Hardwood

Hardwood Flooring Options

 

At Michaels Flooring, we have a great selection of hardwood from which to choose.

Some of our suppliers include Beaulieu, Preverco, Shaw, Fuzion, Anderson Tuftex, Bruce, and we are the exclusive dealer for Divine Flooring. Whether you’re looking for solid, engineered or hand-scraped hardwoods, you only need to come to one place! We serve both commercial and residential customers throughout the Niagara Falls area.

Beautiful hardwood floors are a product of nature and broken down into grades:

Clear

Considered the highest grade available, clear flooring pieces have a super tight grain with no knots or other natural imperfections. The color is uniform, with no mineral streaks or off-color pieces.

Select

With small, tight knots allowed, select boards have limited character marks but no splits, checks, or other imperfections. Select-grade hardwood boards have minor color variations due to the different parts of the tree from which the boards are cut. Sapwood, which comes from the outer layers of the tree, most often produces lighter boards than the heartwood, which is the wood cut closest to the tree’s center.

Plain or Quarter Sawn

Within the clear and select hardwood flooring grades, the boards can be plain sawn or quarter sawn, which distinguishes how the boards are cut at the mill. Plain sawn is the most common cut and produces boards with a broader range of grain patterns. Quarter sawn boards, on the other hand, are specially cut to produce only vertical grain pieces that show a more uniform striped grain pattern.

• Common #1: These hardwood flooring pieces have a variegated appearance, tiny holes, and small knots. Within the bundle of boards, you can expect to find smaller pieces and many different grain patterns.
• Common #2: With a rustic appearance, the boards have open knot holes, checks, and splits.
• Cabin or Tavern Grade: Expect many natural imperfections, as well as saw marks, splintered edges, partial tongues, and skip marks from the planer. There is more waste than with the other grades, as unusable portions of the board must be cut out of the larger board.

When choosing between different hardwood flooring grades, it is important to compare the individual species of wood. For example, a common oak floor board has a more visible and diverse grain pattern than a common maple board, not because of the grade, but rather the species.

The best option is always to have us come out and provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation. The hardwood flooring experts at Michael’s Flooring can make suggestions on what material is best for you and your family needs! Visit us today.