Wood Flooring Glossary

A

Above Grade

Floor above ground surfaces.

Acrylic Impregnated

This is injected into the wood’s cellular structure with the purpose of increasing the hardness.

Acrylic Urethane

This is a solution which produces the same benefit as a polyurethane coating.

Adhesive

Adhesive is a type of glue used to secure tongue and grooved boards together.

Aluminum Oxide

A chemical agent added to the urethane finished. This is used for sealing wood floors.

B

Below Grade

Cement slab lying below ground and ready for a flooring surface attachment.

Better

A grade of oak: high quality featuring few knots and little to no dark graining.

Beveled Edge

Beveled edge products have an identifiable groove. The bevels are sealed. This means that dirt, dust, and grime are easily removed.

Buckle

Excessive moisture causes the wood to swell. When the wood dries and shrinks, it may also buckle.

C

Clear

This is a grade of oak: high quality featuring no visible knots or graining. Clear is a bit costly.

Click-Lock Planks

Wood floor planks that can be snapped together using a series of steps. These planks cannot be taken apart once they are put together.

Cross-Ply Construction

This comes from planks of engineered hardwood flooring which are placed on top of each other in alternating directions. This results in a dimensionally-stable flooring which is not as easily affected by moisture when compared to a 3/4″ solid wood floor.

Cupping

This is a process of warping which occurs when the sides of the boards are higher than the center.

D

Damp-Proof Membrane (DPM)

This is a plastic sheet which is used as a moisture barrier. It prevents warping. DPMs should be used when wooden boards or laminate flooring is laid over a concrete or sand and cement floor.

E

Eased Edge

Known as a micro-edge beveled, this is used to hide small irregularities in the boards.

Engineered

There are three types of wood floors. Engineered wood floors are generally made from two to five plies of wood compressed together to form a plank.

These types of floors can be installed in different methods: nail down, glue down, floated over other floors, or stapled down.

Expansion Gap

This is a 10 to 12 mm gap left around the edge of the floor. The purpose is allowing for natural expansion and contraction because of the wood swelling in high humidity conditions.

F

Finish in Place

This refers to wood floor installations that are finished in the home. The wood is installed, sanded, finished, and coated with a urethane protection.

Floating Floor Installation

This type of installation materializes when the wood floor is not attached to any subfloor. The wood floor is attached to a pad used as a moisture barrier between the floor and the subfloor. This process also reduces noise when walked on, and is more comfortable.

Keep in mind that not all wood floors can be installed using this method.

G

Glue Down

This is a wood floor installation method where the planks are glued to the subfloor using an adhesive.

Keep in mind that not all wood floors can be installed using this method.

Graining

All wood species have grain patterns based on how they are cut. There will be natural variations in color and graining as no two pieces of wood are ever the same.

J

Janka Hardness Test

This is a type of test which determines the scale of hardness of the wood. Janka Hardness Test is settled by the amount of force required to insert a .444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in a piece of wood.

K

Knot

This is a cross-section of the area of a tree where the branch joins the trunk and it is typically darker in color.

L

Laminate

Laminate is a category of flooring material created in order to imitate the look of many different materials (for example wood or stone).

Long Strip Plank

There are three types of wood flooring. Long strip plank are close to engineered wood floors and it is made by compressing plies of wood together to make the individual planks. It uses a soft core, and attaches a variety of hardwood surfaces to the top to provide the appearance of real hardwood flooring.

M

Moisture Cured Urethane

This is a specific category of urethane finish that needs moisture in the air in order to cure and finish.

Moldings

Those things are used to cover expansion joints. They also enhance the performance and appearance of the hardwood floor. Moldings and baseboards sometimes need to be removed for hardwood installation.

N

Nail Down

Wood floor installation processes which is used on solid wood floors. The method works on floors of a certain thickness, and adaptations are available for thinner planks.

Number 1 Common

A grade of oak: featuring more knots and more dark graining.

Number 2 Common

A grade of oak: featuring knots and more dark graining.

O

On-Grade

Flooring installed on the same plane as the level ground around it.

P

Plank

Plank refers to the size of the boards used to make a wood floor. Thinner width pieces are referred to as “strips.” The wider width pieces are referred to as “planks” and are available at random lengths.

Polyurethane

This is a clear protectant applied to the top of a finished wood floor in order to help prevent damage.

Pre-Finished Wood Floor

These floors have already been sanded and finished by the manufacture. They are ready for installation when getting out of the box.

Pre-finished floors generally have a strong protective finish as several coats of polyurethane.

Pull bar

This is a tool used in order to secure planks together tightly at the tongue and groove joints.

R

Registered embossing

This refers to a technique which generates a 3D laminate plank in order to mimic the looks of a real wood floor.

Rotary Cut

Rotary cut presents a wider array of the natural graining of the wood, with a much more bold appearance.

S

Screed

Screed is used to level uneven floors.

This solution is made of liquid latex and it is spread over a floor and hardened to create a level surface.

Select

A grade of oak: featuring few knots and little dark graining.

Sliced Cut

Sliced cut displays a more uniform graining and color pattern than rotary cut.

Solid

Solid is one of the three categories of wood flooring.

Solvent-Based Urethane

This is an oil based urethane finish used to protect floors from damage, wear, and tear.

Square Edge

Square edge refers to the edge of the board, finished in order to fit together perfectly and create a uniform finish.

Stapled Down

The staple down method staples the wood planks to the subfloor.

This is close to the nail down method.

Strip

Refers to the size of the boards used to make a wood floor. Thinner width pieces are referred to as “strips”.

The wider width pieces are referred to as “planks.”

T

Tapping block

Tapping block is made out of plastic and it is used to protect the planks and strips from damage. This block prevents the hammer from coming into direct contact with the the flooring.

Tongue and Groove

This is a specific joint process used for wood floors to come together. While one edge has a tongue, another edge has a groove. The tongue and groove fit together to install the floor in a room.

U

Underlay

An underlay serves as a sheet of protection between the subfloor and the floor. There are several different types and grades of underlays available. They often serve as a moisture barrier.

Un-Finished Wood Floor

An unfinished wood floor gives more user control over the finished look of the floor.

UV

Cured factory wood finishes that are cured with ultraviolet light instead of heat.

W

Water-Based Urethane

As the title says, this is a water based urethane finish which is used to protect floors from damage.

Wedges and spacers

Wedges and spacers are tools used to maintain the expansion gap around the edges. They also make a straight edge against a wobbly wall.