Styles and Types of Hardwood Flooring Products

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Styles of Hardwood Floors

• Parquet-Parquet flooring is a series of wood flooring pieces that create a geometric design from 5/16"(glue down) up to 3/4" (nail & glue down)

• Plank-Plank hardwood flooring is  linear, and is wider in width. Common widths of plank flooring are 3", 4", 5", and 6", and wider products are not uncommon although the wider the more concerns for effects by moisture.
  
  

• Strip-Strip flooring is also linear flooring that is usually 1 1/2", 2 1/4",  or 3 1/4" wide. Creating a linear effect, strip hardwood floor in a room often gives the illusion of a larger and more open space.

Types of Hardwood Floors

• Acrylic Impregnated- a process where acrylics is injected into the wood itself, creating a super-hard, extremely durable floor. Often used in commercial installations, like common public areas, shopping malls, and restaurants. They also work well in high traffic areas of the household, such as kitchens and adjoining family rooms. (see maintaining an acrylic impregnated floor)

• Engineered-Construct consisting of layers of wood pressed together and glued. The grains run in different directions for added stability (unlike solids). This product is available several ply thickness with 3 and 5 ply being the norm. Engineered hardwood flooring can be used in those areas of the house where solid wood flooring installation is not suitable. The most common areas are basements, and areas with moisture concerns like kitchens, powder rooms, and utility rooms. 

  Engineered ( t&g)	Solid ( t&g)

• Solid-All hardwood flooring that is one piece of wood from top to bottom regardless of width or length, is considered to be solid hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood flooring gives you ability to have a custom, one-of-kind hardwood floor in any room of our home or office. You many choose from many species, whether domestic or imported exotics, colors of stains and finish types. Adding accents, borders, medallions or even a painted hardwood floor can make your floor truly a work of art. The product is a good choice for any room in your home from the ground level and up. Solid hardwood floor products normally can be professionally refinished 4-5 times. See Types of finishes

Prefinished vs Unfinished    Learn More > FAQ's: Prefinished vs Unfinished

• Unfinished-This product whether solid or engineered must be job site finished. This can be a very dusty experience unless a dust containment systems is used. Job site sanding and finishing can take several days to over a week according to square footage, stains, and number of coats of top finish. This process needs to be done after ALL other trades have completed their work, allowing enough time to complete the job such that finishes can cure properly. Maintaining these finish are very important in providing a long life for your hardwood floor products. The cost of this process  vary around the country, but on the average can range from $2-$4 per sqr. ft., which includes a three course sanding and three coats of finish, with additional cost for prep (furniture and carpet removal), moldings and more expensive finishes. See Installation methods.

• Prefinished-These products are produced in acrylic impregnated, engineered and solids. They are becoming the main stream of the "new" hardwood floor products. These new tough factory finishes are one of the main reason for making this type of hardwood floor product so popular with home owners, builders and diy'ers alike. The other reason is the ease of installation and the elimination of dusty sanding procedures. These products can cost from $2-$7 per sqr. ft. not including installation cost, prep, moldings and added accents, borders, and custom work. 
  See Installation methods. 

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