Engineered flooring is Engineered wood where only the first layer is solid wood and the rest is a criss cross plywood. It is used for all grades above and below, concrete slab or ply-wood. This makes a perfect floor because its very stable. The criss cross layers below the solid piece of wood acts as a stable foundation, making it very stable against moisture and elevated levels of humidity. It acts as a 3:1 moisture barrier between your concrete and hardwood. Most engineered flooring have pretty good thick tops you can sand just as much as a solid. You can't sand past the tongue anyway whether it be a solid or engineered. Plus most if not all engineered hardwood finishes are heat treated at the factory, making the finish 4 times stronger that traditional poly-urethane. That's the reason why most engineered flooring come with a 20 - 30 year wear warranty. The heat treated process cannot be duplicated on site.
A solid wood pre-finished or un-finished wood is when a piece of wood is solid from top to bottom. This plank gets nailed down on a wooden sub-floor. It cannot be installed in a concrete surface house. No matter what anyone says, a solid is only designed to be nailed on a peer and beam housing. An expansion gap is important because solid wood expands and contracts easily. Solid wood floors are meant to get nailed down on top of peer and beam homes. Companies install 3/4" inch plywood on top of concrete flooring all the time and nail down the solid hardwood on top of the plywood. This would act as a base so that a solid can be nailed down onto the plywood. Although this method is practiced on top of a concrete flooring, this method is not recommended by us in anyway. Solid wood floors are meant to be nailed on top of pear and beam foundations where the building is constantly breathing and is not dependant upon an A / C unit to keep it ventilated. Any house that has a concrete floor, will always depend on the A / C unit to keep the artificial environment consistent. Once this changes for any reason like in example:
Any house with windows closed and no A/C running or a poor A / C unit is just like a green house! This means the humidity levels will rise, and the nature of wood is to do what? Its to absorb water.
The risks involved are too high. Its just not worth it. Why spend thousands of dollars on a project and have to replace it later because you did not install engineered flooring on your concrete slab.
Here are some helpful facts and myths about engineered hardwood flooring.
Reclaimed hardwood is the term used when a wood floor is reclaimed or salvaged as it was probably from an old barn from the American Revolution. It was probably salvaged from a deconstruction, used railroad ties, siding from an old house, old beams from Chicago or an old factory.
Reclaimed flooring in Austin Texas is the term used when a wood floor is reclaimed or salvaged as it was probably from an old barn from the American Revolution. Similar to rustic flooring or handscraped flooring reclaimed flooring may have some history behind it. It can be wood that has been salvaged from a deconstruction, used railroad ties, siding from an old house, old beams from Chicago or an old factory, or sometimes it can be from sunken logs. Sunken logs or "recovered wood" is another term used differently than "reclaimed wood". The reason is that sunken wood never made it to a processing factory, so its was never used. Another term used is "virgin wood". This type of wood has no nail holes or any kind of history to go with it. Some people might prefer this over the reclaimed flooring and vise versa. It also can come from forest salvaged projects. This can be standing dead tress caused from storms or removed from forest due to urban expansion. These trees are then salvaged in turned into reclaimed flooring.
Reclaimed wood floors use to have some kind of use in the past. Buildings build in the United States in the last 2 centuries used wood as the main structural source. These buildings are now being demolished and wood that comes out of them is being turned into recycled or reclaimed hardwood. Taking advantage of the buildings resources and reusing them again for a different life is a fantastic way to recycle hardwood.
Sometimes people might go locally and reclaim an old barn or an old factory beam. Other people might travel across the globe in search of the perfect floor. Of coarse different regions on the earth will yield different species. For example places in the Pacific Northwest might be yield locally Douglas Fir. While Chestnut, elm or oak might be found more in the Midwest region. Other regions across the globe like in Asia might yield Teak since old buildings there are made of this type of wood.
Reclaimed hardwood is also used in things like furniture, and counter tops.
The handscraped hardwood has the worn look feature with scraped edges and imperfections. This type of plank will hide scratches and dents more than a smooth surface finish. This type of wood resembles the way 100 year old floor will look after it has been walked on for nearly a century.
