Solid Hardwood Floors - are a solid piece of hardwood cut into wood planks that are generally ¾” thick. Solid wood planks are one complete piece of solid wood from top to bottom. They are available in strips, planks and parquet squares. Wood strips are anywhere from 1 ½” to about 2 ¼” wide. Planks are wider than 2¼”. Generally, a solid hardwood floor is a ¾” thick plank that is in narrow 2 ¼” strips. However, they can be manufactured in a variety of widths and thicknesses. Solid wood products react to the presence of moisture. A proper installation is required to minimize the affects of moisture conditions. Solid strip or plank floors are installed with the nail down procedure on a secure wooden sub-floor in above ground level areas. Solid flooring gives you a great opportunity for customization. Your choice of species, stains, and finishes all contribute to the personalization of a solid floor. You can get your wood floor either unfinished or prefinished. Unfinished flooring offers unlimited color stain options. Prefinished wood flooring features a factory-applied finish.

Engineered Hardwood Floors - are several layers of wood stacked and glued together under heat and pressure to form a wood plank. They range in thickness from 5/16” to 9/16” and from 2 ¼” to 7” in width. Engineered planks are usually made from 3 to 7 layers (plies) stacked with grains running perpendicular to each other then laminated together to become one board. The top finish layer can be cut from a variety of domestic or exotic hardwood species and are generally factory prefinished with a polyurethane or an aluminum oxide finish. The cross-graining lamination process results in a flooring product that is dimensionally stable and not greatly affected by moisture, compared to solid wood floors. These floors do not expand and contract like solid wood products. Engineered wood is more dimensionally stable than solid hardwood because the layers keep the movement in balance. Because it is less inclined to swell and shrink, engineered wood can be installed in areas where solid wood cannot, such as over concrete or in high-moisture areas. It can easily be used in kitchens, powder rooms and utility rooms. Engineered floors can be installed on any grade level of the home; below grade, on grade or above grade. Installation options are nail down, staple down, glue down, or floating.

Longstrip Hardwood Floors - are really an engineered construction but with a long and wider plank. This allows the top layer to splice 2-3 rows of thin hardwood strips into one plank. Longstrip planks can be glued-down, stapled or floated over a wide variety of sub-floors and used almost anywhere in the home, including dry basements.

Exotic Hardwood Floors - are used to describe hardwood species from around the World. These hardwoods are not found in North America and come from Australia, Africa, Brazil and the Far East. Exotic hardwoods offer unique wood graining and colorations. Most exotic floors are available in engineered wood construction but some are in solid hardwood planks as well. Bamboo, Amendoim and Jatoba are examples of exotic hardwood.

Parquet Floors – come in many unique patterns, but are generally thought of as custom-crafted wood tiles or 12" x 12" squares that fit together to create a specific pattern. Parquets are a glue down installation, either on grade or above grade.