Flooring

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345 Washington St. Pembroke MA

781 829-6952

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	Manufacturers, Finish, Style, and Species

In other words, CHOICES.

Here’s where you can start to get serious. First, review our manufacturers, check out their sites if you like, and begin to get an idea of the style and features that are important to you. Then, for clarification study the information we provide, here or on other sites, on the differences between styles, finishes, wood grade and the like. We even provide information on the wood species that are available, and offer a rather lengthy section on flooring terminology. And don’t forget, where you see the Doctor, check out what he has to say!

Manufacturers like Bruce, Tarkett, Mercier and many more.

Finish refers to stains and other important final touches.

Style can be many things, including size, cut, and installation method.

Species often refers to both the specific wood -oak, cherry, mahogany, and its grade

if you’re confused, let us help you get started. If you’re shopping, take your time.

General definitions: Basic wood floor terminology


	Manufacturer Lines


	We can offer you selections from most of the best manufacturers of raw lumber, laminates, or pre-finished flooring. Some names you will have heard of, others you may not - but all provide high quality flooring for almost every environment. Again, it can be confusing, so give us a call or drop by the showroom if the details begin to wear you down.


	Here’s links to the manufacturers’ web sites if you would like to examine their offerings in detail. Just use your back-button to come back to us when you’re through exploring. Please.


	Finishes

Lasting beauty requires minimal care with today's wood floor finishes. The right finish protects wood flooring from wear, dirt and moisture while giving the wood an attractive color and sheen. Today most wood floors are finished with a stain and a top coat. Technology has provided a wide selection of wood flooring finishes, each with its own distinct benefits and appearances.

Surface Finishes are blends of synthetic resins. These finishes most often referred to as urethanes or polyurethanes remain on the surface of the wood and form a durable, water-resistant, low maintenance coating. They are generally available in high-gloss, semi-gloss, satin and matte.

There are four basic types of surface finish:

Oil-modified urethane is easy to apply. It is a solvent-base polyurethane that dries in about eight hours and ambers with age.
Moisture-cured urethane is solvent-base polyurethane that is more durable and more moisture resistant than other finishes. Moisture-cure urethane comes in non-yellowing and in ambering types. Best left to professionals, they are difficult to apply and have a strong odor.
Conversion varnish is clear, durable and non-yellowing. These finishes dry in about 8 hours and have an extremely strong odor and should be applied by the highly skilled wood flooring professional.
Water-based urethane dries by water evaporation. These finishes are clear and non-yellowing. They have a milder odor and dry in about two to three hours.

Penetrating Stain and Wax - This finish soaks into the pores of the wood and hardens to form a protective penetrating seal. The wax gives a low-gloss satin sheen. It is generally maintained with additional thin applications of wax. Only solvent-based (never water-based) waxes, buffing pastes or cleaning liquids (specifically made for wax-finished, wood floors) should be used.


	Personal Style


	Style is easy, to begin with: it’s what you like. But I’d be wrong not to say that, sometimes, the style you like is not right for the way you live, or where you live.


	Solid oak floor or engineered? Both are guaranteed. Some are more appropriate for certain settings and environments.

Is your home airy and light with plenty of windows, or somewhat dark? Are the rooms large or small? Do you have small children. Do visitors enter through the front hall, or by the kitchen?

Remember, unless you cover up these beautiful wood floors, they’re yours for a lifetime!


	Species










			As Dr. Underfoot would say, “Please be careful! What you see on the Net isn’t exactly so..” If you are unfamiliar with how a particular species of wood looks when installed, visit our showroom.

There are many wood flooring species, domestic and imported, available to the consumer today. Perhaps more important to the final look of your floor is the grade. The appearance of the wood determines how it is "graded." All grades are equally strong and serviceable, yet afford the consumer different looks. Oak and ash have four basic grades.

"Clear" is free of defects though it may have minor imperfections.
"Select" is almost clear, but contains more natural characteristics such as knots and color variations.
"Common" grades (No. 1 and No. 2) have more markings than either clear or select and are often chosen because of these natural features and the character they bring to a room. No. 1 Common has a variegated appearance, light and dark colors, knots, flags and worm holes. No 2 Common is rustic in appearance and allow all wood characteristics of the species.

Hard maple, beech, birch and pecan have three grades:

"First" has the best appearance, natural color variations and limited character marks.
"Second" is variegated in appearance with varying sound wood characteristics of species.
"Third" is rustic in appearance allowing all wood characteristics of the species.


