Consumer Thoughts and Hardwood Floors

If you're new to hardwood floors you may be wondering "why can't I get a hardwood floor without all those ugly dirt catchers?" For the most part, many retailers don't offer prefinished square edge products with exceptions being longstrip floating type floors shown on the right. The majority are square edge, but there's a preference among some not to have all those little pieces that make up the floor, common in longstrip type construction.

One benefit to micro beveled floors many don't consider is their ability to trap dirt or grit that will scratch any hardwood floor. Some manufacturers produce micro bevels and others offer a larger version often called eased edges.

You may find some manufacturers offering square edge solid 3/4" hardwoods. However we urge you to do some thorough investigating before making that purchase. Common complaints include; overwood and/or sock catchers. Micro beveled floors are abundant because prefinished manufacturers cannot produce a true square edge from a solid 3/4" product. Beveled styles are produced to mask imperfections in milling. In other words, adjacent pieces of hardwood after installation will have slight vertical height differences.

It's difficult to get a good overall idea of what your new floor may look like with samples. Flooring samples you will see in any showroom are likely to have been exposed to light for some time. With exposure to direct sunlight or indirect lighting, all hardwood flooring changes color from one degree to another. Many of the exotics hardwoods being sold today can be more pronounced.

Our New Floors Scratch Too Easy

Don't let aluminum oxide finishes fool you. Sure they're tough, but they will scratch. Finish warranties should be understood to ease any disappointment that may occur at a later date. Far too many times consumers are led to believe scratches are covered under some of these fantastic warranties. Finish warranties only cover wear. Some hardwoods and their finishes show scratches more readily. Open grained hardwoods such as maple and high gloss finishes will show scratching more than others.

Engineered Floors Can Eliminate Gapping

On the other hand, another benefit of micro beveled or eased edge floors is they won't show seasonal movement as much. If you're seeking that flawless appearance year round and cannot afford to keep your home's interior relative humidity constant, engineered hardwoods are the answer, providing they're installed correctly or the product is milled with quality in mind.

There are three forms of engineered floor installations. There are floating floors that are glued tongue and groove or "click together" requiring no glue. For those with concrete subfloors the glue down method is commonly used. Some products can be stapled to wood subfloors. All of these types have the dimensional stability to withstand seasonal movement and gapping will not be seen. Exceptions will include severe or unusual conditions. If you're not fond of engineered floors, quarter sawn hardwoods are another option. These types expand and contract vertically rather than horizontally and visual seasonal movement is nil.

Why So Many Short Pieces?

Generally, lower priced budget solid floors will have a considerable amount of shorts. Shorts are pieces we consider to be twelve inches and under in length, but some product lines have longer shorter pieces. Confusing yes. They often create a chopped up appearance in the final installation, whereby longer lengths offer a more desired traditional look.  It's best to utilize shorter hardwood pieces in closets or other out of the way places if you can plan well ahead of time. However be careful with this one or you may find yourself near the end of the installation in an area that will be visible and all that is left are those ugly short boards.

On another note; practically all hardwood manufacturers have product lines that start with twelve inch lengths. It's best to ask when making a purchase what lengths are involved. Nearly all have specifications of some kind. For example many common solid hardwood manufacturers specify 12 to 84 inch lengths with many engineered products measuring in at 12 to 48 inches.

Custom milled hardwoods offering longer overall lengths are an option if you prefer a more dated appearance, common with older homes. There are many manufacturers that offer this service at a much higher cost and products are mainly unfinished.

How Many Times Can The Floor Be Refinished?

Here's a topic rarely discussed during the sales presentation with engineered hardwoods. With the growing use of engineered hardwoods today it's important to know how many times they can be refinished if you plan on living in the same home for an extended period of time. In earlier days many could not be refinished.

Products have improved and many manufacturers have increased the "wear layer" thickness on their goods, particularly Chinese imports.  In other words they can be refinished more than once. A close side view check of the product you may be looking at will provide a visual of how much veneer is on the surface.

Better quality engineered hardwoods will have a veneer thickness 1/8 of an inch and greater, with some up to 3/16 of one inch. How many times they can

But We Don't Want To Pay That Much

For the most part, lower priced and some no name brand hardwood floors will have visible flaws. This could include  chipped edges, splintering, visible milling flaws, out of square boards, and finish irregularities. In the case of engineered hardwoods, reasons for low cost are often the thinness of the surface wear layer. In some cheaper priced products a wide variety of color with small knots and mineral streaking will prevail. If you're seeking price over quality, tavern or cabin grade hardwoods are available through many retailers but carry no warranties. Expect all of the characteristics mentioned with these.