Category Archives: Hardwood

There are various trends that ebb and flow in interior design and construction circles. For a long time, wood was the main building material in just about every culture in the world. Over time, newer materials replaced wood in many applications. However, people have begun moving back towards the timeless and classic style of wood. Wood evokes warmth and home when you see it used for flooring, countertops, tables, and much more. There has been another trend that has emerged as well; that is the trend towards live edge wood.

What is Live Edge?

The processing of a tree is fairly simple. The tree is cut down and transported to a mill. It might be allowed to dry as a whole tree or it might be cut first. Either way, it is then cut into boards. It can be cut in many different ways, but it is cut into planks. The planks are cut into perfect rectangles with square edges. They’re packaged, shipped, and sold. Live edge wood is wood that skips one of those steps.

Instead of cutting the boards into perfect rectangles with square edges, live edge planks have edges that are not actually altered. They’re kept in the same state as they were when the tree was cut down. It’s called live edge because it is the same edge the wood had when it was alive. Many people have chosen to use live edge for flooring.

Live Edge Flooring

Live edge flooring is the use of thin planks of wood for hardwood flooring but using live edge wood planks. The planks do not have regular square edges that fit together nicely. Instead, they’re uneven and unpredictable. That’s why they’re so popular. They look rustic, classic, and dynamic. They look like the flooring that was used in antique log cabins, plantation homes, and homes from older eras. There are some concerns about live edge flooring.

Since live edge flooring does not fit together like puzzle pieces, there are gaps between the different planks of wood. If you’re thinking of installing live edge flooring, you’ll have to consider some kind of subfloor that you can use. The subfloor could be a different type of wood.

Live edge flooring is one of the most reliable ways to create a unique and dynamic floor. It is timeless, rustic, and classic. You should seriously consider a live edge floor if you are replacing your floor.

Moisture is the enemy of your hardwood floor. When the floor stays wet for too long or when moisture seeps between the floorboards, you can have a whole host of problems. A moist hardwood floor can expand and begin cupping, which is when the boards begin to warp. Also, mold and mildew can grow beneath the boards. All of this can lead to a floor in desperate need of repair or even replacement. Here is what to do when your floor is wet.

1 – Dry The Surface Quickly

When water is spilled on your floor, instead of water rising from underneath, you need to attempt to dry the floor as quickly as possible. Typically, water needs time to penetrate the wood or work its way between the floorboards. If you can clean it up quickly, the polyurethane coating on the floor will usually be enough to fight off most moisture.

2 – Consider Fans and Dehumidifiers

For water to evaporate, it needs to come into contact with drier air. The drier the air, the faster the water will evaporate. Therefore, a dehumidifier will dry the air in a room, allowing for faster evaporation. Moving air, such as with a fan, will also speed up the drying process. If that doesn’t work to dry the floor in a few days, you will need to move to more drastic measures.

3 – Remove a Floorboard

In addition to needing dry air to evaporate, water also needs somewhere to go. Therefore, if the moisture has soaked into the subfloor underneath the hardwood floor, you won’t be able to dry it without giving it somewhere to go. You have a couple of options of this. You can remove some of the baseboards trimming the edges of each room. That will expose a little bit of the subfloor and give the water somewhere to evaporate. Alternately, you can remove one or two of the planks of your hardwood floor. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to use the dehumidifiers and fans to dry it faster.

4 – Consider Desiccants

Desiccants are materials that pull moisture out of the surrounding atmosphere. They’re used to keep packaged materials dry. In an industrial setting, they can also be used to remove moisture from your home or floor. You might need to rent a desiccant dehumidifier from a local hardware store.

5 – Don’t Forget About Mold

Mold is a serious problem any time a dark area is allowed to stay moist for too long. If your floor has been moist for more than a day or so, you’ll need to apply a chemical that will retard the mold.

Walnut hardwood flooring is a popular look for many reasons. The beautiful rich color of the flooring is one of the reasons it has become so popular. Like all wood species there are pros and cons of walnut.

There are two different types of walnut flooring; American Walnut and Brazilian Walnut. American walnut is called a variety of different names. It is commonly called black walnut, american black walnut, north american walnut or gunwood. American walnut is mostly harvested from the central United States and has a janka scale rating of 1010. It has a white sapwood and dark chocolaty heartwood with a variety of grain variations. Brazilian walnut is commonly called lapacho or ipe. Brazilian walnut is harvested in Brazil and the lesser antilles. The wood has a dark tone and a janka scale rating of 3684, much harder than American Walnut.

Pros and Cons of Walnut Flooring

Pros-

• Beautiful and warm
• Fits the style of many homes
• American walnut is a renewable resource and an eco-friendly option.
• Durable and can be resanded
• The natural color helps to cover some scratching and dents
• Ideal for radiant heating because of natural stability

Cons-

• American walnut is relatively soft and can mark, scratch or dent easily
• Not ideal in homes with children or pets
• Can show traffic patterns easily because of darkness or the wood
• Darker hues can make a room feel smaller

Walnut is a beautiful flooring option and can really complete the look of your room. Choosing between wood species can be challenging but in the end there is no wrong choice when it comes to hardwood flooring. Peak floors is able to help you through the hardwood flooring installation process. Please give us a call!

