Why is one hardwood floor one price and another twice that?

We at Country Flooring Direct buy hardwood floors in container quantities, and therefor have a lower price on average. However not everybody does this and some companies that have similar buying behaviors are targeting a different market segment. So how can you tell if what you are getting is of good quality?

Grading of Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors much like Diamonds have a grading scale that is not easy to understand because different species are graded differently and some looks fall outside the grading system. Normally the best grade of hardwood you can purchase is either Clear grade or Select and Better. Please look at http://www.nofma.org/PhotoGallery/NOFMAGradePhotosExamples/tabid/120/Default.aspx to get a full description of the grading of hardwood floors.

In the past years the market has demanded more natural looking distressed hardwood floors such as hand scraped hickory or wirebrushed oak and Character grade or mill run hardwood floors. These hardwood floors cost more money than traditional hardwood on average due to the manufacturing that goes into producing the product and what the market will pay for the product. So what are you the consumer to look for when picking out a hardwood floor?

Ignore marketing schemes such as finish warranties, Most finish warranties are void after installation if you wear shoes in the home, have a pet in the home, do not cover the recommended area with the recommended amount of area rugs, or you did not sand and finish the floor within the first 7-10 years the industry average is 10-15 years before sanding and finishing your hardwood floor. Instead ask how many layers of finish the floor has 9 or 10 is commonly the best you will find 12 layers can sometimes be to many, 5-8 is common for value oriented products. Most products have aluminum oxide in the finish this makes the finish harder to scratch.

Ask about the lengths? are the boards all one length? Longer is better, shorter is cheaper. Are the lengths varied? 1-7 is common random lengths. What is the average length? Different species have different averages. Select and better normally falls between 36-42" average length.

The best thing I like to do for my customers when I can is show them a box of the product on the floor. This shows everything from color variation in the wood to the length of the boards to the milling (how well the wood goes together) Or I have larger samples such as 2*4 that show this as well.

Another question to ask is where was the wood milled? Different countries have different standards. I prefer to sell wood that is made in the original country for instance Brazilian walnut I like to have from Brazil! The Chinese have different expectations when milling their wood and unless your contractor knows the wood manufacturer they are buying from it is risky business. My partner has been buying from the same mills for as long as 9 years now so we know where the wood comes from and what to expect.

The higher end prefinished wood floors will have a longer average length and a flatter smoother overall appearance in milling and finish. I start asking customers simple questions when they come in, Would you like a dark floor or a light floor? If dark, Dark brown or dark red? If light we look at natural floors. Do you want character in your floor or a uniform look? Do you have kids, dogs, etc? These answers can easily help you pick out your floor. If you dont know what you want I suggest Brazilian Teak because everybody likes Brazilian Teak.