Dramatic and tough

Tigerwood Flooring is extremely tough

Tigerwood flooring is a true hardwood and very dense. Although the Janka rating on any kind of hardwood can vary according to where the wood is harvested, Tigerwood has a rating that hovers around 2000, which is quite hard.

Installing Tigerwood flooring can present some challenges. The fact that it is so hard makes it kind of a bear to cut. Carbide tipped power tools are required for Tigerwood installation. Tigerwood is 170% stronger than red oak.

Origins of Tigerwood flooring

Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay are the leading producers of Tigerwood flooring, with smaller quantities coming from other Latin American nations. Sometimes the wood is referred to as Brazilian Tigerwood regardless of origin. Because the wood is imported, this exotic hardwood can fetch a fairly handsome price. But due to the unusual nature of the wood, it can impart a real feel of luxury to any room in which it is installed.

Other names for tigerwood are goncal alves, muiracatiara, astronium and cuta tigre as well as the aforementioned ‘zebrawood’. Because it is such a very hard wood, it is long-lasting and will be an enduring feature of your home.

Caring for Tigerwood Floors

Once the Tigerwood flooring is installed, caring for it isn’t much different from other types of hardwood floors. As with our care articles it is worth repeating that you should use mats at all outside entries, sweep before you mop, avoid harsh chemicals, vacuum with proper attachments and care and use as little water as possible when cleaning your floors.

Tigerwood flooring, like any hardwood floor will darken in tone with age and more so if it is exposed to a great deal of natural light. The contrast that Tigerwood is prized for can fade slightly as the contrast between the light and dark hues in the wood lessens. Therefore, as we have advised in our care articles about other types of flooring, care should be taken to draw the curtains when the sun is bearing down directly on your Tigerwood floor.

As far as exotic hardwood species go, dramatic Tigerwood is really an eye catcher. It has a base color of golden yellow to golden brown with highly contrasting streaks throughout. Deep black or chocolate brown stripes serve to create a truly unique. A wonderful living material, Tigerwood will mature with time and the colors will become mellower and a bit more subtle.

Maple wood flooring is one of the premium kinds of hardwood flooring available. Maple imparts a wonderful warmth to any room and is extremely durable. Like any quality wood flooring, this wood will increase not just the beauty, but also the value of your home. Maple wood flooring has a naturally light hue that blends into and complements all kinds of decorating styles and architectural designs. From a rustic cabin to an elegant and modern traditional style home, this is a flooring choice worth consideration.

Maple Wood Flooring is Green

Northern hard maple is an excellent choice if you are looking for a flooring material that is renewable. As a living tree, this wood is managed and maintained to continue to provide consumers with the material. Maple wood flooring is recyclable in that the boards can be re-used. And, of course, as with all wood flooring products, maple wood is biodegradable.

Maple Wood Flooring means Quality

This magnificent hardwood comes from forest above the 35th parallel. This climate zone’s brief growing season and hard winters makes for wood with very dense graining with a gloriously deep golden color. There are very few flaws in the planking. As with other hardwood varieties, maple wood flooring comes in grades. The highest, or first grade will be selected with the least natural variations while second grade has more variations and third even more. All grades will have the same quality of strength and hardness, however.

Installation of Maple Wood Flooring

The standard advice on all hardwood flooring installation holds true for maple as well. Materials should be held for around 72 hours in the room where it will be installed. The temperature and moisture in the air of the room should be stablized at around 75 degrees and there should be no more than 50% moisture present. For this reason, your heating and air-condtioning systems should be fully functional before your floors are installed.

After your floor is installed, it will take up to two years for the floor to completely adapt to the conditions of your home. Remember, as a living material, wood will continue to react to environmental changes. Dry conditions will cause the wood to shrink and high humidity will cause the boards to swell.

During winter months when your heat is on and the house is dry, you may notice some small separations between the hardwood planks. When the floor is once again exposed to moister air in the warm months these small cracks from shrinkage will disappear.

