Hardwood Flooring Guide

Hand scraped hardwood floors (Hand scraped wood flooring | Hand scraped wood floors)

There’s a renewed interest in Old! Back in the early centuries before big precision machinery were invented Hardwood Flooring boards were cut from logs using long two man hand saws. Since there were no motorized machine planers invented yet to run these wood boards through to smooth the surface, they were simply installed showing the heavy rough sawn blade marks or they were installed where workers would then tediously hand scraped the hard wood flooring flat using wide sharp steel scraping blades or draw knifes.  Quality of smoothness of the hardwood floors often depended quite a bit on the craftsmanship of the men doing the scraping. The outcome usually showed distinctive gouges and grooves within the surface of the wood flooring  More care was used in the more affluent homes and less care and attentiveness was given to homes rural settings or farm houses creating quite a different look.

In the early 1900s hand scraping wood flooring by hand was eventually replaced by the portable electric sanding machines that would sand the unevenness from a hardwood floor after it was installed. As time progressed more precision sanding machines were introduced that turned the old uneven hardwood flooring into a finely finished floor.  Hand scraping wood floors were a thing of the past.

Approx 10 years ago there seemed to be a revival of that old rustic hand scraped hardwood floor charm and character. Hardwood Flooring manufacturers who cater to the interior designers/decorators were told that that the aged worn look of was in vogue. Influencing some manufacturers to produced their own versions of what they thought hand scraped wood flooring should look like, some were realistic and some were not.

Some manufacturers offer their hand scraped wood flooring or sculptured hardwood flooring by simply running their hardwood flooring boards through machines called shapers that creates 5-6 furrows down the whole center of the board. This gives the boards a very wavy look.

Other manufacturers actually have artisans uniquely hand scrape and gouge the surface of the wood floor boards prior to them being prefinished at the factory.

Coming from a long history of restoring and duplicating these  beautifully old worn hardwood floors, I personally prefer the authentic look that replicate areas within the floor where items may have been dropped over the years causing dents or chips within the hardwood flooring surface or worn areas within the wood flooring.  Using older stain colors uniquely adds depth and age to re create that old world charm of  true handscraped wood flooring.  For More information on Hand Scraped wood flooring.

Solid Wood Flooring in Basements (Solid wood floors in basements | Solid hardwood floors in basements)

3/4 inch thick Solid wood flooring is more susceptible to moisture than an engineered wood floor so it should not be directly glued down over a concrete slab because it may absorb any moisture from a damp basement or moisture transfer from the concrete slab.

If you have a finished basement that has been dry for years and want to take a chance, then I would recommend laying a layer of 4-6 mil plastic vapor barrier directly over the concrete running the plastic 4 inches up the walls, over lap and tape all joints with duck tap. Then glue and screw two layers of 1/2 inch thick CDX plywood together (the top plywood layer running in the opposite direction to the bottom layer). Then lay a course of 15 lb black hardwood flooring felt paper over the plywood overlaping the seams by 4-6 inches.  Then install the 3/4 inch solid wood flooring over that.

Remember that you will be adding a total height of 1-1/4 inches which may interfere with existing baseboard heating heights or doorways.

To eliminate the extra cost factor  to build this additional subfloor you may be better off using a Floating engineered wood floor which can be installed directly over the 4-6 mil plastic and the foam pad.

Floating hardwood floors (Floating wood flooring | Floating wood floors)

Floating floors were originally developed in Europe years ago to better cope in climates where the relative humidity levels vary more than in other regions. Due to that instant success they quickly became popular in the United States. Floating engineered wood floors have become an extremely popular floor to use by DIYer’s who want to install the flooring themselves. There are no nails or staples to contend with, no swinging of any big hammer, no messy glues that have to be troweled out. Most of the floating hardwood floors today are simply clicked locked together OR a bead of glue is squeezed in the groove of the boards as they are being installed, both types are installed over the recommended foam underlayment pad which acts as a vapor retarder and/or a cushion and sound control.  For the ultimate in sound control 1/4 inch thick Cork underlayment can also be used instead of the foam pad to greatly reduce any sound transmission when the floor is walked on.

Some of the most popular Click loc floating floors we sell are  Bruce Turlington Loc and Fold – Kahrs Click Loc – and Manningon Caspian Loc n Go. For Bamboo flooring Teragren’s Tera-Loc is the most desired.

Why does a floating wood floor have better stability?

Floating Wood Floors are manufacturered with a decorative real wood species veneer top layer adhered to a plywood type base. The amount of ply-layers that the base may have will vary depending on the wood flooring manufacturer. Each thin wood ply layer when cross layered in the opposite direction to other ply-layers and glued at the factory greatly reduces the ability of the engineered hardwood floor to expand and contract and it becomes a very stable and strong floor.

