Bill's Floor Sanding

Types of Wood Flooring

Solid Hardwood

• Single piece of hardwood with tongue and grove sides
• Can be unfinished or prefinished
• Refinished multiple times as well as recoated
• Sensitive to moisture & temperature changes; May gap or cup as wood adapts to a condition
• Installation is limited depending upon moisture conditions

Engineered Hardwood

• Three or more thin sheets of wood laminated together using a cross-ply direction which adds stability
• Top layer (finish layer) can be a completely different wood species than the lower layers
• May or may not be recoated depending upon thickness of the top finished layer
• Typically pre-finished in the factory
• Not affected by changes in moisture or temperature
• Installation virtually anywhere; Staple, nail, glue, or click installation over subfloor or moisture barrier; Used as a floating floor over concrete pads or radiant floor heating systems

Longstrip Hardwood

• Engineered planks with the top finish layer made up of several thinner wood strips (piles) glued together. The core of the plank is a softer wood or wood-like material to make the tongue & groove
• The top layer appears to look like it is two or three narrow planks wide and several planks long, in one pre-assembled section
• Generally can not be refinished; Factory finish only
• Insensitive to moisture changes
• Designed for click floating floor installation but may be glued or stapled

"Green", Environmentally-friendly

• Reclaimed Wood: Collected from old buildings and demolition sites. Although costly to refurbish, authentic and unique markings make superb design choices.
• Bamboo: Plant based; regenerates every seven years. Resistant to fire, insects and moisture. 27% harder than Red Oak, and 13% harder than Maple—excellent wear
• Cork: Made from the bark of the Cork tree by removing only the outside layer; which preserves the tree. Cork is a good thermal insulator and acoustical choice. It is anti-static, hypoallergenic and has great elasticity. It is resistant to environmental changes and is highly durable.

Non-Hardwood

• Laminate: An image of wood (photographed or otherwise created) laminated onto a particle or wood substitute backing
• Vinyl: A plastic formed to look like wood
• Veneer: A a very thin layer or wood with a cover made of a composite aerial such as fiber board

Wood Flooring Designs

• Inlays/Feature strips
• Borders/Accent strips
• Medallions/Focal points
• Stained
• Distressed/Hand "hewn"
• Bleached/Pickled
• Straight Pattern - As in random widths & lengths
• Diagonal Pattern - As in Bordeaux style
• Parquet Pattern - As in boxed, geometric, non- linear
• Herringbone - As in Chevron style