Terms you might hear when shopping for Hardwood flooring

Sometimes shopping for flooring can get a little confusing when the salesperson starts throwing some industry jargon at you in the middle of the sales pitch, so I thought a little education on some of the more often used terms might of some help.

This list is not comprehensive, but should cover most of what you hear when shopping:

· ENGINEERED HARDWOOD - This type of hardwood (as opposed to solid hardwood) is constructed much like plywood, except with a top layer of wood that is sanded and finished. The top layer of wood can be of any species that solid hardwood can, such as Oak, Walnut, Hickory, Brazilian Cherry, etc. This type of hardwood flooring is the most reliable and stable.

· URETHANE FINISH - Is the protective clear finish that is applied to the top of the hardwood to keep it looking good.

· ALUMINUM OXIDE - An amazingly hard substance that is added to the Urethane finish to greatly increase the amount of wear and tear the finish layer can handle.

· PLANK EDGES- Referring to the edges of each individual hardwood plank (or strip). You will hear terms such as Beveled-Edges, which are a large bevel that is cut into the top edge of the plank. This gives a pretty disitinctive V-groove. There is also one called an Eased-Edge. This one is a bit shallower and thus gives a little less of the V-groove. Yet again smaller is a Micro-beveled Edge and very close to that is a Kissed-Edge which is perhaps the smallest.

· JANKA RATING - Is an indicator of the relative hardness of a particular species of hardwood as compared to another. The higher the number, the harder the wood. For example, Red Oak has a Janka rating of 1290, whereas Santos Mahogany has a rating of 2200.

· HARDWOOD GRADE - Hardwood comes in different grades, mistakenly referred to as a rating for quality. In general, grades for Oar are: Clear, Select, No.1 Common and No.2 Common. Basically referring to the amount of knotts and mineral streaks that are in the wood. Clear having none and No.2 Common having the most. It may be true however that the lower grades may have a few more "culls" than the top grades. The quality of the wood should be just as good. The biggest difference is in the appearance. The Clear grade looking more formal and the No.2 Common looking more rustic.

· ABOVE GRADE and BELOW GRADE - Above grade flooring means above ground level, leaving at least 18 inches of well-ventilated space. Below grade flooring is below ground level, such as a basement or level below ground. Most hardwood flooring is best suited for above grade applications due to the moisture issues common below grade. Solid hardwood should only be used above grade. Some engineered hardwoods can be used below grade.

· ACCLIMATION - Acclimating the wood is to move it to the area that it is to be installed so that it can come to the same temperature and moisture content as that area.