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Types of Hardwood

Longstrip Wood Floors

Longstrip wood floors are really a type of engineered wood floors and are often referred too as engineered longstrip planks, or floating wood floors. These floors are constructed from several wood plies that are glued together. The center core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the center core and another softer wood ply is attached underneath the core. This top ply is also called the finish layer and can be constructed of almost any wood specie. The finish layer is really made up of many smaller, individual solid wood pieces that are laid in three rows of solid planks. Longstrip planks are approximately 86" in length and 7 1/2" in width. The finish layer of a longstrip plank will generally have between 17 to 18 pieces in the three row series. This gives the effect of installing a board that is 3 narrow planks wide and several planks long. Each longstrip plank looks like an entire section that has already been pre-assembled for you.

Longstrip planks are designed for the floating installation, but most can also be glued-down, or stapled down. Because these floors can be installed with the floating installation method they can be installed above or below ground level and over a wide variety of sub-floors. Like engineered floors, longstrip floors come in a variety of domestic and exotic wood species. 

Solid Wood Floors

Solid wood floors have been used for centuries and never seem to loose their charm and warmth. We generally think of solid hardwood floors as a 3/4" thick plank that comes in a narrow 2 1/4" strip and has to be finished on the job-site. This is the classic hardwood strip floor.

Today, manufacturers offer solid hardwood floors in a variety of widths, thicknesses, finishes and wood species. The most common North American hardwood species used for solid wood flooring are red oak, white oak, ash and maple, but you can also get solid hardwood flooring in many exotic wood species, such as Brazilion cherry, tiger wood, Australian cypress and many others from around the World. Red Oak is still the most popular and commonly used hardwood floor.

When we talk about unfinished wood flooring we generally think of solid wood floors. Unfinished solid oak floors come in several different qualities. These qualities are clear, select and better, #1 common, and #2 common. The clear has no visual blemishes or knots and is extremely expensive. The select and better quality has some small knots and very little dark graining, while the #1 common and #2 common have more knots and more dark graining. When buying an unfinished solid wood floor make sure you know which quality you are buying.

Solid wood planks are cut out as a solid block right from the tree. The wood blocks are then sawn into solid flooring planks with tongue and grooves edges. The planks are than either pre-finished at the factory or placed into unfinished bundles of varying lengths.

All solid wood floors will react to the presence of moisture. In the winter heating months the lack of humidity can cause solid wood floors to contract which leaves unsightly gaps between each plank. In the summer months when the humidity is higher the wood planks will expand and the gapping will disappear. If there is too much moisture present the wood planks may cup or buckle. This is why it is so important to leave the proper expansion gap along all vertical walls and to acclimate the solid wood planks prior to installation. (Engineered wood planks are not nearly as effected by humidity as solid wood floors.

Engineered Wood Floors

Engineered wood floors also refrred to as laminated wood floors are often confused with laminate floors by consumers. Engineered wood floors are NOT laminate floors, so be careful when shopping for a new floor. Engineered wood floors are constructed differently from solid wood floors and offer some advantages over solid wood floors. Thanks to advancements in manufacturing technology, engineered wood floors can be used in almost any room in the home. This includes installing over dry, concrete slabs and some types of existing flooring. So now homeowners can enjoy the beauty of a real hardwood floor in areas they thought not possible before with solid wood flooring. Most engineered wood floors are pre-finished at the factory, which eliminates the mess, extra time and vapors associated with applying the finish coats on the job-site. Pre-finished wood floors are ready to be walked on right after the installation is completed. No long waiting for staining and applying coats of finish. Most factory applied finishes are UV-cured with ultra violet lights which creates a much harder finish than a job-site finish. In addition, the manufacturer can apply more coats of finish as well giving added protection.

The top layer of engineered wood floors is available in 3 variations; rotary peeled veneers, sliced and sawn face.

Rotary Peeled Veneers - logs are processed in a conditioning vat and put onto a large wood lathe. The wood veneers are then peeled off the logs in long strips, like paper that comes off of a roll of paper towels. Maximum yield from the log.

Sliced - lumber is processed in a conditioning vat and the lumber is then sliced of the lumber, like slicing cheese. The lumber is first cut from the log in a saw mill then processed for slicing. Better yields than Sawn Face due to no saw kerf loss from the slicing process.

Sawn Face - a traditional process were lumber comes from the log in a saw mill. The lumber is graded and sorted for maximum yield and usage. The lumber is then sawn into the desired thickness and ready for application to the engineered construction.

Which is better?All three have their pros and cons. Rotary Peeled provides the highest use of raw materials for lowest cost, lowest visual appeal and weakest grain structure. Sliced provides better yield with medium cost, better visual appeal, and better structural integrity. Sawn Face lowest yield for the highest cost, best visual appeal, and strongest grain structural due to a natural sawing process vs slicing or peeling of the grain.

