WOOD FLOOR GRADES EXPLAINED: HOW TO CHOOSE & WHY THEY MATTER

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Wood flooring can be chosen in many ways. You have the option to choose what type of wood, what stain color and what size boards. Many homeowners are unaware that the quality of the wood, or its grade, is what will ultimately affect the final look of their flooring. Putney Floor Sanding will help you understand the differences between different wood grades and how they affect your wood flooring.

LOWER GRADE DOES NOT equate to higher quality?

You might think that higher-graded wood is superior to lower-graded wood or that it is stronger or more resilient. This is a common misconception. The main differences between a #2 Common Hardwood, #1 Common Hardwood and a Select Grade Hardwood are mainly due to the wood’s appearance, rather than its durability.

Because it is more uniform in appearance and free from knot holes or other distinctive markings, higher grade wood tends to be more expensive. You should also remember that every variety of wood is unique. A #1 Common Hardwood rated Hickory flooring will have a different appearance than a #1 Common Hardwood-rated Red Oak floor.

#2 COMMON HARDWOOD

The #2 Common Hardwood flooring is the most affordable and has the best character. This is not a problem, but it is an aesthetic choice. Because it is easier to find wood with fewer knots and striations, this wood tends to be more affordable. Wood graded at this level is not allowed to have major defects, so any imperfections will be at the expense of a uniform appearance.

This wood can have a wide range of colors, so the level of coloring is not always consistent. Builders use #2 Common Graded Wood for new homes because it is an attractive and cost-effective option for flooring. This option is popular for homeowners who want to lay flooring throughout their entire home.

#1 COMMON HARDWOOD

#1 Common Hardwood floors are a mid-tier option for both aesthetic and cost. They strike a happy middle between uniformity, and added character. This grade of wood still contains small knots and striations, but the color is more consistent and the knots and striations that do occur are less frequent. This is the best option for many who are undergoing home renovations. It gives a uniform look and is more cost-effective than redecorating only a portion of their home.

HARDWOOD SELECT GRADE

Select Grade Hardwood flooring, which comes directly from the tree’s heart, is both beautiful and very affordable. This wood has a very low sap content, which makes it very uniform in color and leaves very few knots. It also has the best finish of any wood grade. It is the most expensive choice for home remodeling because of its uniform appearance, but it can achieve a very polished look when used properly.

Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring

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Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring

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Solid wood flooring is a solid piece of wood from the top to the bottom. The thickness varies from ¾” to 5/16”. Those wood floors can be installed both above and on grade, and they can be sanded and refinished during its service life
Engineered wood floors from other side are also real wood floors made by using multiple wood or wood composite veneers. The veneers can be from the same or from different wood species. It have a great stability because the grain of each veneer runs in different direction. This mean that the wood will resist expanding and contracting during fluctuations in humidity and temperature which is really making it wide usable. This type of flooring can also be sanded and refinished and it can be installed above, on or below grade.

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MAPLE

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There are 115 species of maple. Only 5 commercially important species grow in the U.S. Two of the five are hard rock maple and sugar maple. Maple is so hard and resistant to shocks that it is often used for bowling alley floors. Its diffuse evenly sized pores give the wood a fine texture and even grain. Maple that has a curly grain is often used for
violin backs (the pattern formed is known as fiddleback figure). Burls, leaf figure, and birds-eye figures found in maple are used extensively for veneers. The Birds eye figure in maple is said to be the result of stunted growth and is quite rare. Maple is used extensively for American colonial furniture, especially in medium and lower priced categories.
It can also be stained to simulate cherry wood, which it resembles.

