Wood
flooring can be broken into 3 major groups: unfinished,
prefinished and acrylic regnated, solid or engineered, as to their
manufacturing process. Each having there own sizes, colors, and species.
Unfinished, the original wood flooring for years is still manufactured as it was
before the turn of the century. A 2-1/4" face by 3/4" thick, by random
lengths, tongue and grooved product is still the number one choice for an
unfinished nail down product. This product also comes in 1-1/2", planks of
3-1/4", 4", 5", 6", 7" and 8" face widths all
T&G 3/4" thick. With some products being 1/2" and 2-1/4" is
regarded as "strip flooring" and all sizes larger as" plank
flooring". Red or white oak are the standard species used. These products
are graded by appearance and cut. Select
and Better (S&B) is the standard grade used in the industry. Grades
lower are #1
and #2 common. Rift
and quartered are cuts above the S & B grade. Many species and varieties
of wood flooring are now available. For instance ash,
black locust, cherry, heart and yellow pine, maple, walnut are the major
products used in today's unfinished markets, with many exotics imported from
around the world. All these products require on site sanding
and finishing. imp
PreFinished
Wood Floors (finish is applied at the factory) are becoming more and more
popular in today's market place. It's ability to go over concrete, various
colors and ease of installation and less down time than unfinished products has
made it more in demand than ever. These products already stained and finished in
the factory, along with new technologies (engineered) has made these products
less effected by moisture and will not shrink or swell as much as its solid
unfinished counter parts. This new technology has made for better urethane
adhesives, adding to this products stability over a concrete slab. Extra care
must be taken to avoid damage during installation. These products are a great
remolding choice because being "pre-finished" once installed the job
is done. There is no dust and sanding process in applying stains or finishes.
Again red and white oak is the main type of wood used in these products. Ranging
from 5/16" (engineered ) to 3/4" (solid) thick, T&G, these
products vary from 2-1/4" to 8" widths, with many choices of colors.
With today's new adhesive technology pre-finished glue down wood flooring is
quick becoming the floor of choice by many contractors, and home owners a like.
You should consider these products when thinking of hardwood floors. One of
the types of wood flooring is Acrylic
impregnated. Using new technology, this product is made by forcing acrylic
material in its pores giving it a wear surface, and requires little maintenance
and great durability. These products are used mainly in high traffic, and
commercial applications.