With any other wood flooring that’s nailed down or glued down over a subfloor the natural movement within the wood floor during seasonal change is restricted because it’s secured solidly to the subfloor.  Seasonal expansion and contraction can cause the edges of each of the boards to cup upwards or cause the boards to dry out and contract showing unsightly gaps between the boards (usually during the dry heating season).  A floating hardwood floor virtually eliminates this cupping and/or contraction during seasonal relative humidity changes because each floor board is locked together to each other and not held down tight, the whole floor moves as a one unit.

During a flooring installation care must be given to leave the proper expansion gap around all fixed objects such as walls.  This expansion gap can be covered using the original baseboard molding or additional shoe molding / 3/4 round molding.  All wood flooring needs to be able to expand and contract during relative humidity changes (usually seasonal) any expansion or contraction will take place at the walls under the baseboards or 3/4 round molding.

You may get some resistance to the term expansion gap as a lot of people feel there is no need to use one.  In all my years of being in business inspecting flooring I have seen hundreds of jobs where the flooring was installed tight to the walls and had swelled and buckled off the floor during higher humidity levels that can occur during the year.

The Benefits of using engineered flooring are

Floating Hardwood Flooring can be installed in basement areas that are prone to having higher relative humidity levels of between 30-60%. *Any wood flooring should not be used in areas prone to flooding.

Floating Wood Flooring can be used in most any room in your home. *Any wood flooring is not recommended for use in areas like full bathrooms where a lot of water will be splashed on the floors.

Floating Wood Floors can be installed in 3 season cabins or summer homes that are not as climate controlled in off seasons.

Floating Hardwood Floors are one of the most environmentally friendly Green types of wood flooring to use as it takes 3-6 times less face veneer wood to produce an engineered wood plank floor.

Floating Hardwood Flooring is the best choice for floor covering over radiant heat systems. We personally recommend the surface temperature of the heat source not to exceed 80 degrees. *Some engineered wood manufacturers “May Not” provide any warranty if their wood species like Maple or Brazilian Cherry are used over radiant heat as these species are the most unstable woods to use over radiant heat..

Engineered hardwood Flooring has a life span average of between 40-80 years.

Floating Wood Floor Myths:

Floating Hardwood Floors sound hollow when walked on!

Two simple things that anyone can do to keep any floating hardwood floor quieter. 1. Make sure your subfloor is flat and well secured, the flatter your subfloor is the more contact the floating floor will have with the subfloor.  If you have a wood or concrete subfloor a leveling compound can be simply mixed up and spread into any depressions.  2. When ordering your New Floating Floor try and choose one that is the thickest. Using the thicker wood flooring for the floating floor is the more sound it will absorb.

Floating wood flooring moves up and down when walked on!

Two simple things that anyone can do to keep any hard surfaced flooring quieter.

1. Make sure your subfloor is flat, the flatter your subfloor is the more contact the floating floor will have with the subfloor.  If you have a wood or concrete subfloor a leveling compound can be simply mixed up and spread into any depressions. For more information see our article on All About Floating Wood Floors

Exotic hardwood flooring (Exotic wood flooring | Exotic wood floors)

Exotic Hardwood Floors have been around for a long time, the popularity of the seemingly endless types of wood species and their unique exotic natural colors can only conger up more ways to use them within any floor installation layout and budget.  From their rich deep reddish brown color to their pale olive tan highlights and even their Black Walnut colors make any room warm, unique and stand out. Exotic wood flooring comes with some very foreign sounding botanical names like “Jatoba – Wenge – Santos Mahogany” from vast regions of the world that due to their growing climate and soil conditions produce highly desirable natural colors. Most Exotic hardwood flooring are very hard in density making it a great choice for flooring in high trafficked areas.  Most Exotic Hardwood Flooring darkens with age within several months after installation which even make the color even richer looking.  Some Exotic wood flooring manufacturer’s collections even have a stain applied to enhance the true beauty of the graining within the hardwood flooring.

Exotic wood flooring is available in both engineered and solid versions in varying thicknesses from 5/16 – 3/4 inch thick.

Exotic hardwood flooring also comes in varying board widths from 2-1/4 – 8-3/4 wider or wider.

Buying Engineered Exotic Hardwood Flooring helps us all become Eco friendly because of obtaining more yield during the manufacturing process thus helping protect the forests.

