All About Solid Hardwood Flooring
Wood Flooring
By Jeff Hosking – Hosking Hardwood Flooring
© 2004, Copyright protected. All Rights Reserved
Solid hardwood flooring
When we think of a solid Hardwood flooring we generally think of the standard strip red oak wood flooring that is 3/4" thick by 2 1/4" wide, but solid Hardwood flooring is also available in various sizes from 3 to 6 or more inches wide (called plank floors). Custom Milled sizes less than 2-1/4 or wider than 6 inches wide are also available and are available in different thicknesses. The floorboards are generally in random lengths from 12" – 84". Custom Milled lengths can exceed 12’ long. The most common Hardwood flooring species used for solid wood floors are Red Oak Hardwood flooring, White Oak Hardwood flooring, and Maple Hardwood flooring-- but many other species are offered.
All solid wood flooring can react to the presence of moisture. In the dry winter heating months, moisture can leave the wood flooring causing the floor to contract slightly in size, which can leave unsightly gaps between each floor board. In the summer months when the humidity is higher, the Hardwood flooring will expand and the gaps will disappear. If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. This is why it is important when installing solid Hardwood flooring to leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter and to acclimate the wood flooring prior to installation. It is also important to keep the relative humidity at between 40 – 55%. Doing this will help minimize any movement within the wood flooring.
Solid Hardwood flooring is sensitive to moisture and it is not recommended to install these floors below ground level, or directly over a concrete slab. Solid Hardwood flooring are for nail-down installations only, with the exceptions of a few manufacturers that state you can direct glue down 5/16 inch thick solid Hardwood flooring such as the Bruce Natural Choice.
You can refinish, or recoat solid Hardwood flooring several times, which adds to their appeal and to their long life. There are solid hardwood floors that are well over 100 years old and are still in good condition.
Solid hardwood flooring is cut out from a solid piece of wood.
Q. What is the advantage of using solid Hardwood flooring over the other types such as an engineered hardwood flooring, floating wood floors or glue down engineered flooring?
A. 3/4 solid Hardwood flooring has a thick 5/16 top wear layer that can be sanded and refinished new again up to 7 times and can last well over 100 years. Solid Hardwood flooring also adds structural strength to a floor system due to its 3/4 thickness and interlocking Tongue and Groove milling. If you have a wood subfloor you would most likely want to use 3/4 solid wood flooring.
Q. Does it matter what size width board or color to use? Is one width better than another?
A. No, not really I would suggest using whatever width board you would like to have. The big swing for the last 15 years has been to go with a wider 3-1/4 inch wide board instead of the standard 2-1/4 inch wide. The rule of thumb is a narrower board will give you a more formal look and feel to your home. A wider board (over 4 inches wide) gives off a more Country look and feel.
If you are putting a new Hardwood floor in either a kitchen or a new addition and have an older standard 2-1/4 wide (strip) Hardwood flooring in adjoining or abutting room areas, I might suggest using a 3-inch or wider board so there’s a defining difference between the two floors. Trying to match the older flooring grade and color may be very difficult to do and it can come out looking mismatched.
Floor color is a choice that would have more to do with your personal tastes and décor. A natural light colored wood flooring will go with any décor and will lighten up any room. I usually suggest not using dark colored Hardwood flooring if your room decor is very dark.
Q. Can I use a Solid Hardwood flooring in my basement?
A. Sorry, basements are known to have high relative humidity due to being under the ground, a Solid Hardwood flooring can absorb this excess moisture and expand causing the floorboards edges to cup or buckle. It is not recommended to use a 3/4 Solid Hardwood floor in any damp areas or any areas where there is a higher relative humidity then 55%. I recommend engineered wood flooring, or floating engineered flooring for these areas.
Q. Can I Glue down solid Hardwood flooring over my concrete Slab?
A. No, 3/4 solid Hardwood flooring can expand and contract more than engineered wood flooring. I would not suggest direct gluing down any 3/4-inch thick solid Hardwood flooring to any surface, the adhesive might not allow the solid wood flooring to move or breath normally and can cause the wood flooring to distort. As I have mentioned above some manufactures allow direct gluing down on their thinner solid wood flooring.
If the concrete slab is dry you can lay a 4-6 mil plastic or rubber moisture guard down on the concrete for a moisture barrier then build up the floor using two layers of 1/2 inch plywood or sleepers and a plywood base and cover that with 15lb black felt paper, then nail/staple the solid Hardwood flooring down on top.
Q. OK then, where can I use 3/4 solid Hardwood Flooring and what do I use to fasten it down?
A. You can 3/4 solid wood flooring over any wood subfloor on or above grade. You can only fasten it down using either cleat nails or staples, to make the job easy both would require the use of a wood floor nailer (rental store). You can also install Hardwood flooring over Vinyl flooring as long as it is over a wood subfloor.
Q. Are all Brands of Hardwood Flooring the same?
A. No, like anything else you purchase there can be big differences in quality. Some manufacturers use a lower quality wood and produce very bad milling. Their finish quality can also be poor. I suggest staying away from names you have never heard of and use Hardwood flooring manufacturers that have been around for a long time. They will be the ones who will generally stand behind their wood flooring and will be around for the next 100 years, having a proven track record for quality.
At Hosking Hardwood Flooring we only sell 1st Quality Hardwood Flooring, we do not sell 2nds, or mis-milled flooring.