During the manufacturing the wood plies are stacked on top of each other in the opposite directions. By reversing the direction of each ply as it is placed on top of each other helps counteract the natural tendency of wood to expand and contract with changes in humidity levels and moisture. By crossing the plies the finished planks are much more dimensionally stable than solid wood planks and won't show those unsightly gaps that happen with most solid wood floors. This added dimensional stability allows engineered wood planks to be installed over concrete slabs. (Note: the concrete slabs still must be clean and dry. See the manufacturer's installation recommendation for more details.)

The finish layer (top ply) of an engineered wood plank is often a different wood specie then the plies in the middle. This allows manufacturers to offer a wider variety of domestic and exotic hardwood species while keeping the costs down. Most engineered wood floors will be either a 3-ply or 5-ply.

Engineered wood floors can be used on all grade levels, including below grade concrete slabs. (Again, be sure to check with the manufacturer for installation recommendations.)

The planks are generally stapled-down, glued-down or floated over different types of substrates, such as a wood subfloor or concrete slab. The glue-down and floatinginstallation methods allow the engineered wood planks to be used over concrete slabs since you cannot staple into concrete. Also, some engineered wood floors can be floated over an existing floor, such as tile or vinyl flooring. Caution should be used when trying to install planks over an existing floor to be certain the old floors is well adhered and that your installation application meets the manufacturer's installation recommendations.

Engineered planks come in varying widths, including: 2 1/4", 3", 5", and 7" widths. In addition, may plank styles can be mixed, such as 3-5-7 inch planks installed side by side. By varying the board widths you can change the total appearance of the floor.

Handscraped & Distressed Hardwood Floors

If you love the look of hardwood floors with a lot of character markings then you may want to preview the handscraped hardwood floors. In the US, the handscraped wood look (also called hand sculptured) has become a popular choice among homeowners wanting hardwood with the look of an old reclaimed wood floor but with today's finest finishes. Although very pricey these floors do look stunning and give the appearance of a hardwood floor that has a lot of character.

Handscraped hardwood floors are offered in both solid and engineered construction depending on the manufacturer. If your room is above grade and has a wooden type sub-floor than you can use either solid or engineered handscraped hardwood floor. If humidity is a concern, or if your room is on a concrete slab you must use an engineered wood floor. Either way you will not be disappointed with the handscraped hardwood flooring brands.

Besides handscraped hardwood floors some manufacturers offer distressed hardwood floors. The distressed wood floors differ in that the markings in the face are done by a machine, like a wire brush, while handscraped hardwood planks are created by hand with wood scraping tools. Although handscraping is more costly to do, each plank should have a more unique appearance over a machine distressed plank. Regardless which one you choose, both handscraped and distressed hardwood flooring should add a rich, elegant appearance to any room.

Floating Floors

First let me explain what "floating floors" really are. Very simply, it refers to flooring that is not directly secured (or attached) to the substrate underneath. Instead, the flooring is free to float over the top of the substrate. The substrate is generally some type of wood subfloor (as example: OSB particle board), concrete slab, or a flat, well secured existing flooring, such as an old vinyl floor.

Floating floors are found in both hardwood floors and laminate flooring in a variety of prices, styles, colors and designs. The individual planks are locked together during installation, but never secured to the subfloor. The planks have a tongue and groove locking system to secure the planks together along all 4 sides of each plank. How the planks are locked together varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some manufacturers require a special glue be applied to the tongues and grooves to secure the planks together. Thanks to other advancements many manufacturers offer a click-lock or mechanical locking system to secure the planks together. These floors have a specially-designed tongue and groove that when 2 plank edges are pressed together locks the planks in place. No glue, nails or staples are used.

There are several advantages to floating floors. You eliminate the hassle and extra expense of nailing, stapling or gluing down the planks to the subfloor. Since a floating floor is never secured to the subfloor underneath, homeowners can install these floors in areas that nailed-down or stapled-down floors are not recommended for. They are ideal for going over concrete slabs, particle board and existing flooring. Technically you could take the planks apart and take them with you if you moved. Lastly, the floating, glueless floors are also much easier for a homeowner to install themselves which can really save on your pocketbook.

There are some things you should be aware of. Even though a floating floor is not attached to the subfloor underneath you still need a fairly level subfloor with no large dips and rises. If your floor is not level it can become nearly impossible to lock the planks together. Plus, you might hear squeaking noises when walking over the flooring. Another thing to be aware of these floors are louder than fully attached floors. To reduce the noise some companies offer a very thin, dense cushion to place underneath your floor before installation.

Due to the construction of laminate flooring the floating floor installation system is the recommended method by the manufacturers as of this time. Only some manufacturers of engineered wood floors offer floating floor installation. Not all engineered wood floors can be floating and some can be glued-down and stapled-down as well. Because of the natural characteristics of solid wood floors they must be nailed-down to a wood subfloor. For more information we recommend to read the manufacturer's installation guides.