Maple wood flooring doesn’t require any particularly difficult care. Simple gentle cleaning is really all that your floor will require for many, many years. See our articles on for advice on how to maintain your maple wood floor in prime condition.

Maple wood flooring is an enduring feature of your home that adds great value not only in dollar terms, but in quality of life terms. Your maple floor will last for generations with proper care and can easily be brought back to new condition whenever heavy wear occurs. Among all types of hardwood flooring, maple wood flooring is a star.

So, you’ve made the decision to install oak floors in your home. You still have to choose among the types of oak flooring available. There are a number of choices still left to consider, each of which has practical and aesthetic considerations. As with all home construction and/or decorating decisions, your choices are going to be unique to you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to hardwood flooring. Oak floors come in several types and styles, as do all types of hardwood floors.

Three Types of Oak Flooring and Their Characteristics

1. Solid – As the name implies, this product is made of solid wood. The thickness of the planking can range from a quarter inch to one inch. As the thickness increases, the price goes up. Thicker products are going to be more durable, allow for more refinish jobs and feel more ‘solid under your feet. There is a wide variety of wood species used to make this type of hardwood floor with types of oak flooring being among the the most popular. Solid oak flooring can literally last for generations in your home. In general, solid hardwood flooring will make the most lasting contribution to the value of your home.

2. Engineered – These products are constructed in layers. The way the planks are constructed, the grain of the wood is laid in opposing directions and this makes the floor more stable. Most engineered floor products are between three and twelve layers with the more expensive products having more layers. The advantage to engineered wood floors is due to their greater moisture resistance they can be installed in places not suited to solid wood flooring, like basements or in climates with high levels of humidity. These floors have nearly the same variety of species to choose from as solid hardwood floors. The top layer of the floor is the one that imparts the ‘look’ to the floor so you could choose oak veneer if you are looking for oak flooring and get essentially the same result. There are many types of oak flooring available as engineered products. High quality engineered floors can be refinished up to five times, however the cheaper brands may have as little as .6mm of veneer and can only be recoated once they become worn. Engineered oak flooring is popular because it can give a very pleasing appearance for a more budget friendly price than solid oak flooring.

3. Acrylic Impregnated – This type of wood floor is very hard and stands up to a lot of wear and tear. The wood grain is injected with acrylic resins. This type of floor can be obtained in most of the hardwoods as the other floors and it is ideal for very high traffic areas, even commercial installations in restaurants and stores. It also makes a very durable choice for homeowners. It is one of the types of oak flooring that can handle nearly any situation.

The way you assess each of these various types of hardwood flooring is to first consider where the flooring is to be installed. Solid hardwood flooring is not appropriate for some installations. In places where high moisture is going to be an issue you should consider other choices. Budget considerations will also come into play. Remember that you can get the same look as solid oak flooring at a more attractive price if you choose engineered oak flooring. So you can see that there are many types of oak flooring that fit your unique circumstances.

We’re going to talk about installing a laminate wood floor because installing this kind of floor is the easiest one for beginners to tackle as the panels in laminate flooring snap together and are tapped into place using a mallet and wood block. Laminate wood floors also require no glue and that can be a difficult aspect of solid hardwood flooring installation.

Laminate Wood Floor Installation — Prepare the room

Think of this as wood floor installation 101. Preparation is always key. Make sure that your sub-floor is level and even. Even the most beautiful and carefully installed wood floor can’t compensate for a bumpy sub-floor underneath. You’ll need to remove old carpeting, if any. A light sanding to take off any residual glue will leave you with a ready sub-floor for your laminate floor installation. Whatever sub-floor you have, make sure you have swept up any debris or dirt before you begin your installation. You don’t need to remove other types of flooring like vinyl tiles or old wood flooring.

Remove all the baseboards, moldings and doors in preparation for the installation.

