Basic Hardwood Flooring Information
Hardwood flooring comes in many species, sizes and styles. Deciding which is right for your flooring project can be a bewildering experience. That choice almost always boils down to color and style but you should be aware of the differences in solid and engineered flooring, raw and prefinished flooring, as well as the hardness and stability of different species. That knowledge will help you select the floor that will not only look beautiful, but last in your particular application
Raw or Prefinished
Raw woods, both solid and engineered, are installed over your subfloor, sanded, stained and finished in your home. The benefits are custom colors and no v-groove or beveled edge between the boards of the floor. However, the installation process takes several weeks and is disruptive to the family. It is often preferred in new construction or in a remodel when the family is not living in the home.
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| Square Edge |
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Beveled Edge |
Prefinished products are installed and you can move back into the area immediately. (Unless they are glued down, then you must wait for the glue to dry.) The prefinished offerings available over the last few years have improved dramatically. More and more species, sizes, colors, styles and finishes are available today. Some products can be custom colored! Some even come with a square edge and eliminate the small v-grooves between the boards.
Solid or Engineered
Solid wood flooring is just that, a solid piece of wood cut into a flooring plank or strip. It is generally 3/4 inch thick (other thicknesses are available) and has tongue and grooves cut around each board. Solid wood can be nailed or glued to a wooden subfloor with a crawlspace under the subfloor or in an upstairs area. It will add strength and stability to the flooring system. They can also be refinished several times thus making them last a lifetime or two in a home. However, it is also more sensitive to moisture than an engineered floor and not recomended in areas that have a moisture issue such as a concrete slab.
Engineered wood has a solid wear layer on top and various other woods laminated together for the balance of the product. It also has tongue and grooves cut into the sides of each board. They can be floated, glued or nailed to the subfloor. Because engineered wood is more stable than solid wood, it is recommended for use over concrete subfloors or anywhere else moisture may be an issue. Remember moisture can seep up through the concrete and damage wood flooring. (For more information on concrete, see our concrete web page.) It is also considered "green" as only the wear layer is made from the actual hardwood.
BE AWARE of the thickness of the wear layer of an engineered product. This thickness will determine if the product can be refinished in the future. Less expensive products often have a very thin wear layer and can never be refinished.
Wood Grading
The appearance of the wood determines its "grade." All grades are equally strong and serviceable, but each affords you a different look.
Oak grading:
- Clear wood is free of defects, though it may have minor imperfections.
- Select wood is almost clear, but contains some natural characteristics such as knots and color variations.
- Common wood (No. 1 and No. 2) has more natural characteristics such as knots and color variations than either clear or select grades, and often is chosen because of these natural features and the character they bring to a room. No. 1 Common has a variegated appearance, light and dark colors, knots, flags and wormholes. No 2 Common is rustic in appearance and emphasize all wood characteristics of the species.
Maple, birch and beech grading:
- First grade wood has the best appearance, natural color variations and limited character marks.
- Second grade wood is variegated in appearance with varying sound wood characteristics of species.
- Third grade wood is rustic in appearance allowing all wood characteristics of the species.
So be aware when buying an unfinished floor and make sure you know which quality or grade of wood you are buying.
Wood and Moisture
Because they’re a natural product, hardwood flooring will expand and contract in response to seasonal changes in moisture. In the winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract, which creates unsightly gaps between each plank. In the summer months, when the humidity is higher, the wood will expand and the gaps will disappear. (This issue can be eased with a humidifier or de-humidifier). This is why it is important when installing a solid strip floor to leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter and to acclimate the wood prior to installation. Engineered products are more stable but will still expand and contract.
If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle which not something you want in your home. We recommend a moisture check on your subfloor prior to installing any hardwood. (This is especially important on a concrete slab. Please see our concrete slab page for more information.) Be sure to check out your crawl space to make sure there is no standing water there as it leads to flooring damage.
Relative Hardness
The wood flooring industry has developed the Janka scale to rate the hardness of each species of wood flooring. This scale measures the force needed to embed a .444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in a piece of wood. The higher the number the harder the wood. Remember, ALL WOOD WILL DENT AND SCRATCH so use this scale as a general guide when comparing various species of wood flooring.
| Wood Species |
Hardness Rating |
| Douglas Fir |
660 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (short leaf) |
690 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Long leaf) |
870 |
| Black Cherry |
950 |
| Teak |
1000 |
| Black Walnut |
1010 |
| Heart Pine |
1225 |
| Yellow Birch |
1260 |
| Red Oak (Northern) |
1290 |
| American Beech |
1300 |
| Ash |
1320 |
| White Oak |
1360 |
| Australian Cypress |
1375 |
| Hard Maple |
1450 |
| Wenge |
1620 |
| African Pedauk |
1725 |
| Hickory |
1820 |
| Pecan |
1820 |
| Purpleheart |
1860 |
| Jarrah |
1910 |
| Merbau |
1925 |
| Santos Mahogany |
2200 |
| Mesquite |
2345 |
| Brazilian Cherry |
2350 |