Q. Can I install my own Hardwood Flooring?
A. Yes, Installing Prefinished Hardwood flooring is not difficult -- if you can measure a board, cut and nail, then you can install our wood flooring. It is an easy and rewarding way to save a lot of money -- doing it yourself. Our Hardwood flooring comes with easy to follow instructions. Standard tool knowledge and common sense would naturally help. Once you have installed a room using prefinished Hardwood flooring, you can move right back in and if you purchase your wood flooring from Hosking Hardwood flooring we will take the time to walk you through your installation.
Q. How much Hardwood flooring do I need to order? Why do I have to add 5% to my square footage?
A. We provide easy to follow instructions as to how to measure your rooms, see our Measuring Tips page. It’s important to remember that all Hardwood flooring manufacturers recommend adding 5% to your actual square feet. This added 5% is recommended to cover boards that you may not want to use that may have gotten by the inspection process at the factory and for cutting waste.
If you want to run the Hardwood flooring at a 45-degree angle in the room then you would want to add approx 15% for a waste factor for the added cutting waste.
Q. What tools am I going to need to install Hardwood flooring?
A. You will need some small basic tools -- a combination square, miter saw, hammer, 8-penny finish nails & nail set, drill, jig saw, small table saw, a Hardwood flooring nailer with cleat nails or staples, a pull bar, and a few packages of small wood shims. All of these items are available for purchase at your local lumberyard or for rent (inexpensively) at your local rental store.
Q. What are the benefits of using Prefinished Hardwood flooring rather than Unfinished wood flooring?
A. Purchasing prefinished Hardwood flooring eliminates the time consuming chore of the sanding and refinishing and gives you the added benefit of a perfect finish all done for you at the factory. Most of the wood flooring we carry has variety of stain colors to choose from and are coated with the durable 7- 10 coats of the “ Aluminum Oxide or Ceramic” finish, which is far more durable for wear than anything that can be purchased in a hardware store or home center. Using prefinished Hardwood flooring allows you to move right back in as soon as a room is installed No Waiting for the finish to dry!
Installing unfinished Hardwood flooring is also easy to do, but would require a series of additional steps of going out and renting all the heavy sanding machines and learning how to use them. You would also have to purchase all the sand paper, finish, brushes etc. It can get a bit messy and unless you know how to run this machinery you could gouge and damage the wood. Applying the finish to the floors after the sanding would also require several days waiting for finish coats to dry before being able to move back in. For more information see our Hardwood Flooring Sanding and Refinishing Video
Grades of Prefinished and Unfinished wood flooring and how they compare...
When a log is milled into Hardwood flooring at the factory the wood is picked for grade (appearance). The better or more uniform the appearance the higher the grade. Both Prefinished Hardwood flooring and Unfinished wood flooring have similar grading but the names may be different depending on the manufacturer. Starting from the top, the Clear grade is the very best of grades having the most uniformity in color (within its wood species) and longest board lengths of up to 7 feet long (depending on the manufacturer). The lowest grade is called “Shorts” or “Cabin or Tavern” grades, which means there will be quite a bit of color variation between the boards and the average board length, is about 16 inches long.
Other wood species -- such as Maple -- have their own grading rules. Manufacturers do have some degree of variance within standards and not all wood flooring manufacturers belong to the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association (NOFMA) They may use their own guidelines when manufacturing their Hardwood flooring.
For a more detailed Hardwood flooring grade descriptions please go to the NWFA site http://www.nofma.org/gradingrules.htm
Common Grading Names
Prefinished Hardwood Flooring |
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Unfinished Wood Flooring |
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Clear Grade - Most uniform in color, longer lengths, virtually no blemishes or knots.
Select & Better - Very uniform in color, longer lengths virtually no blemishes or knots.
Country or Exclusive Grades - Boards starting to show the natural character such as lighter and darker boards, shorter board average, small pinholes and tiny knots possible.
Traditional, Antique, Character Grades - Boards show a lot of natural character such as light and dark boards, pinholes and knots possible, small checks allowed. Overall board lengths are shorter.
Tavern or Cabin Grade - Boards show a lot of character such as light and dark boards, lengths of boards are shorter approx 24" average. Pinholes and knots can be quite evident. |
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Clear Grade - Most uniform in color, longer, lengths, virtually no blemishes or knots.
Select & Better - Very uniform in color, longer lengths, virtually no blemishes or knots.
#1 Common - Board starting to show the natural character such as lighter and darker boards, shorter board average, pinholes and knots are present.
#2 Common - Boards show a lot of natural Character such as light and dark boards, larger knots and checks allowed. Over all board lengths are shorter.
Shorts - Boards show a lot of natural character such as light and dark boards, lengths of boards are extremely short approx 16" average, knots and pinholes are quite evident. |
Re-cap on the benefits of buying 3/4 solid Hardwood flooring
1. Lifespan anywhere from 80 to over 100 years.
2. Due to its thickness, it can span slight indifferences in subfloor height better than thinner engineered flooring.
3. Produces a good solid floor structurally.
4. Usually available in longer lengths than engineered flooring.
5. Usually less expensive than a high end engineered flooring.
6. Can be sanded and refinished multiple times if needed.
7. Hardwood flooring is the only floor covering that increases the value of your home.
8. Hardwood flooring does not cause allergies, recommended to use by allergists.
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