Prepare the wood floor for installation by acclimatizing it to where it will be installed for at least two days. This will give the flooring a chance to adjust to the particular levels of temperature and humidity in your home. Obviously, you will want to have the laminate floor materials inside the house for those two days. Take a few moments to inspect all the boards and make sure none are damaged. Once you install your laminate floor, you won’t be able to get a refund.

Here is a tool check list:
Carpenter’s square
Circular saw
Measuring tape
Utility knife
Hammer
Rubber mallet
Pry bar
Vacuum
Wood block
Protection for your eyes and ears
Pencil

Remove all the furniture from the room.

Laminate Wood Floor Installation — The underlayment

Lay the moisture barrier (sometimes called underlayment). This thin foam pad serves several purposes. It prevents moisture from the sub-floor from seeping into your new floor, it creates a sound barrier so that you have quiet floors and it also evens out little imperfections in the sub-floor. Your flooring manufacturer will be able to recommend the best type for your particular situation.

Make sure that you don’t overlap the underlayment as this will cause bumps that will make your floor uneven. Tape the edges of the foam together to keep them in place. Use spacers to make an expansion gap between the underlayment and the walls. For large rooms, use half-inch spacers. For small areas, a quarter inch will do.

Laminate Wood Floor Installation — Laying the boards

Aesthetically speaking, flooring planks are best installed so that the sunlight coming into the room is parallel to the way the boards are placed. Begin your installation in the corner of the room that is going to be most visible. For boards that will be up against the walls, you will need to cut off the ‘tongue’ part of the boards and use the same spacers as you used when you put in the underlayment.

Lay an entire row along the wall. It will be easy to put the planks in place as you simply insert one end of the board into the other at a slight angle and then push the board into place. For the most ‘genuine’ look, it is best to mix your planking from several boxes in each row. That way, you get the most natural look overall when you have finished your laminate installation.

When you reach the end of this first row, you will need to cut the last plank so that it fits up to the spacer. Remember, measure twice, cut once!

Beginning at the starting point of your first row, use a piece of board that is a different length than the one you laid first. Put the second row of planking into position and use your rubber mallet to tap the pieces together. Continue with this process until the entire room is done.

The final step in your flooring installation project is to put your baseboards back into place and trim your doors to accommodate the height of the new floor. Clean up and put your furniture back in the room. Sit back and congratulate yourself on your new laminate wood floor installation.

Installing wood flooring

But upgrading to hardwood floors is expensive, even if you do it yourself. And the final cost is usually much more than the square-foot price that’s advertised. If you’ve tried to calculate how much wood floors will cost based on the ads in the paper, you’re in for a shock.

Of course, prices vary by region, but if you take a few things into account, you should be able to make an educated guess about how much it will cost to upgrade to wood flooring. Once you have an idea, you’ll know whether it’s worth your time to start shopping or not.

Bear in mind that, unlike carpeting, wood floors will last for generations if properly cared for. So you’ll be amortizing the investment over many years. And many flooring companies offer interest-free financing for 12 months and other payment options. They realize that wood flooring is a big purchase that many customers may want help with.

The square-foot price of the wood is just the start. In addition to that, there are other supplies and labor, which will vary based on how the floor is installed.

Wood flooring supply costs.

If you’re lucky enough to have a wood sub floor, you won’t need anything more but some felt paper and some nails or staples. If you’re having your floor installed, these will usually be included in the price of labor. If you’re doing it yourself, figure around $50 for a box of 7,000 staples and ten cents per square foot for the felt paper.

The cost of renting a stapler or nail gun is usually pretty reasonable.

Those without a wood sub floor will incur some additional expense, especially if the floor is to be floated. An underlayment, which can run from 25 cents to $1.50 per square foot will be needed to cushion and insulate the new flooring.