Rustic hardwoods or the distressed floor used when referring to the worn look of wood floors. Mistaken for the handscraped floor, rustic flooring gives a floor character. Manufactures also consider rustic wood flooring the last of the grade. It does not mean that there is anything wrong with the floor, it just means that the style is different. Million dollar homes install this type of flooring all the time.
This type of plank is smooth to the touch and eye. It usually has no imperfection of the top layer surface. The top has been sanded in the factory or in place then finished out making the floor shine due to its smooth surface. Usually this type of flooring may require extra care to protect it from scratching.
When in doubt you can always look up the hardness of a wood floor in the hardness chart below. The janka chart is measured by a metal ball test dropped on wood. Hardwood Flooring FAQ's
The stair nose is the molding that goes in front of the wood over laping the facing or riser of a step. This piece makes up the edge of a step.
A t-molding is the piece of molding that goes in between the wood floor and tile or carpet and other suitable similar flooring such as other wood flooring
A t-molding is the piece of molding that goes in between the wood floor and tile or carpet and other suitable similar flooring such as other wood flooring
When in doubt, you can always count on our frequently asked questions and answers list. If your question is not listed or is not answered to your satisfaction, feel free to contact us.
We carry Cherry from Brazil in Fort Worth Tx. Brazilian Cherry flooring also known as Jatoba or Courbaril. Its botanical name is known as Hymenaea courbaril. Unlike Brazilian Teak, the canopy tree can reach a height of 150 feet with a cylindrical trunk of up to 6 feet in diameter. The gray smooth bark exudes a gum substance so it is often used in medicinal purposes. Brazilian cherry also grows in Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Caribbean and in Mexico. The Brazilian Cherry floor is considered to be an exotic floor here in the United States.
It has a brownish type of reddish color, to a pinkish to brown pink shadows. It may contain black striping and yellowish hues. It is a heavy wood with regular to irregular interlocking grain with a golden sort of glowing luster beneath its grain. At first Brazilian Cherry flooring will come in a lighter tan color but over time it darkens to its original color to the deeper reddish brown. Exposure to sunlight causes it to darken up.
Unlike American Walnut floor, the Brazilian Walnut, also known as Ipe or Canella imbuia, Embuia, Embuya Brazilian Walnut flooring is the hardest and densest hardwoods in the Brazilian hardwood family. Like the Brazilian cherry wood, this wood is grown in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Guatemala. But it mostly grows in the moist forests of Parana and Santa Catharine southern Brazil. Its found in altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 ft. The Brazilian Walnut tree grows at a maximum of 130 ft to 165 ft in height and 6 ft in diameter. This makes it one of the tallest trees of its kind.
The woods color can be from an olive to chocolate brown, to gray and black reds. It usually has striping and it is fine textured with fine ripple marks. It can also come in light yellowish tans or rich mahogany blends, it just depends where it was grown. Over all it is a dark floor, mainly used for dark hardwood flooring applications. Over time it will darken to a brown black color, originally it will display a large variation in color. It has wavy grain with a high luster. It is one of the hardest with a janka scale rating of 3680. It is resistant to wood insects and fungi. A fantastic residential or commercial floor.
Its used in a wide assortment of furniture, cabinet work, decorative veneer, joinery, garden furniture, hydraulic works, tool handles, bridge decking, commercial and residential flooring. Brazilian Walnut is very dense so it will cause a dulling effect with any sawing tools. Always use a carbide tip blade when cutting Brazilian Walnut. The flooring can have allot of benefits on a residential or commercial floor. First it is one of the hardest, so scratching will not be easy. Second the wear ability due to its dense fibers can make the floor last for centuries. Its a perfect floor for a high traffic area. It is a dark floor, so it will blend in nicely with white accent furniture or trim. This floor can also make your ceilings look taller, due to its dark properties. Fort Worth Flooring Store can help with any Brazilian or American Walnut flooring.
