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Review Product Details About This Item
Want to try a hardwood sample to see if it matches your décor?
Room Scene Photo
Find Out What Hardwood Is Right For You?
1) Where is the hardwood being installed?
It is important to know where you will be installing your floor. First determine what grade your flooring is going to be on. Below-Grade typically has higher humidity levels and refers to flooring that is installed below earth's surface such as basements. On-Grade refers to ground level installations and Above-Grade refers to upstairs and properly ventilated attic installations.
What Type Of Material Should You Use
- Below-Grade: Engineered Hardwood
- On-Grade: Engineered or Solid Hardwood
- Above-Grade: Engineered or Solid Hardwood
If you plan to install over concrete, you must use an engineered product to ensure structural integrity. Solid wood flooring or Engineered flooring may be used over plywood, wood or OSB subfloors.
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2) Prefinished vs Unfinished Hardwood
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Prefinished wood is excellent for people who want to do installation themselves, but without the sanding and the exhaustive finishing
process. Unfinished floors require several days to install, stain and finish the flooring. Prefinished floors are less messy and can be
installed
and completed the same day. The purchase price of prefinished flooring is typically higher than that of unfinished hardwood. On the
other hand, labor costs will be much lower when using prefinished boards, as they can be installed very quickly.
Prefinished flooring also offers a much cleaner, clearer finish than a floor finished in your home. Because the wood is finished in
carefully controlled factory conditions, it does not have the dust, dirt and other particles that are visible in almost any floor that's
finished on site. You also don't have to move out when the finish is applied.
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3) Solid vs Engineered Hardwood
Solid Hardwood
Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood and are generally 3/4" thick. Because solid hardwood floors are more susceptible to humidity and temperature changes than engineered wood floors they should only be installed above grade over approved wooden subfloors and must be nailed or stapled down. Solid wood floors can generally be recoated and refinished several times.
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Engineered Hardwood
These floors are produced by laminating several hardwood plies together to form the planks. Most engineered floors can be glued-down, stapled-down or floated over a variety of subfloors including wood, dry concrete slabs and some types of existing flooring. Engineered hardwood floors have cross-ply construction which reduces the expansion/contraction of planks caused by variations in humidity and allows these floors to be installed on any level in the home.
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4) Hardwood Grade and Quality
| Not only must you decide between engineered vs solid and prefinished vs unfinished but you must also worry about the quality grade of your hardwood. High quality hardwood has straighter wood graining, more uniform coloration and consists of fewer knots and markings then lower grade wood.
Here at South Cypress you can rest assured that we only sell FIRST HAND material of the highest quality. We never sell seconds or material that has been reused in any way.
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