Wood flooring installation

If you have concrete floors, you’ll probably want to use engineered wood flooring that can be glued down. The cost of glue runs from 50 cents to $1.00 per square foot. To be on the safe side, add $1.00 to the price of the wood. Gluing wood flooring often takes longer than nailing it down, so your labor costs may be higher too.

Moisture protection, which is often needed with concrete floors, can add another $1 to $2 per square foot to the cost.

In addition to the floor boards, you’ll need to buy some trim to finish off the floor. If you want quarter-round molding in the same wood and finish as the flooring, this can run as much as $5 a lineal foot. Because there’s waste, it takes more than you think. Your flooring company can help you calculate how much you’ll need.

Wood flooring labor costs.

The cost to install your floor can vary a lot depending on where you live, who installs the floor, and how difficult or easy your specific situation is. If you’re having a full-service dealer install your wood flooring, figure between $2 – $4 a square foot.

The price should include having the wood delivered to your home and stacked, removing the existing flooring, prepping the sub floor, installing the flooring, installing all the trim, cleaning up, and hauling away all the debris. Most installers will move your furniture out and back in once as part of the installation process.

All in, a good-quality, pre-finished wood floor will probably cost between $8 and $12 per square foot, or about $1,200 – $1,800 for a 12’ x 12’ room installed. Bamboo or laminate wood flooring will cost less. Premium hardwoods like cherry will cost more.

Before making a commitment, make sure everything is spelled out in writing so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Reducing the cost of wood flooring.

Buying the wood and getting it to your home yourself will bring down the price, and paying cash will sometimes save you another 2 or 3%. Using inexpensive pine molding and adhesive or staples from your local home store will bring the cost down even more. And installing it on your own will probably get the price to about $6 or $7 a square foot, depending on the flooring, where you live, and the competition in your area.

Learn how to install wood flooring here.

Installing wood flooring Image Flickr: j2davis2005
Wood flooring installation Image Flickr: Steve & Jan Cornwell

American cherry is sought after for its warm, rich color, which ranges from pinkish brown to deep red. As a fruit tree, it’s a member of the rose family, and it grows all over the United States and Canada. In colonial America, cherry was used for fine furniture, inlays, and paneling. Today, it’s a very popular choice for kitchen cabinets, and Shaker-style furniture.

One of the best things about American cherry is the way the color deepens with age. Over the years, it develops a gorgeous patina that polishes beautifully. It has a fine, straight grain.

With a hardness of 950 on the Janka hardness scale, American cherry is softer than many of the most popular woods used for flooring. Red oak, for example, has a hardness of 1290. Consequently, it’s a poor choice for high-traffic areas, commercial settings, or homes with dogs. It’s often used as an accent wood around the edges of a floor where there’s less wear and tear.

It’s also more expensive than other wood flooring options, so before you buy American cherry, make sure it’s an appropriate choice for your room.

Due to its reddish color, Jatoba is often called Brazilian cherry. It grows mostly in Brazil, Chile, the West Indies, and parts of Mexico. The principle difference between Jatoba and American cherry is the hardness. Jatoba measures 2350 on the Janka scale — more than 80% harder than red oak.

This makes Jatoba a better choice for wood flooring in rooms that will receive an average amount of traffic. Like American cherry, it will darken over time, especially if it’s exposed to direct sunlight. The finish that’s used will also affect this process.

Because of it extraordinary hardness, Jatoba is difficult to work with, so it’s a poor choice for do-it-yourselfers. Unless you’re a seasoned woodworker, you’ll likely get better results if you hire a professional to install jatoba wood flooring.

If you can afford it and plan to use it in a room that receives little traffic, real cherry wood will produce a look that’s unsurpassed in its elegance and sophistication. If you want the appearance of cherry with greater durability and affordability, choose jatoba.

Read about walnut wood flooring here.

Most of the reclaimed boards that are used in wood flooring today are over 100 years old and were originally used in barns, farmhouses, and other construction in American northeast and midwest.  Typically, timber flooring planks are wider than most of today’s flooring.  In fact, widths of 10″, 12” and even wider are common.