The American Walnut flooring also known as Black Walnut, Burbank Walnut, Eastern Black Walnut, Gunwood, Virginia Walnut and North American Walnut. The Black walnut flooring is a very beautiful floor due to its lustrous properties and its dark brown chocolate blends, along with its vanilla swirls. It grows in North America south of Ontario, Canada and in the central regions of the United States like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska and South Dakota. It can also be found in New York, Jersey, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
The walnut flooring has a sort of ironic white sapwood on the outside of the tree but and the inside a chocolate brown, purple twist to it. American Black Walnut consists of variation, even though in the manufacturing process the wood floors get steamed to lessen the contrast between the sapwood and heartwood. It has a straight grain with burly patterns giving it its unique character and its texture. The janka rating of the walnut floor is 1010 so its one of the softer woods, but yet one of the most beautiful hardwoods. It is still one of the most stable wood floors.
Application of the wood are many. The Walnut flooring is perfect for radiant heating systems. Walnut flooring is very stable. This makes the floor safer than others to install in a high humid area. Although if installing a solid floor on a concrete, never hesitate to install a moisture barrier for extra protection. The wood is also used for baseboards, railings, furniture, decorative accents, picture frames and beautiful residential flooring. Because of the natural beauty, the wood requires no stain. Only in the natural form of the wood can you see the actual elegance. The walnut flooring will also develop a lustrous patina after years of use. Fort Worth Flooring Store can help with any type of walnut floors you may need.
Also known as Camaru is one of the hardest wood of its kind. Brazilian Teak flooring is very durable and hard. Its botanical name is dipteryx odorata or tonka bean. Brazilian Teak grows in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Costa Rica.It can reach up to 120 feet tall with a width of 5 feet. It is also know for Brazilian Chestnut, let it not be confused with the American Walnut. The Brazilian Teak or Camaru fruit is known its fragrance and is being used in the cosmetic industry and medical field today.
Its color ranges from medium brown reddish, yellow reddish, to tan brown reddish with golden streaks and black striping. It may also contain some purple brown but over the years of exposure to light it becomes a uniform yellow-brown. It has a very fine texture with interlocking grain. It has a janka rating of 3540 so it is considered one of the hardest of the Brazilian wood floors. BR111 offers one of the finest Teak from Brazil.
It has allot of other uses, besides shampoos and perfumes. It can also be found on bridges, ships, and heavy construction. It can also be found on outdoor furniture and decks. . Of coarse it is one of the most luxurious wood flooring. Some oak flooring can be stained to look like teak, but it will lack its grain characteristic. This unique grain give it the look of an intertwining dense grain you cant get from oak flooring. It performs well in residential and commercial applications. It is 175% harder than red oak and 12% more stable than red oak, the Brazilian Teak flooring is one of the most durable and resists dents and scratches and Fort Worth Flooring Store can help with any questions you may have with Brazilian Teak.
Fort Worth Flooring Store can help with any oak hardwood flooring. Unlike the American Walnut, the Red or White oak is one of the most popular wide spread wood floor in the U.S. Member or the Beech family its scientific name is Quercus rubra or Lithocarpus. Oak hardwood flooring can exist a wide variation of the name in American red oak like black oak, buck oak, canadian red oak, eastern red oak, leopard oak, maine red oak, mountain med oak, northern red oak, swamp red oak, water oak and maine red oak. Not to be confused with the American White Oak also known as Basket Oak, Chestnut Oak, Mountain Oak, Rock Oak, Tanbark Oak and Swamp Oak. It is one of the fastest growing of the oak family. It can grow up to 80 ft tall and has a diameter of 2 to 3 ft. It grows in Canada, Northeastern United States, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. It is the most common used hardwood in the United States primarily because of its abundance.
The red oak flooring has a janka rating of 1290 and can resist wear, and is less durable than white oak. Its color is mostly a reddish yellow brown. It can have black mineral streaks. This of coarse all depends on the grade of the floor.
The following four grades are the standard for the NOFMA Wood Flooring Manufactures Association. Clear Grade, Select Grade, No 1 Common Oak, No 2. Common Oak Clear grade, this grade is mainly heartwood or the center of the tree. It will have a minimum number of marks, streaks or imperfections. The clear appearance give it the clear look. It may have a thin brown mineral streak 3 inches long for every 6 inches or 3/8" sapwood through the entire length of plank. Small burls and fine worm pin holes.
