Hardwood Flooring Vocabulary of Terms

Above Grade
Any floor that is above the level of the surrounding ground on which the structure is built.

Acrylic Impregnated
Acrylic is injected into the cell structure of the wood, increasing the hardness, and then finished
with a wear layer over the wood.

Acrylic Urethane
Is a slightly different chemical makeup than Polyurethane which offers the same benefits.

Aluminum Oxide
Aluminum crystals added to the urethane finish for increased scratch resistance of the wear layer.

Below Grade
A cement slab poured below the level of the surrounding terrain.

Beveled Edge
Distinctive grooves on the edges of hardwood planks. With the urethane finishes applied at
the factory, the beveled edges are sealed completely, making dirt and grit easy to be swept or
vacuumed out of the grooves.

Buckle
If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle.

Ceramic
Ceramics that are added to the urethane finish to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear
layer.

Clear
A quality of wood. Clear wood has no visual blemishes or knots and is generally more
expensive.

Cross-ply Construction
Wood plies that are stacked on top of each other, but in opposite directions, in the manufacturing
of the core board material for engineered hardwoods. This creates a wood floor that is
dimensionally stable and less affected by moisture than a 3/4” solid wood floor.

Cupping
Type of warping with a concave condition; the sides are higher than the center. It is usually
caused when wood is exposed to moisture.

Eased Edge
Each board is just slightly beveled. Some manufacturers add an eased edge to both the length of
the planks as well as the end joints.

Engineered
Engineered wood floors are generally manufactured with 2, 3, or 5 thin sheets, or plies of wood
that are laminated together to form one plank. Then a thin layer of the hardwood species is
attached on the top. Most engineered floors can be nailed down, stapled down, glued down, or
floated over a wide variety of subfloors

Finish in Place
This refers to unfinished hardwood that is installed and then sanded and finished in the home.

The stain and 2-3 coats of urethane finish are then applied.

Floating Floor Installation
Hardwood installed with the floating installation method is not mechanically fastened to any
part of the subfloor. A thin pad is placed between the wood flooring and the subfloor, to act as
a moisture and sound barrier. Then the recommended wood glue is applied in the tongue and
groove of each plank, to hold the planks together.

Glue Down
The mastic or adhesive is spread to adhere the wood flooring to the subfloor. Engineered wood
floors and parquets can be glued down. Solid plank floors can only be nailed or stapled.

Graining
All wood species have their own unique graining and texture. The graining on the boards is
determined by the way it has been cut. Natural variations in the color and grain are normal and to
be expected.

Janka Hardness Test
The most widely accepted hardness rating test, which measures the force needed to embed a .444
inch steel ball to half its diameter in a piece of wood. Although this is one of the best methods
to measure the ability of wood species to withstand indentations, it should be used as a general
guide when comparing various species of wood flooring.

Knot
This is the round, harder, usually darker in color, cross section of where the branch joined the
trunk of the tree.

Laminate
Laminate is a manufactured product that simulates the look of hardwood, ceramic tile, natural
stone and many other types of flooring.

Long Strip Plank
This is one of the three common types of wood floors. Long Strip Plank floors are similar to
engineered floors and have several wood plies that are glued together. The center core is a softer
wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued
on top of the core. The top layer can be almost any hardwood species and is made up of many
smaller individual pieces that are laid in three rows.

Moisture Cured Urethane
This has a similar chemical make up as solvent-based urethanes, but this finish needs the
humidity (moisture) in the air to cure.

Moldings
Wood trim that is used to cover expansion joints, and to enhance the performance and
appearance of the hardwood floor. In many cases, moldings and baseboards need to be removed
for hardwood installation.

Nail Down
This method is typically used with the 3/4″ solid products, however there are adapters available
for thinner flooring sizes as well. 2″ nailing cleats are used with a wood flooring nail gun and
mallet to attach the flooring to the subfloor.

Number 1 Common

A quality of wood, commonly referenced with oak. Number 1 Common wood has more knots
and dark graining.

Number 2 Common
A quality of wood, commonly referenced with oak. Number 2 Common wood has more knots
and more dark graining.

On-Grade
A Subfloor that exists on the same plane as the surrounding terrain.

Plank
Narrower hardwood board widths are referred to as “strips” and the wider widths as “planks.”
When we think of solid wood plank floors we generally are talking about a 3/4″ thick plank that
is 3, 4 or 5” wide.

Polyurethane
A clear, tough and durable finish, that is applied as a wear layer.

Pre-Finished Wood Floor
Pre-finished hardwood flooring comes ready for installation in your home. The hardwood boards
have already been sanded, stained and finished at the manufacturing plant. In many cases this
can provide a harder, better- protected surface.

Rotary Cut
Each species has its own unique graining and texture. The graining on the boards is determined
by the way it has been cut. Rotary Cut is a cutting process that displays a larger and bolder
graining pattern.

Select
A quality of wood. Select wood has very few knots and very little dark graining.

Sliced Cut
Each species has its own unique graining and texture. The graining on the boards is determined
by the way it has been cut. Sliced Cut is a cutting process that shows a more uniform pattern.

Solid
This is one of the three common types of wood floors. Solid wood floors are one solid piece of
wood that have tongue and groove sides. Solid wood floors are more sensitive to moisture and
are not recommended for installation below ground level, or directly over a concrete slab.

Solvent-Based Urethane
Oil is used as part of the chemical makeup of the polyurethane finish.

Square Edge
The edges of all boards meet squarely, creating a uniform, smooth surface that blends the boards
together throughout the floor.

Stapled Down
With this method, 1-1/2 to 2 inch staples are used to attach the wood flooring to the subfloor. A
pneumatic gun is used to drive the staple through the tongue and into the subfloor.

Strip
Narrower board widths are referred to as “strips” and the wider units as “planks.” Solid strip
hardwood is a 3/4″ thick piece of wood, that is 2 1/4″ wide. This is the classic strip wood floor,
although it is possible to find a narrower width or a slightly thinner gage.

Tongue and Groove
Where two boards join together, one board having a tongue on its edge that fits into a groove in
the edge of the other.

Trim
See Moldings.

Un-Finished Wood Floor
An un-finished wood floor allows you to have a custom job – you choose the wood species and
it’s sanded and the stain is applied on site. With Un-Finished you also have the chance to level
the surface of the entire floor after it has been installed.

UV Cured
Factory wood finishes that are cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat.

Water-Based Urethane
Water is used as part of the chemical makeup of the polyurethane finish.