A professionally installed hardwood floor will add three important things to your home; Aesthetics, Durability, and Value. There’s no questioning the beauty of a hardwood floor. A quality installation turns a hardwood floor into a work of art. Hardwood floors now combine the beauty of the past with modern advancements. Quality factory finished hardwood comes with an ultraviolet cured aluminum oxide finish, which is extremely durable. This same finish can also be applied during a site finish using modern equipment. Added durability and beauty drive value. New hardwood floors are an investment that translates value into appreciation for your home.
Selection Considerations
- Where is the hardwood floor being installed? There are limitations on where some hardwood floors can be installed. Solid hardwood is not well suited for below grade installation (basement) or rooms that are subject to excessive moisture (full bathroom, mud room).
- How much abuse will the hardwood floor receive? Children, pets, direct sunlight
- Color? Coordinate or contrast with existing cabinetry, furniture, and trim.
- Finish? High gloss works well in formal areas while matte works well in active areas.
- Width? Narrow strips will expand a room while wider planks are better suited for large areas. How about varying width in a series? 8”, 6”, 4”, 8”, 6”, 4”, and so on
- Board Edge? A square edge provides a traditional formal feel where an eased edge and beveled edge provide more of an informal rustic feel.
Hardwood Floor Types
Solid Hardwood
- Solid hardwood flooring is milled from a single piece of timber that can be cut in a particular manner to showcase different grain pattern depending on the desired look of the floor. The cut also affects stability and price. In order from low to high is Plain, Quarter, and Rift-Sawn.
- Solid hardwood is available in different grades which directly correlate to how “clean” (defect free) the boards are.
- The Janka Hardness Rating shows the relative hardness of wood species to one another. If you expect your floors will take a lot of abuse, consider a species that is high on this scale.
- Traditional solid hardwood flooring utilizes tongue and groove joinery both on the ends and sides.
- Refinish: Can be refinished multiple times. Care must be given to ensure tongue and groove integrity as multiple sandings will eventually expose the joint.
- Installation: Nail, staple (depending on thickness), glue (depending on thickness)
- Approx. material cost per square foot: $2 - 10
Engineered Hardwood
- Engineered flooring is created with layers (plys) of hardwood or composite that are glued and heat pressed together to form the “core.” On top of the core is either a hardwood veneer or lamella (sawn piece of timber) ranging in thickness.
- The core consists of plys that are stacked on top of each other with the hardwood grain facing perpendicular to each other. Because of this design, engineered hardwood is less susceptible to the effects of moisture and temperature and is said to be dimensionally stable.
- Engineered flooring can be installed above, on, or below grade.
- Refinish: Veneers of 2mm or more can be refinished at least once
- Installation: Nail, staple, glue, float
- Approx. material cost per square foot: $2 - 10
Laminate
- Laminate flooring is a composite product meaning it’s made from a combination of wood and plastics that are compressed and bonded under high pressure. On top of the composite (substrate) is specially treated photograph paper displaying a picture of hardwood. The photograph is then covered with a wear layer.
- High quality laminate flooring with have high definition imaging, will be textured, and will be embossed meaning the texture will follow the grain pattern in the image.
- Underlayment (or a backing layer) must be used in conjunction with laminate flooring. Underlayment provides:
- Improved acoustic properties
- Eliminate minor sub-floor imperfections
- Improved insulation properties
- Reduction in walking fatigue
- Protection from sub-floor moisture
- Laminate flooring can be installed above, on, or below grade.
- Refinish: Cannot be refinished
- Installation: Floating
- Approx. material cost per square foot: $1 - 4
Vinyl Wood Plank
- Vinyl flooring is another composite product similar to rubber and plastic. The hardwood image is either inlaid or printed on the surface of the plank. Available in multiple surface coatings to resist dirt, stains, and scuffs. Planks typically come four to six inches wide.
- Vinyl flooring is waterproof and can be installed above, on, or below grade in any room in the house.
- Refinish: Cannot be refinished
- Installation: Glue, floating (only if planks have built in locking mechanism)
- Approx. material cost per square foot: $1 - 3
Subfloor/Substrate Preparation
The subfloor/substrate is commonly the biggest unknown during a hardwood installation. Because it is covered by the existing floor, it is difficult to know how much preparation or repair it will need. Wood subfloors must be flat, clean, dry, structurally sound, free of squeaks, and free of protruding fasteners. Similarly, a concrete substrate must be flat, clean, and dry. Much attention is given to the subfloor as it is the foundation for your hardwood floor. As with all things in life, you cannot build on a weak foundation.
Hardwood Flooring and Moisture
Wood and wood products are hygroscopic materials meaning they can absorb and retain moisture, or lose and throw off moisture. They will expand when they absorb moisture and become smaller when moisture is lost. Because of this, hardwood flooring is susceptible to dimensional change as a result of variations in moisture, temperature, and humidity in the surrounding environment.
It is imperative that hardwood flooring reach its equilibrium moisture content (EMC) with the surrounding environment prior to installation. The process of reaching EMC is called acclimation which is achieved by giving the hardwood flooring time to adjust to the controlled (interior) environment in which it will be installed. The hardwood flooring will need to be stored at the job site, under the same conditions it will experience once installed, until it reaches EMC (typically 3-7 days). Temperatures on the job site should remain between 60-70 degrees with a relative humidity between 30-50%.
In the winter months heating units will draw moisture out of the air and in turn, out of hardwood flooring. This causes the floor to contract and small gaps will appear between planks. In the summer months when humidity is higher, the floor will expand and the gaps will disappear. Too much moisture may cause the floor to buckle. To avoid a potential buckle, an expansion gap will be left around the perimeter of the floor. The expansion gap (which will be covered by base/shoe molding) in conjunction with proper acclimation will ensure a quality lasting hardwood floor.