How Hardwood Floors Are Made

Because you'll be living with and walking on your new hardwood floor for decades to come, we thought you might want to know a little about how the different types of hardwood floors are made.

This knowledge can also help you choose the right type of hardwood floor for you home.

Hardwood sizes, species and types:
The most common dimension of hardwood flooring is 3/4" thick and 2-1/4" wide. However, hardwood can be purchased significantly narrower and wider. Flooring can also be purchased in thinner dimensions.

No matter how narrow, wide, or thick the boards are, they are generally in random lengths from 12" - 84".

The most common wood species used for solid strip floors are red oak, white oak, maple, cherry, white ash, hickory or pecan.

And the three common types of wood floors are Solid, Engineered and Longstrip Plank.

Solid Wood.

Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood with tongue and groove sides. Solid wood floors are available both unfinished and pre-finished.

These floors can be refinished, or recoated, several times, which adds to their appeal and to their long life in your home. In fact, there are solid floors that are well over 100 years old that are still in good condition with rich patina and character - enhancing the beauty of the home.

Because they're a natural product, hardwood flooring will expand and contract in response to seasonal changes in moisture.

Oak is commonly used for solid unfinished wood floors and there are several different qualities of oak for you to choose from. These qualities are clear, select and better, #1 common, and #2 common.

Clear has no visual blemishes or knots and is the most expensive. Select and better quality has some small knots and very little dark graining. The #1 common and #2 common have more knots and more dark graining.

Engineered.

Engineered wood floors are generally manufactured with multiple thin sheets or plies of wood that are laminated together to form one plank.

These wood plies are stacked on top of each other with the grain running in perpendicular directions. This cross-ply construction creates a wood floor that is dimensionally stable and less affected by moisture than a 3/4" solid wood floor.

The advantage of cross-ply construction is that it allows the plies to counteract each other, stopping the plank from growing or shrinking with the changes in humidity.

The other advantage is versatility. You can install these floors over concrete slabs in your basement as well as anywhere else in your home.

Most engineered floors can be nailed down, stapled down, glued down, or floated over a wide variety of subfloors, including some types of existing flooring.

Engineered floors will range from 1/4" to 9/16" in thickness, and vary from 2 1/4" to 7" in width. The widths can also 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, creating a truly custom look for your home. The lengths will be random and range from 12" - 60" in length.

For flexibility, engineered is top-notch and is becoming more popular.

Because engineered wood floors are made up of several layers of wood, the top finish layer can be a totally different wood species.

One drawback of engineered floors is that they cannot be sanded and refinished or repaired as many times (or as deeply) as solid wood floors.

Longstrip.

Longstrip plank floors are similar to engineered floors and have 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 core.

The top layer can be almost any hardwood species and is made up of many smaller individual pieces that are laid in three rows.

Longstrip planks are approximately 86" in length and 7 1/2" in width. They generally have between 17 and 35 pieces that make up the top layer of each board.

This construction gives the effect of installing a board that is 3 rows wide and several planks long. Each longstrip plank looks like an entire section that has already been pre-assembled for you. This fact alone can create a unique look all your own.

Longstrip planks are designed for the floating installation, but most can also be glued-down, or stapled down. Because these floors can be floated, they are extremely versatile, going over a wide variety of subfloors and on any grade level.

Like engineered floors, longstrip floors come in a wide variety of domestic and exotic hardwood species.

Longstrip plank floors have another advantage. When damaged, they are easy to replace. That fact can be an important consideration for active homes.

Trim and Transitions.

All trim, transitions, and T-moldings are coordinated with the floor and will not match exactly since both are natural products.