A Guide to the Different Grades of Hardwood Flooring

Shopping for hardwood flooring for your home can seem daunting initially. As with anything else, it is necessary to do your own research. You will notice while you're shopping around that there are various grades of hardwood floors. Just because a particular floor is a specific grade doesn't indicate it is a lower quality product. This grading system simply lets producers understand how prevalent the wood's natural features are in the flooring and how much the colour changes from board to board. That said, let us take a look at some of the various ranges of hardwood floors.

Clear Grade

This floor will have very few "character marks". The colour will be very uniform across the entire floor. The grain will be exceptionally consistent. This may be somewhat hard to locate, and it's usually far easier to get engineered clear grade hardwood than it is to receive it in solid hardwood.

Select Grade

Like apparent grade, pick grade has quite few "imperfections". The distinction is that pick grade is milled from heartwood and sapwood, so that there will be a few more variation in the color of the planks. Additionally, there can be marginally more variation in the grain of the wood. Select grade hardwood is still not all so easy to find, as it usually accounts for no more than 15% of a given tree. Frequently, manufacturers will bundle clear grade and select grade together.

#1 Common Grade

This is the grade where the wood attributes actually shine through. You will see swirls, knots, and stripes throughout these boards, although the prominence of these attributes will still be fairly limited. The ordinary grades of hardwood are usually best for high traffic areas and homes with pets and/or children because the natural wood characteristics have a tendency to conceal the tiny dings and scratches which are common at a lively home.

#2 Common Grade

#2 shared grade is quite like #1, but the presence of the wood's natural attributes is far more prevalent. Lots of natural character symbols and variation in colour would make this the gorgeous focal point of any space.

Cabin Grade

Believe Rustic. Cabin grade hardwood is greatly marked with the natural qualities of the timber. There is very rarely any consistency in grain or pattern, making cottage grade hardwood floors extremely charming.