What Is A Proprietary Grade Of Hardwood Flooring

See an example below of carlisle s hickory hardwood flooring grades.

What is a proprietary grade of hardwood flooring.

Boards with fewer and smaller features are sorted into one grade while those with more frequent and. He opens a box and explains how to pick. In actuality much of the unfinished solid wood flooring from the united states and canada follow the grading rules from one of those associations. One of the advantages of solid construction is that most 3 4 thick solid wood floors have about 1 4 or 6.

Almost all boards sold for hardwood flooring in the u s. Select grade hardwood flooring is top of the line in terms of both appearance and in terms of cost and comes from the heart of a tree. As with many flooring types hardwood flooring comes in a variety of different grades. This is meant only to give a general idea of each grade and not intended to be a complete list of all aspects of the grade.

This grade of solid hardwood is what our flooring professionals always recommend installing. Solid hardwood floor planks are made with a tongue and groove edge locking method which makes it easy to join the planks together and make a strong joint. Are graded according to standards originally laid out by the national oak flooring manufacturers association nofma to help create consistency in the quality of oak flooring in the u s. The people who created the grading system nofma do not consider quality to be a factor that differs throughout the different grades although many installers and contractors would beg to differ.

Most wood flooring grades deal with the aesthetics of the floor not the serviceability. Carlisle s proprietary wood flooring grades reflect the aesthetics of the floor rather than the grade of the lumber. The tongue interlocks with the groove to fit the boards together. Also some individual manufacturers can also create their own proprietary grades.

Among the many qualities that influence the appearance of any particular hardwood flooring is the grade of the wood. Because of this the wood s sap content is very low which results in very uniform color very few knots and the smoothest finish of any grade wood. The natural wood construction makes it easy to sand down and refinish as time goes on. Hardwood flooring is an often sought after flooring especially for more traditional or historic homes.

Below is a general description of grades for other domestic species such as walnut hickory maple ash and american cherry. For a more complete description please see actual products. One side of the board has a tongue and the other has a groove.