Some Exotic wood flooring species names are:

Sucupira (Royal Walnut) , Ipe (Brazilian Walnut) , Brazilian Rosewood, Cumaru (Brazilian Teak) , Angelim (Ironwood) Caramel, Kempas , Lepacho, Pradoo, Sakura, Brazilian Ruby Ironwood, Pangali Ironwood

Amendoim , Angico , Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Teak, Brazilian Walnut, Santos Mahogany, Tiete Rosewood, Tigerwood, Maduro Chestnut, Oscuro Tigerwood, Tiete Chestnut, Macchiato Pecan

Environmental Factors:

Because of the high demand over the last 50 years of Exotic wood flooring it has been terribly exploited. Because of the lack of responsibility by some manufacturers that practiced deforestation and slash cut the forests where these trees grew, left the land barren. This barren land leads to soil run off into rivers and streams polluting them for many years, killing off the fish and animals that depend on them for water.  We are all to blame when it comes to the greed of supply and demand.

One of the ways Hosking Hardwood Flooring is helping stop this environmental ruin is to only purchase our exotic wood flooring from manufacturers who harvest their trees from plantations or tree farms or in areas where that particular government has allowed managed logging. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the animals that depend on their habitat or our own eventual extinction simply because we want to profit from or want beautiful flooring today. The newly enacted government law called the Lacy act that is now in affect puts harsh penalties for those who try and import logs from illegal areas or ones that cannot prove where that lumber came from.

Solid hardwood flooring (solid hardwood floors | solid wood flooring)

For centuries Solid Hardwood Flooring has been the most popular wood flooring used in homes across the world. Years ago before big precision milling machines were even though of, one inch or thicker boards were laboriously hand sawn out of logs using long two man saws. These rough sawn boards were then just slapped down on top of the homes 4 x 4 floor joists and fastened by face nailing down through the top of the boards using hand forged cut nails.

As time went by and technology got better, large precision machinery were developed to cut and turn out Solid Hardwood flooring boards that nowadays have precision tolerances down to a fraction of an inch. Large precision shapers mill the edges and ends of the Solid wood floors so that they have an interlocking tongue and groove system that lock together when each floor board is blind nailed just above the tongue, creates a strong secure floor system.

All wood flooring needs to be able to expand and contract during relative humidity changes (usually seasonal) so care must be given to leave the proper expansion gap around all fixed objects such as walls. This expansion gap can be covered using the original baseboard or additional shoe molding (3/4 round molding). You may get some resistance to the term expansion gap as a lot of people feel there is no need to use one. In all my years of being in business inspecting flooring I have seen hundreds of jobs where the flooring has swelled and buckled off the floor during higher humidity levels that can occur during the year. 3/4 inch thick Solid wood flooring is more susceptible to moisture so it should not be directly glued down over a concrete slab because it may absorb any moisture from a damp basement or moisture transfer from the concrete slab.

Solid Hardwood Flooring is available in many different widths from 2- 8 inches wide. The most common styles of solid hardwood flooring used in the United States is 2-1/4 inches wide and the 3-1/4 inch wide.  Solid Hardwood Flooring also comes in various thicknesses for residential use from 3/8 inch thick up to 3/4. The most commonly used solid wood flooring is the 3/4 inch thick version. The thinner versions are available for areas where restrictions in floor height are needed. Solid Hardwood Flooring is available in many different wood species such as Oak, Maple, Hickory and Exotic wood species.

Hardwood Flooring Grading;

Solid Hardwood Flooring is manufactured using grading rules governed by the NOFMA (National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association) and the MFMA (Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association). Manufacturers that do not belong to NOFMA or MFMA can grade their wood flooring as they like.

NOFMA Grades for Oak Hardwood flooring

Clear Grade hardwood flooring – offers the most uniformity in color between boards with virtually No knots or darker mineral streaks and the boards generally are longer in length. Clear grade Oak hardwood flooring can be hard to find.

Select and Better Grade hardwood floors – is the next best grade showing slight differences in color and might contain some lighter and darker boards and small occasional knots.

Select Grade hardwood flooring – allows for more occasional knots and some darker mineral streaks along with more variations in color between boards and the boards may be shorter in length.

# 1 Common Grade – wood flooring allows for numerous knots and darker mineral streaks and the boards may be shorter in length.

# 2 Common Grade of Hardwood Flooring – will contain very short boards that have defects within the boards showing frequent knots along with high variations in color.

The Benefits of using Solid Hardwood Flooring are

Solid Hardwood Flooring can be sanded and refinished new again 5-7 times.

Solid Wood Flooring can last well over 100 years before having to be replaced.

Solid Hardwood Floor can add structural strength to a subfloor. * The 3/4 inch thick version adds the most strength.