The Select oak grade may have different variation of natural sapwood and heartwood. Unlimited sapwood, with slight imperfections. A small tight knot every 3 feet of plank is also permitted with a little burls and small machine burns across the plank no bigger than 1/4" is also admitted.
The maple hardwood is a creamy white, yellow tint with black streaks on it. The wood is normally straight-grained with birds-eye figures and swirls, lines with mixes and hues of white and yellow with dark whirly figures. There are approximately 125 maple species most of native to Asia. In the North American it grows in the Eastern U.S. next to all Lake states. It can reach a height of 145 feet. The red maple leaf is the feature of the flag of Canada. The Maple tree is planted as ornamental trees by businesses, and homeowners.
Cork flooring comes in a different array of colors. Our Fort Worth flooring store can get you the right environmentally friendly cork flooring are a good floor for an insulated type of application. Cork flooring can have a profound reduction against noise and the temperature of any house. It feels good to walk on and it is good on the knees since the cork flooring can absorb shock. It is easy to maintain, quiet to the touch and walk, it absorbs sound, a good acoustical material, environmentally friendly and anti-allergenic. It is also durable and can handle all kinds of traffic including pets, high heels, and children. It is light weight and has good elasticity. It will bounce back to its original form after it has been dented most of the time .Cork flooring will not rot and has low conductivity. Cork is becoming more fashionable through out the industry like here in Fort Worth. Cork floors can blend in well with other decorations and furniture because it comes in a wide range of colors . For example you can find cork in Fort Worth area public buildings including schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants and offices.
Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree. The botanical name is Quercus suber. Its bark is stripped off without killing or damaging the tree. This is what makes the cork so unique its that the tree does not have to be cut down. It is a renewable resource. It takes nine years to be harvested again. The tree has to beat least 20 years before this can occur. The tree can be harvested over and over until it reaches 200 years. The cork trees grow in Spain, Portugal, France, North Africa, and Italy. More than 50% of the worlds cork rawmaterial comes from Portugal. One interesting fact about the cork is that although forest fires have destroyed trees in the Mediterranean region, the cork's bark has a special chemical properties that are fire resistant.
Cork is harvested by using a machete to slice the bark into sections. Using a metal wedge it gets peeled. Harvesters have to be careful not to damage the thin skin-like membrane between bark and tree. If this membrane gets damaged, this could kill the tree. This tree is then recorded as to regulate that it does not get striped again for the next 9 years. This process makes cork a renewable raw material.
The Hickory tree known for its large nuts is native to North America. Not to be confused with other species for China and Indochina. The Hickory wood has a janka rating of 1820. The Pecan wood is the same as the Hickory. the Hickory hardwood is hard, stiff and very dense. The use of this wood can be found in alot of items used by the population. Such items are things like tool handles, bows, carts, drumsticks, golf club shafts, bottom of skis and walking sticks. The Hickory wood is known for smoking meats and is highly prized for wood-burning stoves. The Hickory flooring is widely used in kitchens, dinning rooms and commercial buildings for its resistance and characteristics. Hickory flooring has a yellow and cream color. It also contains black swirls and knots.
Khaya, also known as African Mahogany. Its heartwood light pink or brown but darkens upon exposure to red or brown and is an excellent choice for furniture and cabinetwork, boat-building, joinery, veneer and plywood, paneling, and shop fixtures. Khaya's heartwood is light pink or brown but darkens upon exposure to a rich red or brown. Khaya is durable with good nailing and gluing properties. It dries rapidly with little degrade and is easy to slice and peel. Janka of 830 psi
Waterfall is a natural, if not novel, name for the kind of figure found in these sets of Bubinga. Similar to a very soft, broad and undefined quilt pattern, waterfall is aptly named. The liquidy, three dimensional texture of the wood seems full of fluid motion. The wood comes form West Africa and it is very durable. It is a very heavy wood and colors range form purplish brown to a reddish brown. It makes a beautiful wood floor and has a janka rating of 1980 psi. It has a very dense interlocking grain.