When looking at hardwood flooring you may have heard talk about grades. Hardwood flooring is graded based on the characteristics present in the wood. Red oak has its own specific rules for grading, we will explain the difference in all the grades below. Some grades have more than one name for the same level which can be confusing. Your hardwood installer should know which of the different grades will work for your design tastes!

Clear- The highest grade of red oak is the clear grain. Clear grade wood is cut and harvested from the heartwood or innermost wood of the tree. Knots, wormholes and color variations are at the absolute minimum or are non existent in this grade of wood. Graining is prominent and gives the wood a clean overall look. These pieces are picked carefully by the mill and all the elements of the milling process are done precisely.

Select and Better– Select and better wood is milled from the sapwood. These bundles often include some clear pieces. There are essentially no knots or wormholes but there are some present. Graining appearance is strong and there is a slight color variation between the heartwood and sapwood. You typically do not need to use wood filler or wood putty in these grades.

Number One Common– No. 1 Common has more variation and discrepancies than the other gradings. There are knots and wormholes but not an excessive amount. There is also color variation and the color is not as uniform as the clear of select gradings. There will be lighter and darker boards and even a combination of colors on the same board.

Number Two Common– No. 2 Common has a lot of light and dark color variations from the use of both heartwood and sapwood. There are a lot of worm holes and knots and the floor may have a more rustic appearance.

Number three common and shorts are two additional grading types but are generally not recommended.

The grading of the floor will not affect the overall quality of your floor. These gradings are just related to the aesthetics of the food and do not affect the hardness of the wood. You may see some difference in the milling but not the overall hardness or quality. With proper care (hardwood cleaning) and maintenance any grade of red oak will last a lifetime.

When looking at different hardwood flooring samples you may wonder what the different surface textures mean. Hardwood flooring texture can add a lot of style and dimension to your flooring. Smooth, hand scraped, wire brushed and distressed are some of the textures you can get on some wood products like prefinished flooring or engineered flooring.

The most popular hardwood flooring texture is smooth. Smooth texture floors are sanded flat and then finished. This texture can be done on site finished or factory finished products. The smooth surface is elegant and uniform and looks great on dark stained woods. The smoother hardwood flooring textures can show dents, scratches and other blemishes more readily but for some lifestyles this is not a concern.

Handscraped hardwood flooring is becoming very popular. The level of texture can be very subtle or range to a more extreme level of texture. Handscraped hardwood flooring adds a warm feeling and makes the room feel lived-in. The more texture the boards feature the more scratches and dents can be hidden. The texture of handscraped floor can help mask wear and tear while still being beautiful. Virginia Vintage, Armstrong Gatsby Hand Sculpted, Mannington Inverness Hand Sculpted

Distressed or antiqued wood if another texture method for hardwood flooring. Distress marks are added to the floor like dents, blackening of the edges, burn marks or other texture methods added. Distressed flooring can be ideal for homes with pets and high traffic usage. The distressed look will help camouflage wear on your floor.

Wire Brushed wood falls between smooth and hand scraped texture. The wire brushing process is when the floor finish is lightly scraped with a wire brush to create long or linear streaks. The wire brush texture will highlight the linear grain patterns and can create a more interesting look to oak flooring. Wire Brushed products add a nice amount of texture without feeling like they are rustic.

In some engineered or prefinished product lines these methods are combined to create a beautiful texture and style. The different texture methods add to the wood and can create a unique feel to your flooring.

Hardwood flooring has been the standard for beautiful flooring for decades because of the unique grain patterns and beautiful colors but also because of the value and reliability. The decision to install hardwood can be still be hard for some homeowners and it is a costly endeavor.

The value is a big factor for a lot of homeowners. While the cost of adding hardwood may be high but there is a lot of value in adding hardwood flooring. Homeowners are generally willing to invest in their home if they feel like the item will add value to their home and wood floors are a great option in this scenario. Premium hardwood products can add a lot of style to a home and a lot of value. There are a lot of different hardwood products on the market and a wide variety of price points available.

Reliability

Reliability draws a lot of homeowners to hardwood flooring. Hardwood flooring offers good quality and reliability in a beautiful product. Many hardwood mills or manufacturers have been around for decades and have great dependability. Well known hardwood brands that produce prefinished or engineered products are also know for the reliability. Many of the prefinished or engineered flooring products include a warranty that helps to guarantee the reliability of the product. Milling standards also help to guarantee the reliability of the product.

Appearance

The appearance of hardwood flooring is one of the biggest products benefits. Hardwood is beautiful, unique and timeless. While it is important to remember wood is a natural product and will have natural characteristics. Wood flooring comes in a variety of species and can be stained and coated to create the perfect fit for your home.

Hardwood flooring brings a lot to a homeowners and can bring joy and beauty for decades to come. Hardwood flooring is an investment but with a great return.