Wood Types

Wood Types

Wood floors are an investment just like any other repairs or additions you do to your home. With the proper installation and maintenance hardwood floors can last the lifetime of your house. The beauty and versatility of wood ensure that it works with any décor, and they vast array of stains and finishes provide endless variations on the same surface.
There are many considerations you'll want to take explore when selecting the proper wood for your floor. The types, sizes, colors and variety of wood available can be overwhelming without some previous knowledge. You will also want to consider the wear warranties, thickness, type and number of finish coats, and construction. Below is a general overview of some important information that should be a factor in your decision making process.

Wood Floor Materials

Wood Floor Materials

Red Oak

Our most popular flooring wood: Light red tone which is its natural finish. Stains in any color. It has a highly figured grain and it's of a medium density.

Appearance: Light brown to dark reddish brown. Grain: High in character, with ingrown bark and mineral streaks. Used in end-grain flooring blocks. Durability: Dense and very strong.

White Oak

A very hard wood, darker in finish than red oak. It is similar in its working and finishing characteristics. It has a light to yellow color, a straight to highly figured grain, and a medium density.

Pine

Soft and easy to scratch, Pine is the best material for subfloors. It is especially beautiful with wide planks. It has a white to golden color, a vertical open grain, and a low to medium density.

Yellow Pine

Appearance: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white. Grain: Closed, with high figuring; patterns range from clear to knotty. Durability: Soft, fairly durable, not as resist to scuff, & dents as true hardwoods.

Heart Pine

Appearance: Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turns deep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown within weeks due to high resin content. Grain: Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn is swirled; rift or quatersawn is primarily pinstriped. Curly or burl grain is rare. Durability: Natural resistance to insects in heartwood; dense.

Douglas Fir

A vertical grain stains uniformly, however stains unevenly with a flat grain. It has a golden orange color, the flat grain is wavy and open and the vertical grain is very straight. The flat grain has a variable and uneven density texture, while the vertical grain is smooth and even.

Appearance: Yellowish tan to light brown heartwood. Sapwood is tan to white Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color change upon exposure to sunlight. Grain: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture. Durability: Durable but easily dented like soft pine.

Pecan / Hickory

The hardest wood flooring available, the species are interchangeable. Pecan has a honey brown to light pink color, a character marked, open grain, and a hard texture and high density.

Appearance: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with dark brown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish Grain: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured. Durability: Combination of strength, hardness, toughness and stiffness not found in other commercial wood.

Ash

Appearance: Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwood is creamy white. Similar to white oak but more yellow. Grain: Bold, straight, moderately open grain with occasional wavy figuring, and can have strong contract in grain in plainsawn boards. Durability: Elastic, hard, excellent shock resistance.

Beech

Appearance: Reddish brown heartwood, with pale white sapwood. Grain: Mostly closed, straight grain, uniform texture Durability: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Wears wells, stays smooth when subjected to friction - popular for factory floors.

Birch

Appearance: Sapwood is creamy yellow or pale white in yellow birch; heartwood is light reddish brown tinged with red. Sweet birch has light colored sapwood and heartwood is dark brown tinged with red. Grain: Medium figuring, straight, closed grain, even textured. Occasional curly grain or wavy figure in some board Durability: Hard and stiff; very strong.

Black Cherry

Appearance: Heartwood is dark to reddish brown, lustrous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pinkish tone. Grain: Fine, frequently wavy, uniform texture. True quatersawn has distinctive flake pattern. Texture is satiny, with some gum pockets. Durability: Strong, moderately hard. Usually considered too soft for an entire floor-mostly used for accents and borders.

Cypress

Appearance: Sapwood is cream colored; heartwood is honey-gold to brown with darker knots throughout. Grain: Closed Durability: Excellent.

Mesquite

Appearance: Light brown to dark reddish brown. Grain: High in character, with ingrown bark and mineral streaks. Used in end-grain flooring blocks. Durability: Dense and very strong.

