Aluminum Oxide

A protective finish coating put on the hardwood flooring to provide durability and scratch resistance. Aluminum oxide is the strongest and most resilient finish available for wood floors.

Click Lock Flooring

An engineered flooring product composed of a wood backing, a recycled high density wood fiber core, and a top layer with a locking mechanism designed into each plank which allows the flooring planks to snap and lock into one another without the use of an adhesive. These wood floors are designed for floating installations.

Cross Laminated

The process by which the grain of the alternating plies of the wood planks are glued and pressed at 90 degrees to each other. The result is the most dimensionally stable hardwood flooring product on the market.

Engineered

Engineered flooring is composed of multiple layers or plies of real wood which are glued and pressed to one another with a pre-finished top layer which is available in a wide variety of different species. This design provides superior stability to a solid wood floor and makes the engineered product far less susceptible to issues of shrinking and expanding with changes in temperature and humidity.

Floating (Float, Floated)

Floating is the method of installation in which the hardwood flooring planks are installed over an acoustical underlayment with a moisture barrier. No adhesive is necessary when performing a floating installation using click lock engineered flooring. If using a tongue and groove product, it is required that the seams of the planks be glued together to keep them attached to one another.

Glue Down

The installation method in which glue is troweled out onto the subfloor and the hardwood flooring planks are set on top. The glue down method provides a permanent attachment and solid feel to the wood floor.

Hand Scraped and Distressed

The process in which a series of grooves are carved throughout each plank to provide texture to the flooring. Random chiseling is added to give the flooring a rustic, antiqued look.

Impact Chisel

A style of distressing in which the planks have random chiseling divots punched out to give the hardwood flooring a naturally worn appearance.

Nail Down

The installation method in which the planks are nailed to a wood subfloor using either a manual or pneumatic nailer. The nails are driven through the tongue of the plank at a 45 degree angle into the subfloor.

Pre-finished

Pre-finished floors have their stain and protective coating applied at the factory resulting in a stronger finish than that of a site-finished floor. Pre-finished floors are ready to install and require no additional staining or sealing, sparing you from the mess of dust from sanding and the fumes from chemicals.

Ply (Plies)

The layer (ply) or layers (plies) of wood that are glued and pressed together in forming the engineered hardwood flooring product.

Quarter Round

Quarter round is used to cover the expansion gap left between the hardwood floor and the wall. It is also used to cover the gap at he base of stair cases and toe kicks under cabinets.

Random Length

Random length flooring is flooring that come in boxes or cartons made up of varying plank lengths.  This gives the floor a natural look and prevents patterns during installation while efficiently maximizing all of the lumber used in milling.

Reducer

Reducers are used to transition from the hardwood flooring to a floor of lower height such as , finished concrete, vinyl, or low-pile carpet.

Sand and Refinish

The process of sanding the finish coating off of the existing floor and applying another coat of stain and another clear coat finish. If a natural look is desired then the clear coat finish is all that would be necessary.

SPC (Stone Polymer Composite) Flooring

SPC Flooring is an upgrade and improvement of regular luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), produced from natural limestone powder. SPC has 20 (yes, TWENTY) times as much impact resistant than base laminates and 10x impact resistance of WPC (wood composite core) flooring.  Stone Polymer Composite flooring a.k.a. SPC Floors are also fire resistant, and completely waterproof.

Stair Nose

Stair nose is used on the front edge of steps to transition from one floor level to the next to give the stairs a professional, finished look. Stair nose is placed on the front part of the step with the bullnose hanging over the front edge of the step.

Subfloor

The base of a structure on which the hardwood flooring will be installed. Subfloors are most commonly wood or concrete.

T-Molding

T-Molding is used to transition from a hardwood floor to another floor that is approximately the same thickness, such as tile. It can also be used as a transition in doorways connecting one room to another.

Threshold Reducer

Threshold Reducers are most commonly used to transition from hardwood floors to high-pile carpet or tile with a thickness that is less than that of the wood. Threshold s can also be used to cover expansion gaps where quarter round can't be used such as sliding glass doors, around fireplaces, and entry doors.

Tongue and Groove

Tongue and Groove hardwood flooring is milled with a tongue running down the length and width on one side of each plank with a groove running down the opposite length and width. When installed, the tongue slides snugly into the groove of the adjoining plank providing a tight fit with no gapping between the planks.

Top Layer (Wear Layer, Veneer Layer)

The pre-finished surface of the engineered hardwood flooring plank that is seen and walked on when the flooring is installed. The top layer is available in a wide variety of wood species as well as stain options.

Underlayment

A layer of acoustical foam, granulated rubber, or cork that is placed between the subfloor and the flooring product in order to provide sound absorbtion. Plastic sheeting is commonly attached to the bottom side of the underlayment to provide a moisture barrier between the hardwood flooring and the subfloor.