Solid Hardwood Flooring is “Hypoallergenic” which means that since wood flooring has a smooth surface it doesn’t accumulate dust or allergens. Hardwood flooring maintenance is also one of the easiest floors to keep clean.

Solid Hardwood Flooring Myths:

Solid wood flooring can be sanded and refinished new again many times down through the whole thickness of the board!

Not true the top wear layer of 3/4 inch thick flooring has only approx 5/16 of an inch worth of sanding ability (5-7 times) which equals an average lifespan of over 100 years. Sanding the flooring any deeper than 5/16 will expose the nails that were used to install the flooring. Thinner versions of solid hardwood will have less available sanding’s and have less life span.

Solid Wood Flooring is noisy!

Not true. A lot of factors come into play to determine how nosy a wood floor will be, Hardwood Flooring is not any noisier than other hard surface floor covering.  Adding insulation between the floor joists and a cushion of Cork or foam underlayment will deaden 80% or more of any noise you may hear when walked on. Solid Hardwood Flooring is actually the preferred floor covering in many acoustical studios. 3/4 inch Solid Hardwood Flooring has insulating values.

Hardwood Flooring Expansion Gaps at walls (Wood Flooring Expansion Gaps | Expansion Gaps)|

All wood flooring needs to be able to expand and contract during seasonal relative humidity changes, so care must be given during the hardwood flooring installation to leave the proper 3/8 – 3/4 inch expansion gap around all fixed objects such as walls.

This expansion gap can be covered using the original baseboard or additional shoe molding (3/4 round molding).

You may get some resistance when explaining the need to use an expansion gap at the walls as some people feel there is no need to use one and just feel its fine to butt the flooring tight to the baseboard. In all my years of being in business inspecting flooring I have seen hundreds of jobs where the flooring has swelled against the wall with excess moisture and buckled off the floor during higher humidity levels that can occur during the year. Not leaving the proper expansion gap will most likly void any manufacturers warranty.

When trees are cut, the logs can contain anywhere from 60-90 % moisture (water) in them. During the Manufacturing process of cutting the logs into boards the Manufacturers have to remove this water by Kiln drying the boards down to 6-12% which equals the Normal 40-55% relative humidity levels found in healthy homes.

All wood including wood flooring whether its a solid hardwood floor or an engineered hardwood floor still has the ability before and after its been installed to absorb and/or release ambient moisture within the environment that the wood flooring is placed.  If hardwood flooring is installed without acclimating it first, in a home environment that has a higher moisture content than what the wood flooring was kiln dried at during the manufacturing process then the wood will adsorb this excess moisture and expand slightly in size. This expansion if extreme, can cause  the boards to swell and expand tight to the walls or baseboard causing cupping and/or buckling of the wood flooring.  Ever had a door stick in the higher humidity levels of the spring and summer months? That same door will open easily during the drier fall and winter months.

If the hardwood flooring is installed without acclimating the wood flooring first, in a drier environment where there is less moisture than 6-12% the wood flooring will in time contact in size slightly, possibly showing gaping between the boards.

Damage to the flooring if any depends on the amount of moisture gain or loss it has experienced. Some expansion and contraction is normal and you might see some cupping and some gaping during seasonal change.  Hardwood Flooring that shows minor cupping or gaping can return normal again during seasonal change.

Acclimating your new Hardwood Flooring is no guarantee that your flooring will not expand or contact later but it helps balance the scale with regards to how much it will change later.  To help balance the equilibrium it is critical to allow newly purchased hardwood flooring to acclimate to its new environment for anywhere from 1-2 weeks or longer prior to it being installed so that the wood flooring can expand or contract in size to its new environment before its installed.   During the installation it is also critical to leave a space of between 3/8 -3/4 of an inch at all walls or fixed objects so that if there are extreme swings in the normal relative humidity in your region of the country the flooring can expand and/or contract normally.

How do I know what the relative humidity levels are in my home?

There are small inexpensive digital hygrometers found in most any hardware stores that will display the relative humidity levels within your home.  To try and maintain some stability within your hardwood flooring it is recommended that during the higher humidity levels of spring and summer to run air conditioning or de-humidifier normally to remove any excess humidity. During the drier fall and winter heating season its advisable to run a humidifier to add moisture to the air.  Using a digital hygrometer will display where your relative humidity levels are within your home so that you can use the methods above to help control your enviroment.  Your ideal relative humidity target to maintain is between 40-55 % for solid hardwood flooring and 30-60% for engineered flooring.  Any prolonged higher or lower relative humidity levels can cause more expansion or contraction within the hardwood flooring.

