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Wood—For Traditional Warmth & Elegance
Hardwood flooring is one of the best things you can do for yourself! If you’re a bit handy, you may be able to install it yourself, or we can arrange installation foryou. However you do it, you’ll be delighted! Whether you choose solid hardwood planking or laminated flooring, you’re assured of a tough, beautiful finish that will add elegance and warmth to any decor. And wood floorings start as low as just $1.99/sq.ft.! And don't forget to bring in the coupon for your floor-care gift kit when you come in to order.
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Each page in this section will give lots of info, and we’re just a phone-call away if you have questions.
Wood Floorings
- Traditional elegance
- Modern ease
- Available as solid, engineered,
or laminated flooring - Laminates are great
for D-I-Y-ers - Pre-finished surfaces generally superior to on-site finishes
- Wide range of selections
- Available for above and
below grade - Solid? Engineered? Laminated?
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- Solid Wood: always a favorite! Can be a d-i-y project if you’re handy
- Laminates: tough, beautiful, great for the D-I-Y crowd
- “Green” Alternatives: cork and bamboo—beautiful, healthy, long-wearing
- How-To: Shop For...; Measure/Order/Install; Care For & Maintain
- Manufacturers’ Links
Solid? Or Engineered? ...Or Laminated?
Solid, of course, is pretty clear; although this isn’t your grand-daddy’s plank flooring. The solid planks are installed very much like the typical floating floors, but require nailing and are not suitable below grade (basements). The planks are solid hardwood with tongue-and-groove locking edges and a special superhard surface treatment to minimize care. “Engineered” products are manufactured by bonding several plies of hardwood together, each plie’s grain at right-angles to that above/below it. This greatly strengthens the flooring’s stability, allowing its use in below-grade installations. “Longstrip” is an engineered product where the hardwood plies are bonded to a solid soft-wood core; it comes in longer planks designed to look like several narrow boards of differing lengths. Both engineered floorings can be nailed, stapled, or floated. Also see our Solid/Hardwood Flooring section.
Laminated flooring is what most of us think of when thinking of DIY wood flooring. The laminated products consist of manufactured cores with laminated layers of wood veneers bonded with the grain of each layer perpendicular to the layer below (like the engineered flooring) and a finished wood surface layer. The flooring is floated and is relatively easy for do-it-yourself installations. Laminated wood floors can be installed below grade (basements) and over concrete as the bonded cross-grain plies give the products exceptional stability. Also see the Laminated Wood Flooring section.
Solid, Engineered, and Longstrip come prefinished or unfinished, Laminated is prefinished. The prefinished surfaces of both types usually include many coats of polyurethane with aluminim oxide added (which is what the space shuttles are coated with). You can be pretty sure that almost any grade of prefinished solid, engineered, or laminated flooring will be tough enough for normal pet/child/scuffing furniture wear and tear. We have some installed in our kiddie play area; it’s been here for years, with no special care—it still looks great!
We also carry bamboo and cork flooring; rubber flooring is available, too, on special order (requires professional installation).