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SOFTWOODS

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PINE: Pine is a softwood which grows in most areas of the Northern Hemisphere. There are more than 100 species worldwide.Pine is a soft, white or pale yellow wood which is light weight, straight grained and lacks figure.It resists shrinking and swelling. Knotty pine is often used for decorative effect. Pine is often used for country or provincial furniture. Pickled, whitened, painted and oil finishes are often used on this wood.
ASH: There are 16 species of ash which grow in the eastern United States. Of these, the white ash is the largest and most commercially important. Ash is a hard, heavy, ring porous hardwood. It has a prominent grain that resembles oak, and a white to light brown colour. Ash can be differentiated from hickory (pecan) which it also resembles, by white
dots in the darker summer wood which can be seen with the naked eye. Ash burls have a twisted, interwoven figure. Ash is widely used for structural frames and steam bent furniture pieces. It is often less expensive than comparable hardwoods.
HICKORY: There are 15 species of hickory in the eastern United States, eight of which are commercially important.Hickory is one of the heaviest and hardest woods available. Pecan is a species of hickory sometimes used in furniture. It has a close grain without much figure.Wood from the hickory is used for structural parts, especially where strength and thinness are required.Decorative hickory veneers are also commonly used.
BEECH: The American beech is a single species which grows in the eastern half of the United States. Beech is a hard, strong, heavy wood with tiny pores and large conspicuous medullary rays,similar in appearance to maple. This relatively inexpensive wood has reddish brown heartwood and light sapwood.Beech is often used for frames, a variety of bent and turned parts. Quarter sliced and half round cut beech veneers are commonly used.
BIRCH: There are many species of birch. The yellow birch is the most commercially important. European birch is fine grained, rare and expensive.Birch is a hard, heavy, close grained hardwood with a light brown or reddish coloured heartwood and cream or light sapwood. Birch is often rotary or flat sliced, yielding straight, curly or wavy grain patterns. It can be stained to resemble mahogany or walnut.
CEDAR: Several species of cedar grow in the southern United States, Central and South America. Cedar is a knotty softwood which has a red-brown color with light streaks. Its aromatic and moth repellent qualities have made it a popular wood for lining drawers, chests and boxes. Simple cases and storage closets are also constructed from this light, brittle wood.
REDWOOD: Indigenous to the Pacific United States, redwood trees grow to more than 300 feet tall and 2,500 years old. The best quality redwood comes from the heartwood which is resistant to deterioration due to sunlight, moisture and insects. It is used to craft outdoor furniture and decorative carvings.Redwood burls have a “cluster of eyes” figure. They are rare and valuable.
HEMLOCK: Light in weight, uniformly textured. It machines well and has low resistance to decay and nonresinous. Used for construction lumber, planks, doors, boards, paneling, sub flooring and crates.
FIR: Works easy and finishes well. Uniform in texture and nonresinous. Has low resistance to decay. Used in furniture, doors, frames, windows, plywood, veneer, general millwork and interior trim.
SPRUCE: Strong and hard. Finishes well and has low resistance to decay. Has moderate shrinkage and light in weight. Used for masts and spars for ships, aircraft, crates, boxes, general millwork and ladders.

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Beautiful wooden floor with Floor Sanding Putney

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Your house can possess the attractive rich wooden floors you have earned. This will guarantee appropriate care for your own floors. Hardwood floors are not just aesthetically pleasing, yet they also build up the property value of your own home. Additionally, floating floors are a really good option when you have multiple layers of flooring and don’t wish to remove all of them.

270833_167636349968126_6939236_n   This kind of wooden floor always utilised to be the option within the previous days because wood wasn’t as expensive because it is nowadays. With hardwood floor vacuums, it’s necessary for you to know about which kind of material the brush roll is made from. Each may require a different sort of finish and or an alternate rate of application. It’s also very important that floor sanding companies utilize the best equipment and the newest technology to do a wooden floor sanding.On top of that, by restoring your initial wood floor, you are going to spend less and retain its special character. Floor sanders first must evaluate the lipping within the wood floors.

We can offer you each of the tools and details that you should make an educated flooring decision. If it appears tough or very lengthy for you, seek the services of the assistance of a dependable commercial floor cleaner in your city. For any further information on the flooring refurbishment assistance, Contact Us. Total design and installation services.