Product Features and Benefits  |  General Information Types of Wood Flooring We stock two grades of 3/4" solid oak hardwood flooring.  As a Bruce Hardwood Master Dealer we stock Bruce 3/4" oak prefinished flooring for $3.99 sq. ft.  Plus we have a complete special order wood display in each store where all colors and styles of Bruce Solid Wood and engineered products are available. We also sell from Satin Finish of Canada a cottage grade of 3/4" solid oak prefinished flooring for $2.99 sq. ft.  Cottage grade means the wood has more mineral streaks and knot holes but we think it creates an antique look. We install all of the wood products that we sell and offer a one year installation warranty.  Plus, we will beat any competitor's price on equal flooring products. Hardwood - General Information Hardwood flooring has had a resurgence of popularity in the last 15 years.  Now it is the floor of choice for many living rooms, dining rooms, family rooms, entries and kitchens.  The natural beauty and glow of a hardwood floor is a very desirable enhancement to the home. Types of Wood Flooring Wood flooring comes in two basic types: solid wood or engineered.  Solid wood is 100% hardwood boards cut from tree logs into tongue and groove planks or strips for nail-down installation.  Solid wood can be made unfinished where it needs to be sanded, stained, and urethaned after installation.  This allows for a wide variety of colors and for the option of refinishing in the future to restore the new look to scratched older wood floors. Solid wood can also be made with a factory finish.  This way the wood mill sands, stains, and protects the wood surface with a very durable urethane finish before it leaves the factory.  On the job site the prefinished wood product gets nailed down and is ready to use.  No sanding, etc. in home.  A drawback is that with today's aluminum-oxide-reinforced, urethane wear-layer the factory finished wood cannot be sanded and refinished. Engineered wood flooring is a sandwich of wood layers, like plywood, with a thin layer of quality wood like oak on the top that then has a stain and a factory finish applied.  Engineered wood is very resistant to moisture and can be made in various thicknesses.  This makes it a popular product for below grade installations where moisture is present or for remodeling jobs where a thin wood floor is needed to avoid problems with height clearances. Wood parquet is an engineered product cut into 12" x 12" squares of tile.  It is easy to install by yourself either by glue-down or nail-down. Hardwood flooring is often made of oak and stained to resemble walnut, cherry or other woods.  For the discriminating buyer, solid hardwood of authentic cherry, maple and other species can be ordered. Product Features and Benefits Hardwood is the authentic standard that other products like wood laminate and sheet vinyl attempt to copy.  Unfinished hardwood (installed) can cost as much or more than ceramic (installed).  Prefinished hardwood (installed) is competitive with wood laminate (installed). Wood floors are easy to maintain, and are warm underfoot.  Dry mop for regular maintenance and towel dry liquid spills. Hardwoods are natural products and therefore it is normal to see a certain amount of grain lines, mineral streaks, and knot holes. Hardwood floors are damaged by excessive moisture.  Therefore they are not recommended in full bathrooms, but they are very popular in powder rooms and kitchens. Subfloor is an important element in hardsurface installation of vinyl, ceramic, hardwood, and wood laminates.  Imperfections in the substrate can telegraph through to the new floor and result in unsightly bumps and ridges.  Most installations require subfloor or floor preparation.  The more you spend on subfloor and preparation the better the finished job will look.