	Terminology

ACRYLIC/WOOD- The generic name for wood-plastic-composites utilizing wood impregnated with acrylic.

AIR-DRIED- Dried by exposure to air in a yard or shed without artificial heat.

ANNUAL GROWTH RING - The layer of wood growth, including spring and summerwood formed on a tree during a single growing season.

BASE SHOE - A molding designed to be attached to base molding to cover expansion space. Similar to quarter round in profile

BEVELED EDGE- (See Eased Edge)

BOARD- FOOT - A unit of measurement of lumber represented by a board 1 foot long, 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick or its cubic equivalent.

BOW- The distortion of lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the flat face, from a straight line from end to end of the piece.

BURL - A swirl or twist of the grain of the wood which usually occurs near a knot, but does not contain a knot.

CHECK - A lengthwise separation of the wood that usually extends across the rings of annual growth and commonly results from stress set up in wood during air drying or kiln-drying.

CHIPBOARD - A paperboard used for many purposes that may or may not have specifications for strength, color, or other characteristics.

COMPRESSION SET - Caused when wood strips or parquet slats absorb excess moisture and expand so much that the cells along the edges of adjoining pieces in the floor are crushed. This causes them to loose resiliency and creates cracks when the floor returns to its normal moisture content.

CROOK - The distortion of a board in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the edge, from a straight line from end to end of the piece.

CROSSPULL - A condition occurring at an end-joint with the ends of flooring strips pulled in opposite directions.

CROWNING - A "convex" or "crowned" condition or appearance of individual strips, with the center of the strip higher than the edges. (Opposite of cupping.)

CUPPING - A "concave" or "dished" appearance of individual strips, with the edges raised above the center. (Opposite of crowning.)

CURE - To change the properties of an adhesive by chemical reaction and thereby develop maximum strength. Generally accomplished by the action of heat or a catalyst, with or without pressure.

CUSTOM FLOORS - Wood floors that are made to order. Complete flexibility is allowed for design, species, grade, etc.

DELAMINATION - The separation of layers in a laminate, through failure within the adhesive, or at the bond between adhesive and laminate.

DECIDUOUS - (See Hardwoods)

DISTRESSED - A heavy artificial texture in which the floor has been scraped, scratched, or gouged to give it an antique look.

DRY WALL - Interior covering material, such as gypsum board, hardboard, or plywood, which is applied in large sheets or panels.

EASED EDGE - The chamfered, or beveled edge, of strip flooring, plank, block, and parquet at approximately 45 degree angle.Eased edge is considered to be less of a indentation than beveled edge flooring.

END - JOINT - The place where two pieces of flooring are joined together end to end.

END MATCHED - In strip and plank flooring the ends of individual pieces have a tongue milled on one end and a groove milled on the opposite end, so that when the individual strips or planks are butted together, the tongue of one piece engages the groove of the next piece.

EQUILIBRIUM MOISTURE CONTENT - The moisture content at which wood neither gains nor loses moisture when surrounded by air at a given relative humidity and temperature.

FEATURE STRIP - A molding accessory for parquet floors utilized to separate squares into patterns larger than the individual parquet units. It is available in widths from 5/16" to 2", the same thickness as the parquet, and is available in various lengths. The strip is flat and may have grooves on both sides to match the tongues of adjacent plank or parquet.

FIBERBOARD- A broad generic term inclusive of sheet materials of wisely varying densities manufactured of refined or partially refined wood (or other vegetable) fibers. Bonding agents and other materials may be added to increase strength, resistance to moisture, fire, or decay, or to improve some other property.

FIBER SATURATION POINT - The stage in drying or wetting wood at which the cell walls are saturated with water and the cell cavities are free from water. It is usually taken as approximately 30% moisture content, based on oven dry weight.

FIGURE - Inherent markings, designs, or configurations on the surface of the wood produced by the annual growth rings, rays, knots and deviations from regular grain.

FILLER - In woodworking, any substance used to fill the holes and irregularities in planed or sanded surfaces to decrease the porosity of the surface before applying finish coatings.

FIRE RESISTANCE - The property of a material or assembly, to withstand fire or give protection from it.

FIRE RETARDANT - A chemical or preparation of chemicals used to reduce flammability or to retard spread of a fire over the surface.

FLAG - A heavy dark mineral streak shaped like a banner.

FLAG WORM HOLE - One or more worm holes surrounded by a mineral streak.

