability can vary with the species.

Sapele – Sapele is an exotic hardwood with a dark, rich, reddish brown color and a hardness rating well above average with a Janka rating of 1500. Sapele offers more durability than a true mahogany and compares to oak in strength and wear.

Teak, Brazilian (aka Cumaru) – Brazilian teak is one of the hardest wood species in the world with a rating of 3540 on the Janka hardness scale. It is a fairly uniform light to medium brown and may have a yellow cast.

Teak, True – True teak is medium golden brown with streaks of darker brown. It is one of the softer hardwoods, measuring 1000 – 1155 on the Janka hardness scale.

Tigerwood – Tigerwood ranges in color from a pale cream to a rich reddish-orange hue with a dramatic streaking pattern. It is well above average in hardness and dimensional stability.

Walnut, American Black – American black walnut is rich dark brown to black with a purple cast. The sapwood is dramatically lighter, but flooring manufacturers usually bleed the color from heartwood to sapwood to minimize difference. It is a softer than average wood with a rating of 110 on Janka hardness scale.

Walnut, Brazilian (aka Ipe) – Brazilian walnut is a medium to very dark brownish black with little variation and is one of the hardest of woods with a Janka scale rating is 3680.

Wenge – Wenge is a rich dark brown wood with thick striping in almost black and high contrast to pale yellowish sapwood. It falls well above average on the Janka hardness scale at 1630 and has excellent dimensional stability.

Sustainablity

Most of the issues surrounding deforestation center on illegal logging and irresponsible lack of reforesting.

Fortunately, these concerns have led to new regulations and laws.

In order to ensure that what you are buying flooring meets environmental standards, ask the dealer for documentation of compliance with the Lacey Act, or buy flooring harvested and manufactured in the United States or Europe, where no illegal logging currently exists.

Cost Considerations

Once you’ve chosen a hardwood floor, you need to calculate the total cost of your installation.

Apart from material costs, here is a list of additional expenditures you want to take into consideration:

• · Furniture removal and replacement: you can avoid extra charges by removing your furniture and moving it back by yourself.

  · Your previous/old floor covering may need to be removed and disposed of and some installers charge extra. You can also consider doing it by yourself.

  · Subfloor preparation: If your subfloor needs to be repaired or treated for unevenness, then pre-installation work may incur additional charges.

  · Installation: Be sure your flooring calculations include everything.

  · Accessories installation: If the installation procedure requires accessories/additional material/tools, find out if this step is included in the installation agreement. For a professional finish, trims and moldings should be installed at the same time as the floor.

Before You Begin

Hire a professional or DIY?

Before anything, you have to make up your mind if you are going to pursue with the installation by yourself or hire a professional. This decision lies number factors including: selecting a site finished or a prefinished floor, the type of hardwood floor, the room itself, and the budget for the whole process.

If you don’t feel confident to measure and saw accurately, you may be better off hiring a professional or finding a friend with more experience to lend a hand.

Many engineered flooring styles have click-lock installations that require no glue or nails and little experience. Installation is fast and easy, even for a beginner.

In case of solid woods, they must be nailed, glued, or stapled, and require more experience and a little more finesse. Another consideration is whether you’ve chosen prefinished or unfinished wood. Unfinished wood requires multiple sanding and finish cycles using a powerful drum sander.

DIY may be the best way, if the process doesn’t have a large budget to work with. But you must have to remember that you get what you pay for. In most cases, having a professional do the installation for a bit more money could save money in the long run. Furthermore, if you don’t know construction abilities, you’re going to be better off hiring someone to help you. You first need to look for references to see who can provide the best work and talk to several different contractors and installers to see who can offer the best deal.

Subfloors

Before installing wood flooring, you must ensure that the subfloor is flat and even. Here are some basic tips for each type of subfloor:

Concrete subfloors

• If this is a new home, the concrete slab should be allowed to cure for at least 6-12 weeks before wood flooring is installed.
• Make sure that the moisture content of the concrete meets the flooring manufacturer recommendations by using a moisture meter.
• Consider using an underlayment with a moisture barrier.

