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hardwood flooring How to Choose a Hardwood Floor Choosing a hardwood can be, well, hard. But it doesn't have to be. Here's a little tutorial designed to help you narrow down what to look for in your next wood floor. Grades One of the most important decisions you'll have to make when choosing a hardwood floor is the grade. The grade refers to how much or how little variation there is in the floor's natural colour. Often your choices will be 'Select and Better', 'Exclusive' or 'Traditional'. 'Select and Better' offers fewer knots and much less natural colour variation than either 'Exclusive' or 'Traditional'. For a more elegant look, the 'Select and Better' grade might be the best choice. If your style is more casual, you may opt for 'Exclusive' or 'Traditional' grades. But be careful! Not all grades are created equally — some manufacturers grade their products using quality as the only criterion. Glosses 'Gloss' refers to the degree of shine on the wood flooring. There are typically five gloss options: high gloss, semi gloss, cashmere, satin and matte. The choice you make will often depend not only on the look you're trying to achieve, but also on your lifestyle. High gloss offers a chic elegance, but may not be the best choice for a family with pets or young children since scratches will be more easily noticed, and dust and dirt will be more visible. Semi gloss is the industry standard, offering a medium-bright finish, while cashmere, satin, and matte offer less shine but greater wear-ability. Hardnesses The Janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a 0.444 inch steel ball into wood. This test is also used to determine the degree of difficulty in sawing and nailing. Red oak is the reference species for comparing wood hardness. Species Each species of wood has its own grain, colour, and veining. Your choice of species depends on your personal preferences and the effect you want to achieve. The most popular species are oak and maple, followed by birch, ash, beech, cherry, and walnut. Exotic woods are also available, such as Brazilian cherry, mahogany, sapele and tigerwood, which are very warm in colour and extremely hard. It is also important not to choose a species from pictures — always ask to see a sample. Widths Boards are generally available in standard widths of 2-1/4", 2-1/2", and 3-1/4". Wider widths are becoming more and more popular, some up to 5" wide and greater. Your choice will depend on the effect you want to create. Narrower boards make a room look longer, while wider boards make it appear shorter. Keep in mind, however, that a tight grained wood like maple expands more with humidity, which may make narrower boards preferable for some uses. Positioning Your wood flooring should ideally be installed in opposite direction of your subfloor joists. But you should also consider the shape and size of the room. For example, installing the boards lengthwise may make a long room look even longer, and it may be more flattering to lay the boards diagonally. If you like an original look but still have more traditional tastes, consider a "herringbone" design. You'll find all the information you need for your flooring project at Alberta Hardwood Flooring, Edmonton and Calgary. Our showrooms (pages 26 and 27) are the perfect place for browsing the many options or visit our website to learn more. 5