Serving the Greater Portland-Vancouver Area
What is Hardwood Flooring
The Details of Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring comes in different species of wood, colors, syles and finishes. Choosing the right combination of choices for your home or room depends on many factors such as your homes decor, your budget, etc.Styles
Strip - Hardwood flooring is also referred to as linear flooring which typically comes in 1 1/2", 2 1/4", or 3 1/4" wide lengths. This type of flooring when laid down will creating a linear effect which creates a look that has been very popular for decades, Strip hardwood flooring typically will make a room look larger.
Plank - Hardwood flooring is linear, and is wider in width. Common widths of plank flooring are 3", 4", 5", and 6", wider products are not uncommon although the wider the board, the more concerns for effects by moisture.
Parquet - Pieces of wood floor construct into a pattern or design, most often geometric in nature. Parquet floors were popular in the 60's and 70's now a request for a parque floor is extremely rare.
Colors
The color and look you floor ends up with is mainly determined by the natural color of the wood and the color of stain you choose to use although stain is optional. A hardwood floor can look very nice without with just a clear finish to bring out the natural color.
Species
There are over a 120 hardwood species in two categories Asngiosperms and Monocotyledons, softwoods are the conifers. Hardwood is the basis of flooring that perform and look good indefinately without damage or wear and tear o time.
The species below represent the most commonly used species.
| Traditional Hardwood Species | ||||||
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| Ash | Birch | Cherry | Maple | Oak | Pecan | Walnut |
| Exotic Hardwood Species | ||||||
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| Merbau | Kona | Cabreuva | Jatoba | pradoo | Kempas | Brazilian Cherry |
Below are hardness ratings in pounds per square inch of a number of different species. The measurements are based on the Janka Hardness Test. This test is designed to measure the hardness of wood.
| Brazilian Cherry | 2350 psi | |
| Santo Mahogany | 2220 psi | |
| Hickory | 1800 psi | |
| African Paduak | 1725 psi | |
| Peruvian Walnut | 1630 psi | |
| Maple | 1450 psi | |
| White Oak | 1360 psi | |
| Ash | 1320 psi | |
| Beech | 1300 psi | |
| Red Oak | 1290 psi | |
| Birch | 1210 psi | |
| Andirobia | 1100 psi | |
| Southern Red Oak | 1060 psi | |
| American Walnut | 1010 psi | |
| American Cherry | 950 psi | |
| African Mahogany | 830 psi |
Grades
The appearance of the wood determines its "grade." All grades are equally strong and serviceable, but each affords you a different look.
- Clear
Hardwood flooring product with a minimun number of marks and discoloration. This grade of hardwood is uniform has a uniform appearence and allows the natural color variations.
- Select
Select may contain unlimited sound sapwood, slight imperfections in milling, small tight knots every 3", pin worm holes, burls and a moderate amount of minor open cheks.
- #1 Common
Prominent variations in color and - #2 Common
Can contain variations of the forest product and manufacturing imperfections. The purpose of #2 Common grade is to provide flooring suitable for homes, general utility use or where character marks and contrasting appearance is desired.
Staining
Most floors receive a natural finish but a colored stain can be used and can work well when wanting to coordinate with a other elements in the room such as cabinets, tile, etc.
Finish
There are a wide variety of finishes however the break down into two categories.
- Oil Base
Oil base finishes are more durable and stronger plus they bring out the natural beauty of the wood better. The draw backs to an oil base finish involve the application. They take longer to dry and fumes will saturate a room for a few days until the floor cures.
- Water Base
Water base finishes are more environmentally friendly and apply quicker and dry faster with no annoying fumes that will linger for days. Also if you are looking for a softer more subtle look then water base finishes maybe the right choice.