Wood subfloors and joists

• Wood subfloors are often installed over concrete slabs on the ground floor.
• Perform a moisture test to be sure the subfloor is suitable for wood installation.
• Test the floor for squeaks and weak spots.
• Look for anything that protrudes – staples, nail, or screw heads and corners that aren’t level are common.

Upper level floors

• If installing on an upper level, check the joists.
• Make sure they are tightly anchored and have in mind that shifting joists cause squeaks.
• Consider a floating installation with padding under the floor to dampen sound transmission.

Basements and bathrooms

• You should have the wood (including the matching moldings) delivered to the room where the floor will be installed.
• Allow it to sit flat and unwrapped for several days prior to installation in order to allow the wood to adjust to the ambient humidity from that area.
• Don’t install on days when the forecast calls for rain, or during a week when it has been exceptionally rainy.
• The moisture content in the air can cause the wood to swell too much, and can result in gaps when the air returns to normal humidity levels.

Acclimatization

• Have the wood, including the matching moldings, delivered to the room where the floor will be installed. Allow it to sit flat and unwrapped for several days prior to installation.
• This allows the wood to adjust to the ambient humidity in the room.
• Don’t install on days when the forecast calls for rain, or during a week when it has been exceptionally rainy.
• The moisture content in the air can cause the wood to swell too much, and can result in gaps when the air returns to normal humidity levels. The goal is to install when the air is at its most normal humidity level, leaving space at the edges for normal expansion.

Pattern and Grain

We recommend you that before beginning the permanent installation of the floor, lay out the boards and arrange them in a design that suits your taste. There’s no right or wrong pattern, and most people arrange the color variations randomly so that the color is evenly spaced.

In addition, you may want to consider direction. The most traditional installation begins along the longest wall (usually the outside wall). Diagonal positioning is also possible, but trickier to install.

Accessories

Hardwood floors mean more than selecting a wood, grabbing some boards, and installing them in the room. Customers must also take time to consider the various moldings or trims and accessories they might need in order to finish the look they are going for. Without moldings, trims and transition pieces, a hardwood floor job can look unfinished.

Moldings and Trim

• There are distinct moldings and trim choices designed to fit any flooring needed. When installing hardwood floors, the following moldings may be required in order to complete the job:
  • T-Molding: is generally seen as a transition between a tiled floor and a wood floor, though it is also used to connect one wood floor to another.
  • Reducer/One-Sided Reducer/Flush Reducer: is typically used to level the flooring when connected to a floor with a lower height; this is also being used as a design element around fireplaces.
  • Overlap Reducer: is used with floating floors, transitions to carpet, and with floors of a lower height.
  • Bi-level Reducer: is used with solid hardwood floors to transition to carpet or other floors of a lower height.
  • Baby Threshold/Threshold: is used in areas where expansion is required, such as with sliding glass doors, but can also be used with carpet.
  • End Cap/Square Nose: can be used in addition to a baby threshold molding.
  • Overlap Stair Nosing, Bull Nose: is typically used with floating steps where expansion may be required.
  • Flush/Square Edge Stair Nosing, Bull Nose: is used as a transition for stairs.
  • Quarter Round: is generally used around baseboards and fixed objects throughout a room.
  • Shoe Edge Molding: work just as quarter round molding.
  • Baseboard/Wall Base: is used around the base of all walls in the room to cover the expansion gap space the flooring needs to breathe.

Underlayment

Underlayment is used as a barrier between the hardwood flooring and the subfloor. Furthermore, it is primarily used with engineered wood floors. Solid hardwood floors generally only use rosin/felt paper as an underlayment.

Underlayment has the purpose of providing cushion between the floor and the subfloor, muffle sound (important for above ground installations) and/or block moisture from getting to the hardwood floor.

• Remove the shoe molding from around the baseboard
• Remove the doors from the installation area.
• Place a piece of underlayment and laminate flooring next to the jamb to determine the required height, and cut out the desired area of the frame.
• Install the underlayment and make sure the edges don’t overlap. To prevent them from shifting, tape the pieces together.
• Create an expansion gap between the underlayment and walls by using spacers.
• Apply a vapor barrier before installing the underlayment if you’re installing a wood floor over a concrete slab.