Around the turn of the 20th century, builders weren’t often choosing lumber for its appearance.  So not much first grade or clear wood was used for flooring. As a result, these old boards have lots of imperfections like knots , cracks, and uneven or coarse grains.  This is all part of what makes timber floors one of a kind.  No two boards are alike.

Because wood is a sustainable product and reclaimed wood is recycled from a previous use, timber flooring is also ecologically responsible.

The most common reclaimed woods are red and white oak — still the most popular woods for flooring today.  Oak is hard, even grained, and works well in almost any situation.  Because it’s readily available, it also has the advantage of being more affordable than some other species.

Not all reclaimed flooring is hardwood.  In fact, softwoods like eastern white pine, hemlock, and Douglas fir make beautiful wood floors, those are less durable than hardwoods.  The color ranges from light to dark brown, and older boards have a rich patina.  These make especially popular timber floors for kitchens and family rooms.

Although it’s technically a softwood, heart pine is almost as soft as oak. In fact, it’s the hardest softwood.  There are usually lots of knots and coarse grain.  And the pale, golden color sets off furniture and area rugs.  It was originally used in docks and warehouses, so it’s quite rustic and creates an informal, casual room.

One of the most widely planted share trees after the Civil War, the American elm is pale with a tight, straight grain.  Most of the trees were wiped out by Dutch Elm Disease, so supply of Elm is limited.  But it makes a less rustic timber floor than most other reclaimed woods.

If you can find it, old chestnut is one of the most desirable reclaimed wood for timber flooring.  A fungal blight in the early 20th century wiped out American chestnut, so the supply is scarce.  Not only is chestnut extremely durable, it has a rich, dark color that only comes with age.

Several small lumber and flooring companies sell timber flooring.  If you can’t see the actual boards before you purchase them, be prepared for the color and texture to be different from the samples in the showroom.

Read more about antique oak flooring here.

Wood flooring is easy to care for, and it holds its value over the years.  In fact, real estate agents say that homes with wood floors sell faster and sell for more.

It’s made from a renewable resource — in fact, some wood flooring is recycled from old ships and barns.  And it’s better for people with allergies than carpeting.

There are hundreds of kinds of wood available.   Most come in three grades:

1) Clear or First Grade.  This wood has no visible defects, such as knots, and no variations in color.

2) Select or Second Grade.  May have a few imperfections like some dark grains or knots, and some other minor variations.

3) Rustic or Third Grade.  Inconsistent.  Variations in color and grain, and lots of knots and other imperfections.

The most popular domestic hardwoods.

It may surprise you to know that the term hardwood doesn’t really have anything to do with the hardness of the wood.  In fact, one of the softest woods around, balsa, is a hardwood.  And yew, which is pretty hard, is actually a softwood.

Softwood comes from coniferous trees (those that bear cones).  And hardwood comes from broad-leafed, angiosperm trees.

Domestic hardwoods used for wood flooring are:

Red Oak.  With its strong open grain, neutral color, and solid durability, red oak is a great choice for many different environments.  The color blends well with lighter and darker woods — it looks great with mahogany furniture.  And it works well in casual or sophisticated settings.  More than 50% of all hardwood floors are red oak.

White Oak.  The tighter, less pronounced grain of white oak is extremely straight.  And it’s lovely enough for formal rooms.  The lighter color fades a little less than red oak, and it creates a light, airy room.

Maple.  Harder than oak, maple is extremely scratch and dent resistant.   That’s why it’s the first pick for bowling alleys, basketball courts, and Fender guitar necks.  The tight, even grain is lovely.  And First Grade Maple, which comes only from sapwood, has a beautiful, pale color.  It will make any room seem larger.

Black Walnut. If you want a dark floor with a lovely, curly grain, walnut is a good option.  It’s not as hard as oak, so it will scratch more easily.  Consequently, it isn’t a great choice if you have a dog over 50 pounds.  But it can help to create a very dramatic room.  Speaking of dogs, if your blonde dog sheds, the hair will be visible on Black Walnut.