Maple

A beautiful light colored durable wood. It has a light to near white color and a very fine grain and texture.

Redwood

This wood has a rich, deep color when it is sealed, but it splinters easily. It has a pink color, it is the same as the Douglas fir as to its grain, however, it has a love to medium density.

Walnut

Is great for borders and accent strips. It finishes uniformly and has a chocolate brown to light tan color. The grain can be straight to highly figured and is burly. It has a hard texture and a high density.

Teak

Is best when finished with an oil based polyurethane. It has natural moisture resistant oils and a light to dark brown/red color. The grain is generally straight and uniform, however it can have a wild grain. It has a smooth texture and a high density.

Types of Wood Floors

1. Solid: solid constructed wood flooring ranging from ¼'' to 25/32'' with some product of 1''. Is used in all custom hardwood flooring. Great for use from the ground level and above.
2. Engineered: Wood flooring constructed in various layers with the grain in alternating directions which provides more stability in regards to installation where solid wood is not possible. Comes in various ply's but most common is 3-5.
3. Acrylic Impregnated: A product in which the wood grain has been injected with and acrylic material. The end result is a very hard, durable surface which is well suited for high traffic areas in commercial settings. Comes in various patterns and colors which also make it great for home use.

Styles of Wood Floors

• PARQUET: A series of flooring pieces used to make a geometric design or pattern that repeats. Can be used with 5/16"(glue down only) to 3/4"(nail and glue down)
• PLANK: A linear flooring with more width which ranges from 3"-8". There are wider products, however, these are more effected by moisture.
• STRIP: This is also a linear flooring with widths of 1½", 2¼" or 3¼". Usually gives the illusion of a larger space.

• Clear: Free of defects but may have minor imperfections.
• Select: Has some natural characteristics like knots and/or color variations.
• Common: Has more natural characteristics than select and is usually chosen because of these. No. 1 common has a varied appearance: knots, dark and light colors, flags, wormholes. No. 2 common is more rustic in appearance and emphasizes nearly all the characteristics of this species.
• First: Has the best appearance. There is natural color variation and few character marks.
• Second: Variegated in appearance. Have varying wood characteristics of the species.
• Third: Rustic in appearance with all of the characteristics of the species.

Cuts of Wood Floors

• Plainsawn: The most common cut which contains more variations than the other two cuts.
• Quartersawn: Is more expensive than plainsawing. The wood twists and cups less with a more even wear.
• Riftsawn: Similar to quartersawing with only a different angle cut.

Handcrafted Medallions

Medallions are effectively used as focal points in hardwood, tile, marble or other types of floors. Available in many different shapes or sizes, they are very effective in an entry way, center of a room, or stair landing.

Multiple sizes, wood species and designs are in stock and the selection is sure to fit your lifestyle.

Florida Star	Amethyst Star	Compass
Pinewheel	Florentine	8 Point Star
Western Globe	16 Point Star	BraveHeart Shield
Love Knot	Galleria	Squire Star

Handcrafted Borders with Custom Patterns

Borders can be used to define a specific area or convert an otherwise commodity wood floor into an upscale, top-of-the-line specialty. They are available in the patterns below or a custom pattern of your own design. They can be handcrafted in the species combinations shown below or one of your own specifications. These 5/16" or 3/4" thick, preassembled modules glue-down to any level, clean, dry and sound sub-floor. They are job-site finished in the color and finish of your choice.

Gasparilla	Cambridge
Richmond	Grape Vine
Victorian Vine	Greek Key
Tempest	Danbury
Regent	Royal Baronet
Rose Vine	Tulip Leaves
Buckingham	Captiva
Rope

The choice of color depends mostly on the effect you want to obtain coupled with your own personal taste. Coloring has no effect on neither the quality of the wood nor its finish. However, it should be noted that wood will return to its original color if it is ever sanded again.