Engineered hardwood flooring (engineered hardwood floors | engineered wood flooring)

Engineered wood floors were originally developed many years ago to better cope in climates where the relative humidity levels vary quite a bit. Over the years, the popularity of engineered wood flooring has expanded greatly throughout the country and are now used in many home projects on any floor level and in most any climate region where people want maximum strength and stability.

Engineered floors are manufactured with a decorative real wood species veneer top layer adhered to a plywood type base. The amount of ply-layers that a base may have will vary depending on the wood flooring manufacturer. Each thin wood ply when cross layered and glued over other ply-layers in opposite directions reduce the ability of the engineered hardwood floor to expand and contract and it becomes a very stable and strong floor. All wood flooring needs to be able to expand and contract during relative humidity changes (usually seasonal) so care must be given to leave the proper expansion gap around all fixed objects such as walls.

This expansion gap can be covered using the original baseboard or additional shoe molding (3/4 round molding). 

You may get some resistance when explaining the need to use a  3/8 to 3/4 inch expansion gap at the walls as some people feel there is no need to use one and just feel its fine to butt the flooring tight to the baseboard. In all my years of being in business inspecting flooring I have seen hundreds of jobs where the flooring has swelled against the wall with excess moisture and buckled off the floor during higher humidity levels that can occur during the year.

The Benefits of using engineered flooring are

Engineered Hardwood Flooring can be installed in basement areas that are prone to having higher relative humidity levels of between 30-60%. *No wood flooring should not be used in areas prone to flooding.

Engineered Wood Flooring can be used in most any room in your home. *Wood flooring is not recommended for use in areas like full bathrooms where a lot of water will be splashed on the floors.

Engineered Wood Floors can be installed in 3 season cabins or summer homes that are not as climate controlled in off seasons.

Engineered Hardwood Floors are one of the most environmentally friendly Green types of wood flooring to use as it takes 3-6 times less face veneer wood to produce an engineered wood plank floor.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring is the best choice for floor covering over radiant heat systems. We personally recommend the surface temperature of the heat source not to exceed 80 degrees. *Some engineered wood manufacturers “May Not” provide any warranty if their wood species like Maple or Brazilian Cherry are used over radiant heat as these species are the most unstable woods to use over radiant heat..

Engineered hardwood Flooring has a life span average of between 40-80 years.

Some engineered flooring have a 1.5 to 6 mil thick wear layer that can be professionally sanded and refinished 1-5 times depending on wear layer thickness.

Some thinner wear layers of a .06 to 1. should only be light hand sanded and recoated which will bring back any lost shine. Look for our Wear layer thickness mentioned for our engineered flooring in any of our product specifications.

Engineered flooring is manufactured with either a standard tongue and groove fastening system where the flooring can be either stapled down over a wood subfloor or direct glued down or with a simple Click loc type system. More and more manufacturers are manufacturing their Engineered Hardwood Flooring with a type of Click Loc fastening system for floating floors systems making it even easier for the DIY installer. Engineered Hardwood Flooring is available in many different wood species such as Oak, Maple, Hickory and Exotic wood species.

How do you know that you will get a quality engineered floor? I suggest that you stick with the Brand name manufacturers that we offer as they are the leaders in Quality flooring that will back any warranty claims that they may offer.

For more information on Engineered Hardwood Flooring

How to buy Hardwood Flooring ( Cheap Wood Flooring )

There is more to think of when it comes to purchasing hardwood flooring than just a low price. You have to look at the quality of the hardwood flooring selections offered and determine which will best suit your needs. There is no better floor covering value for your home than real Hardwood Flooring…Think of it this way - out of any other home improvement products on the market…do you know of any that can last 60-100 years and have it appreciate over time? I don’t …Value is the key word when it comes to making a decision that you can spend several thousands of dollars on. Making the smart hardwood flooring choice will eliminate wasted money and headaches later on.

If your home is going to receive a lot of foot traffic you would want it to last the longest (60-100) years and you would want it to have the ability to be sanded and refinished New again at least 4-7 times in the future once it gets worn.

Does this mean you have to spend $8-12 sf for your new Hardwood flooring, not at all. At Hosking hardwood Flooring we offer all the Quality Brand Name Wood flooring at a fraction of the cost of retail stores. We have the ability to purchase our Hardwood flooring by the Truckloads and pass the savings to you. So simply don’t purchase cheap flooring somewhere because it’s cheap as you will always get what you pay for and it will not give you any value as it simply will not last long enough. Why have to replace your flooring every 5-10 years?   Purchase Quality Hardwood flooring that will last you the longest, That’s Real Value!