About Floor

A room's style can be defined by its floor.  There are multitudes of floor styles and materials to choose from thanks to nature and technology.  When you are in the process of making a decision on the material for your new floor, you must consider lifestyle as well as aesthetic style – and of course, your budget.   

Synthetic floors can look almost wholly natural and be durable and low-maintenance as well.  Their price range is in the lower range of floor covering prices, and that can be particularly enticing during an expensive home remodeling project.  

On the other hand, natural floors made of stone or wood are alluring, inviting and unique.  The prices of stone and hardwood are usually higher than synthetic floors, but the refreshing and enlightening feeling of the outdoors will always be at your feet.  Since natural floors last longer than synthetic floors, natural floors are a smart investment in your home.  They will also raise the resale value of your house, making their higher price even more worthwhile.  

Natural wood floors have existed since even before the pioneering days of America, and they are still a favorite of homes everywhere.  Natural wood floors have a reputation for longevity, warmth and coziness. They can handle the demands of a growing family or frequent entertaining.  Although natural wood floors may require a little more care than some synthetic floors, their longevity makes it worth the change in your cleaning rituals.  The most important thing to remember when taking care of a natural wood floor is to keep it dry, and keep the humidity as level as you can.  Natural floors will expand and contract.  That is to be expected.  However, extreme temperature changes and moisture will cause damage.  If you are living in an area prone to flooding, natural stone flooring or synthetic flooring may be a better alternative.

This article will provide you with an introduction to natural wood floors.  We hope it will help you in your floor planning decisions.

BASICS

Hardness, Softness and Denting

When you are making your decision on hardwood floor material, be careful to match the appropriate hardness level to the needs of your household and the room that you are remodeling.  The hardness level determines how easily the material is dented, as does the type of grain.  A harder wood will dent less easily than a softer wood, and an “open grain” wood will show dents less than a “closed grain” wood.  This will be explained further.  For now, the following chart lists wood species and their range of hardness and softness.

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In this chart, Black Cherry is the softest and Brazilian Cherry is the hardest.  In reading this, we can see that Brazilian Cherry is less susceptible to dents.  This does not mean that Brazilian Cherry is more durable or will last longer than Black Cherry wood.  Durability and longevity have other factors that determine their worth.  The hardness merely determines how easy the wood will dent.  All hardwood floors will dent, it's just a matter of how much they will dent. 

Just as hardness and softness determine the potential of denting, so too does the type of grain.

Maple, Birch and Beech are what is known as “closed grain” hardwoods.  They have a subtle grain, so they will naturally show more dents. Oak and Ash are a little softer than Maple, Birch or Beech, but they are “open grain” - they have a higher level of graining - and the dents show less.

To get an accurate picture of a wood floor's potential to dent or not dent, you will need to consider the type of wood, and the type of grain. 

Durability

Durability is the ability to last.  The wood used and the finish used will both determine the durability of your floor.  If the surface of the floor is wearing down, the finish is wearing down. A floor is not considered worn down because it has dents or scratches.  Floors are not indestructible, even if they have had an Aluminum-Oxide finish.

Moisture

Moisture will influence wood because of wood's cellular structure.  Trees are therefore considered still living, even if cut down.  Moisture from the air, the ground, and in your home will influence your wood floor. The expansion and contraction of your wood floor will be determined by the type of wood you choose and the moisture levels that the wood is exposed to.  This chart shows species from those that are most influenced by moisture to those that are least influenced by moisture.

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As you can see by this chart, a floor made with American Beech will expand and contract more than a floor made with Purple Heart.  However, moisture levels will have a bearing on the actual movement of the wood.  If the air is too dry, the wood shrinks and there will be gaps between the boards.  If the air is too moist, the wood will “cup” and the edges will raise.  Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers can help you maintain the humidity levels in your home.  With or without humidifiers, weather can alter your wood.  In homes that are heated during the winter, floors will shrink. When there is less heat in the house and the moisture outside returns, the floors will return to their original form.

More on Moisture

Water In Wood

As everyone knows, a living tree contains water.  Without it, the tree would die.  But even after the tree is cut, water remains.  In one pound of wet, living wood, 60% might be dry wood, and 40% might be water. 

Here is your biology lesson for the day:  Wood has cells. The water in the wood is either in the cell lumen, or the cell wall.  If the water is in the cell lumen, it is called “free water.”  If it is the cell wall, it is called “bound water.”

Bound water is held together by hydrogen bonding, free water is not.  Free water evaporates easily, bound water does not.  (Relatively speaking.)  When the bound water finally leaves the cell wall, the cells will shrink.  And since the cells are in the wood – we can logically say that the wood will shrink as well.

GAPS IN HARDWOOD FLOORS

Hardwood floors will show gaps with weather changes, especially in Chicago.  Humidity can be 80%-90% from June through September, then drop down to 50%-40% in October.  The wood used for a hardwood floor is at one temperature when it arrives at the warehouse, another temperature when it is installed, then exposed to a later temperature after installation.  Therefore, even though the boards are snug-tight when the floor is installed, there will be gaps later in the season.  When it gets warmer, the moisture dries up.  Expand and Contract.  Wood Moves. This is natural.

If the gaps are bothersome, a simple solution is to add a humidifier to your heating system.  This can keep your humidity level at a steady 45% even when the heat is on. Even a small one-room humidifier can help.  The expense is justified when you consider it a benefit to your health as well as a benefit to your floor. 

We hope this introduction to hardwood floors has helped you understand some of the terminology you will be coming across in your search for the right material.  If you need any help choosing the right materials, feel free to email or call us.  You can get a first hand look at the beautiful hardwoods and talk to an expert right away just by visiting our Chicago area showrooms.  Stop down, ask some questions, and be confident that you are choosing the right material for your new hardwood floor.