FLECKS - The wide irregular conspicuous figure in Quartersawn oak flooring. (Also, See Rays, Wood)

HARDWOOD- Generally, one of the botanical groups of deciduous trees that have broad leaves in contrast to the conifers or softwoods. The term has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood.

HEARTWOOD - The wood extending from the pith of the sapwood, the cells of which no longer participate in the life processes of the tree. It is usually darker than sapwood.

HEAVY STREAKS - Spots and streaks of sufficient size and density to severely mar the appearance of the wood.

HONEY COMBING - Checks often not visible at the surface, that occur in the interior of a piece of wood, usually along the wood rays.

JOINTED FLOORING - Strip flooring, generally Birch, Beech & Hard Maple or Pecan, manufactured with Square Edges and no tongue or groove, usually endmatched. Used principally for factory floors where the square edges make replacement of strips easier.

JOIST - One of a series of parallel beams used to support floor or ceiling loads and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls.

KILN - A chamber having controlled air flow, temperature, and relative humidity, for drying lumber and other wood products.

KILN DRIED - Dried in a Kiln with the use of artificial heat.

·KNOT - That portion of a branch or limb which has been surrounded by subsequent growth of the stem.

LAMINATED WOOD - An assembly made by bonding layers of veneer or lumber with an adhesive. May also refer to edge-glued lumber items such as treads, etc.

MANUFACTURING DEFECTS - Includes all defects or blemishes that are produced in manufacturing, such as chipped grain, tom grain, skips in dressing, hit and miss (a series of surfaced areas with skips between them), variation in machining, machine burn, mismatching.

MEDULLARY RAYS - Strips of cells extending radially within a tree and varying in height from a few cells in some species to four or more inches in oak. The rays serve primarily to store food and transport it horizontally in the tree. On quartersawn oak, the rays form a conspicuous figure, sometimes referred to as Flecks.

MINERAL STREAK - Wood containing an accumulation of mineral matter introduced by sap flow, causing an unnatural color ranging from greenish brown to black.

MIXED MEDIA - A wood floor that is predominantly of wood but incorporates other materials such as slate, stone, ceramic, marble, metal and painted finishes(faux).

MOISTURE CONTENT - The amount of moisture in wood expressed as a percentage of the weight of the oven dry wood.

National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association hardwood flooring is manufactured at 6% to 9% moisture content, with a 5% allowance for pieces up to 12% moisture content.

American Parquet Association parquet flooring is to be 7% to 11% moisture content at time of shipment. 5% of the flooring may be outside of this range.

MOSAIC PARQUET - A parquet flooring made up of small solid pieces of wood (slats) assembled in units that may consist of individual squares, units with slats arranged in single or double herringbone design, or units or squares bordered with slats of the same or contrasting species.

NOSING - A hardwood molding used to cover the outside comer of a step, milled to meet the hardwood floor in the horizontal plane, to meet the riser in the vertical plane. (Usually used on landings.)

NOMINAL SIZE - As applied to timber or lumber, the size by which it is known and sold in the market; often differs from the actual size.

PARQUET - A patterned floor.

PARQUET FLOOR SQUARE - Basically a "tile" composed of individual slats held in place by a mechanical fastening(banding) or other means such as paper backing. A square may or may not possess tongues and grooves to interlock, and is not necessarily regular in dimension.

PARQUET FLOOR UNITS - A unit consists of four (sometimes three) or more squares or "tiles" fastened together.

PARTICLEBOARD - A generic term for a material manufactured from wood particles or other ligno- cellulosic material and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder.

PIN WORM HOLE - In hardwood flooring - a small round hole not over 1/16" in diameter, made by a small wood boring insect.

PLAINSAWED - The annual growth rings make an angle of less than 45 Degrees with the surface of the piece. This exposes the pores of the springwood and dense summerwood of the annual growth ring in ring porous woods to produce a pleasing grain pattern.

PLANER BITE - A groove cut in the surface of the piece deeper than intended by the planer knives.

PLANK- Solid boards, usually 3/4" thick and 3" to 8" wide designed to be installed in parallel rows. Edges may be beveled to simulate the appearance of Colonial American plank floors.

PLUGS - Dowels that simulate the Colonial American plugged, or pegged plank look. Sometimes used to cover counter-sunk screws when installing plank.

PREFINISHED - A completely finished flooring that requires installation only.