Installation

If you know what you’re doing, installing a hardwood floor by yourself can save you a lot of money. Truth be told, improper preparation and installation can lead to warping and buckling, which will ruin your flooring. Keep in mind that the most important thing you can do to ensure the structural integrity of your floor is to properly prepare.

Difficulty of installation should influence your selection of wood flooring.

Solid wood flooring requires glue, staples, or nails. Some wood options may only be installed by one method or the other, for example, nailing is usually the preferred method for most thick solid woods, but may cause edge splintering for some of the thinner solids, making another method preferable.

All wood flooring types require expansion room around the edges of the floor. Spacers are available to help keep this expansion room even around the room. Trim is designed to cover the gaps left by the expansion room.

Installation tips

• Have the flooring delivered a few days in advance and store it flat in the room where it will be installed in order for the wood to acclimatize to the humidity in the room.
• Before the installation, lay out the floor to determine a pleasing pattern. Mark the position on the back of the boards (example: row 1, plank 1 or r1, p1).
• Start the installation from the left corner of the room.
• Cut off the tongue of the planks.
• Run them parallel to the wall with the help of expansion spacers.
• Install each plank by inserting one end into the other at an angle and pressing down.
• On reaching the end of the row, measure and trim the last plank to fit.
• Cut a new plank similar to the pattern of the first row and start the next row with this plank.
• Lift the previous row slightly to fit the next planks into position.
• Now give a sharp rap to the next line of boards with your hand to fully engage and press them down firmly.
• Continue with this procedure with the rest of the flooring.
• The last row should be the same width as the first row.
• Trace the wall outline and remember to leave space for expansion.
• Trim and remove excess plastic sheeting and spacers. Reinstall baseboards without nailing to the floor.
• Flooring should extend under the doorframe. Use a piece of scrap flooring to mark the depth that the doorframe should be trimmed.
• Wood flooring of any kind should never be installed over radiant heating that can exceed a temperature of 85° F.

After Installation

Cleaning and maintaining a hardwood floor is very important.

When properly maintained, a hardwood floor can look as beautiful as the day it was installed. While the hardness of the species does play a role in how well it will hold up to the hustle and bustle of daily life, it really all comes down to how well the floor is maintained.

Care and Maintenance

You’ll be happy to know that wood floors are easy to maintain.

We recommend you placing door mats. You should also requiring everyone who enters the home to wipe their feet or remove their shoes. Don’t forget to place mats around areas where water may be an issue (for example in front of the kitchen sink and dishwasher). We also recommend you using furniture protectors under all furniture legs to prevent the floor from getting scratched.

Furthermore, for minimizing the damage to the floor, sweep them regularly, or use a vacuum without a beater bar to clean the dust, dirt, and other debris from the surface of the floor. Wipe spills immediately to avoid letting any excess moisture seep into the flooring.

Common Repairs

It is a true fact that it is almost impossible to prevent all damages. As a prevention to even more damage after identifying a issues is finding out from professionals which type of repair you should apply. It is also important to repair the problem quickly in order to prevent the surrounding floor from also damaging.

Scratches

Another common repair is to remove scratches and dents in hardwood floors. They may add charm to an older home, but deep scratches or dents may cause wood to split and need replaced through patching the floor. Most scratches and dents can be repaired with filler and touch up kits.

Dents

Dents in hardwood floors can be caused by anything from high heels on a floor to heavy items being dropped. Floor dents can be restored by using a moisture and steam combination treatment.

Gaps

More problems may occur from gaps. Those can cause a loss of heat through the floor and make a hardwood floor look unattractive. Gaps can also give way to debris becoming stuck in the floor gaps, thus making it hard to get your hardwood floor completely clean. You can restore your floor by arming yourself with shims, wood glue, or wood filler.

Refinishing

Refinishing can include a bit more work. Some homeowners wish to have their floors professionally refinished rather than to do it themselves. Refinishing involves the same thorough cleaning process, but when it comes to sanding, the floor is prepped with a more intense sanding process. The goal is to get the wood down to fresh unstained wood in order to apply new stain and finish.