Solid Wood Floor is exactly what the name implies: A solid piece of wood from top to bottom. The thickness can vary, but generally ranges from ¾” to 5/16”. One of the many benefits of solid wood flooring is that it can be sanded and refinished many times.
These kinds of floors can be used in any room that is on or above grade, or on or above ground level, in your home. Solid wood floors are ideal in family/living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and even kitchens and powder rooms. About the only place you can’t use solid wood flooring is in the basement, but there’s a solution for that area too.
Solid hardwood flooring has been the staple of the industry for the last 150 years. It is hardwearing, resilient, it can be re-sanded several times, and it is a good choice for situations where there is no danger of high moisture levels or radiant heat systems (see our article on hardwood floors over radiant heating). It can be bought in many different species, many different sizes and comes in both unfinished and prefinished options.
Prefinished (also known as factory finished) solid hardwood flooring almost always has a micro beveled or V-groove between each plank. With factory finished wood floor, the finish is applied in the factory, long before the wood reaches your home. A major benefit to factory finished wood floor is that there is minimal dust and noise during the installation process, and there are many options available in terms of species and color.
Unfinished solid wood flooring, on the other hand, is design to be sanded and finished in place and can be stained virtually any color imaginable, allowing you a higher level of customization than prefinished solid hardwood flooring.
A job-site finish is one that is applied on the job site, in your home. With a job-site finished floor, you can choose the type of finish to be applied to your floor, which will impact maintenance, as well as the stain, if any, and sheen of the final product.
In other words, a job-site finished wood floor offers you unlimited possibilities for customizing the final appearance of your floor. However, because your floors will be sanded and finished in your home, there will be noise, dust and some disruption during the installation process, and you will need to allow time for the finish to dry before you can walk on your new floor. In the past few years, many dust containment systems have been developed to help control dust and debris, so ask your contractor if one can be used in your home. We have more information on prefinished versus unfinished hardwood floors, and which option is best for you.
The most common domestic solid hardwood flooring are Red Oak and White Oak, Maple Cherry and Walnut. In exotic hardwood flooring the most common is Brazilian Cherry. Stained solid wood bamboo flooring is also a popular choice.
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