Ash.  Similar in appearance to oak, ash is attractive and durable.  So much so that it’s the first choice for Louisville Sluggers.  The color ranges from white to brown.  And the bold grain is sometimes wavy.

Beech.  Very close to oak in hardness, beech has a straight, closed grain and a smooth finish.  The sapwood is very pale and the heartwood is a reddish brown.

American Cherry.  One of the most beautiful domestic hardwoods, American Cherry takes on a rich glow when finished properly.  The color, which ranges from pale to a warm, reddish brown, creates a rich, sophisticated look that says quality.

Any of these woods will give you beautiful wood floors that will enhance the appearance and value of your home, and last for generations.

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Wood Flooring Offers Many Choices

Few home improvement projects improve the appearance and value of your home as much as wood flooring.  Hardwood floors make any space — from a formal living room to a country kitchen — look better.  And wood flooring is an investment that provides lasting benefits.  A good-quality, well maintained wood floor will last a lifetime.

Because wood flooring is easy to care for and doesn’t show dirt or stain like carpeting, it’s a good choice for families with children and pets.

When you first start shopping for wood flooring, you may be overwhelmed by the choices.  But there are basically just three types of wood floors.  The type that’s best for you will depend on a number of factors, including where the floor will be installed and how much traffic it will get.

Solid Wood Flooring

As the name implies, solid wood flooring is made from pieces of wood that are between 1/4″ and 1″ thick.  As a rule, the tongue-and-groove boards fit together and are installed by nailing them to a sub floor of 3/4″ plywood.  For this reason, solid wood floors can’t usually be used over concrete slabs.

Building a sub floor to use over concrete essentially doubles the cost of using solid wood.  So if you have a concrete floor, you’re better off with an engineered wood floor.

Because solid wood expands and contracts with variations in moisture and temperature, it’s also unsuitable for areas where those conditions fluctuate dramatically.

You can choose from a wide assortment of solid woods, stains, and finishes.  Or you can buy your flooring unfinished and having it finished after it’s installed.  This is ideal if you’re trying to match a pre-existing floor.  But it’s a messy process and not everyone will be want to put up with the noise and dust.

Because there is usually 1/4″ or more of wood above the tongue and groove, solid wood floors can be sanded down and refinished.  If you have lots of traffic or large dogs, solid wood flooring are a great choice.

Engineered Wood Flooring

This kind of flooring is made of several layers — or plys — that are laminated together.  Usually a base, a core, and a veneer.  The top layer or veneer varies in thickness.  But for the best wear, it should be at least 3/16th of an inch thick.

Veneers of 1/8″ or less are usually rotary peeled.  Thicker veneers are sawed and look more like solid wood.  Veneers of 5/16th can usually be sanded.

The grain on the plys in engineered wood run in different directions, which makes the flooring more stable.  Engineered wood flooring won’t warp, and because it can be glued, stapled or floated, it can be used almost anywhere.

Most engineered floors come prefinished with 3 – 10 layers of urethane.  But a huge selection of finishes is available.  If your sub floor is a concrete slab, engineered wood will cost you about half as much as solid wood.

Acrylic-impregnated Wood Flooring.

Better known by the brand name Pergo, acrylic-impregnated wood floors are extremely durable.  In fact, they’re 300% harder than natural wood.  Liquid acrylic, stain, and fire retardants are injected into the wood and then it’s cured.

Because impregnated wood is water resistant, it’s often used in kitchens and bathrooms.  And because the color goes all the way through, it’s ideal in commercial setting like restaurants, where there’s lots of traffic and wear.  In fact, scratches are barely detectable.

Many people don’t like the look of acrylic-impregnated wood floors, but they are the best choice if you want the appearance of wood but need a more durable floor.