QUARTERSAWED - The annual growth rings form an angle of 45 Degrees - 90 Degrees with the surface of the piece. In Quartersawed strips the medullary rays or pith rays in ring porous woods are exposed as flecks which are reflective and produce a distinctive grain pattern.

RAISED GRAIN - A roughened or fuzzy condition on the face of the flooring in which the dense summerwood in raised above the softer springwood, but not torn or separated.

RAYS, WOOD - Strips of cells extending radially within a tree and varying in height from a few cells in some species to 4 inches or more in oak. The rays serve primarily to store food and transport it horizontally in the tree. On Quartersawn oak flooring, the rays form a conspicuous figure, sometimes referred to as Flecks.

REDUCER STRIP - A teardrop shaped molding accessory for hardwood flooring, normally used at doorways, but sometimes at fireplaces and as a room divider. It is grooved on one edge and tapered, or feathered, on the other edge. Various lengths are available.

RELATIVE HUMIDITY - Ratio of the amount of water vapor present in the air to that which the air would hold at saturation at the same temperature. It is usually considered on the basis of the weight of the vapor but, for accuracy, should be considered on the basis of vapor pressures.

RIFT SAWN - Lumber (primarily hardwoods) in which the annual rings make angles of 30 Degrees to 60 Degrees with the surface of the piece. (Also known as Bastard Sawn)

RING POROUS - A group of hardwoods in which the pores are comparatively large at the beginning of each annual growth ring and decrease in size, more or less abruptly, toward the outer portion of the annual growth ring. The large pores are springwood and the smaller pores are summerwood.

SAPWOOD - The wood near the outside of the tree. Usually lighter in color than heartwood.

SCREEDS - Usually a 2" X 4" laid flat side down and attached to a concrete subfloor to provide a nailing surface for tongued and grooved strip flooring or a wood subfloor.

SLEEPER - Another name for SCREEDS.

SHAKE - A separation along the grain, the greater part of which occurs between the annual growth rings.

SHEATHING - The structural covering, usually boards or plywood, placed over exterior studding or rafters of a structure.

SLATS - The small solid hardwood pieces that form Mosaic Parquet Squares.

SLIP-TONGUE - A spline or small strip of wood or metal used to reverse or change direction in installing standard tongue and groove strip flooring. Sometimes used in laying 3/4" solid tongue and groove parquet.

SOFTWOOD- General term used to describe lumber produced from needle and/or cone bearing trees (Conifers)

SPLIT - Separations of wood fiber running parallel to the grain.

SQUARES- Usually composed of an equal number of Slats.

SQUARE EDGE - A flooring that is NOT Tongue & Grooved. Square edged strip flooring is face nailed when installed. (Also See Jointed Flooring.)

SQUARE JOINT - Tongue & Grooved strip or plank flooring with edges that are not eased or beveled.

STAIN - A discoloration occurring in or on flooring of any color other than the natural color of the species. For instance, blue stain, brown stain.

STREAKS - (See Mineral Streaks)

STRIP FLOORING - Solid boards to be installed in parallel rows now produced in these thicknesses 1/2", 3/4", 33/32" and these widths 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/4", and occasionally 3 1/4". The strips are tongue and grooved and end matched. They are for nail down installation directly to wood or plywood subfloors; or over wood screeds on concrete slab construction.

STUD - One of a series of slender wood structural members used as supporting elements in walls and partitions.

TONGUE & GROOVE (T&G) - In strip, plank, and parquet flooring made from strip, and some mosaic parquet; a tongue is milled one edge and a groove on the opposite edge. As the flooring is installed the tongue of each strip, slat, or unit, is engaged with the groove of the adjacent strip or unit.

TRIM - The finish materials in a building, such as moldings, applied around openings (window trim, door trim) or at the floor and ceiling of rooms (baseboard, shoemold, cornice, and other moldings)

UNFINISHED - A product which must be sanded and have stain and/or a finish applied after installation.

UNITS - Four or more basic Mosaic Parquet Squares; or four or more slats in 3/4" parquet, usually made from T&G strip flooring combined into a parquet unit.

V-JOINT - A term used in plank flooring to indicate that edges are eased or beveled to simulate cracks in floors of early Colonial American homes.

VAPOR BARRIER - A material with a high resistance to vapor movement, such as foil, plastic film, or specially coated paper, that is used to control condensation or prevent migration of moisture.

WARPING - Any distortion of a piece of flooring from its true plane that may occur in seasoning.

WIRE BRUSHING - A method for imparting an artificial texture or distressed appearance to the surface of hardwood flooring.