Home | SPECIALS!!! | Services Offered | Hardwood Floor Care | Design Your Room | Green Floors! | Hardwood Refinish | Hardwood Installation | Request Estimate | Contact Us | FAQs

Call for a free in home estimate! 678-768-4888

Hardwood Installation

Armstong and Bruce Solid Strip: A Superior Alternative to Engineered Flooring

webassets/stripking.jpg
click here to view selection

Natural Choice Collection from Bruce features solid hardwood species in 5/16” strips. Prefinished using Bruce’s Dura-Luster Plus Urethane, the Natural Choice Collection comes in a variety of shades that fit any design style. Natural Choice is solid flooring crafted from premium grade oak hardwood. Designed to deliver a more refined look to surpass all other grades, this hardwood flooring is a cut above the rest. Natural choice by Bruce is crafted from the exclusive Accu-Lock milling system that cuts the edges and ends of each strip with exacting precision for unprecedented wall-to-wall elegance.The patented milling system of Natural Choice is unmatched in the industry. The 2 1/4" wide, solid oak construction features square edges and ends. The low profile is perfect for remodeling in that it allows a smooth transition to other rooms. Installation methods: For glue down installation on a concrete surface that is on or above grade or for staple down installation on a plywood subfloor. 25-Year Residential Limited Warranty, Lifetime Structural Warranty. 

THE HARDWOOD FLOORING INSTALLATION PROCESS

Preparation: The subfloor must be even before hardwood flooring can be installed.  All nails or tacks left behind from the previous flooring must be removed and the subfloor has to be clean and free of debris.
...
Acclimation: Wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. To preventwebassets/molding1.gif cupping or warping, hardwood flooring must be acclimated before it can be sanded and finished.  For installation of hardwood flooring in large areas, we prefer to install the wood and let it acclimate in place for at least 5 days before sanding and finishing.
     
Felt Paper Underlayment: Felt Paper Underlayment lessens moisture migration from below to prevent moisture-related cracking, cupping and warping in solid hardwood finished floors. It also reduces noise and squeaks.
 
Nail Down Solid Hardwood Installation: Strips or planks are nailed to the subfloor perpendicular to the flooring joists.  The installer uses a nailer gun to nail the flooring at the sides of the boards so the nails are not visible. 
..
Glue Down Engineered or solid strip Installation:  Thin strips of engineered flooring or solid strip hardwood flooring are glued to a concrete slab using a glue manfactured specifically for adhering wood to concrete. Upon drying, this adhesive is a
moisture barrier, protecting the wood from moisture that up through the concrete.
  
Shoe moulding or Quarter round moulding: Space is left between the hardwood flooring and the wall or baseboard to allow for seasonal expansion of the wood.  Additionally, the boards closest to the wall have face nails, or nails on top of the boards.  Shoe moulding or quarter round moulding is nailed to the bottom of the baseboard to hide these characteristics.

 UNFINISHED and PREFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS

webassets/install.jpgUnfinished wood is installed first, then sanded, stained and finished with polyurethane in the home. It has a more natural appearance than most prefinished flooring.  The entire process - installation and finishing can take between two to three days, depending on the size of the installation. Having unfinished wood installed is generally less expensive than installing prefinished wood. 
webassets/select.jpgwebassets/wd.jpg    
Prefinished wood is stained and finished at a factory. It is then installed and ready to walk on immediately.  Prefinished solid wood may have a bevel or micro-bevel on the sides of each plank to offset the slight variation in the thickness of the boards. As many as ten thin coats of finish are sprayed onto the boards at the factory for a flawless finish.  Prefinished flooring is now available with aluminum oxide or ceramic finishes that are incredibly durable.   

 

HARDWOOD FLOORING GRADES

All hardwood flooring is catagorized by grade. Hardwoods that are uniform in color and have longer board lengths in the bundle are graded higher than boards with varying colors and shorter boards.  Higher grade hardwoods are more expensive than lower grade hardwoods. 

For a more detailed Hardwood flooring grade descriptions please go to the NWFA site http://www.nofma.org/gradingrules.htm

webassets/Clear.jpg webassets/select.jpg webassets/twocom.jpg

Common Grading Names

Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

Unfinished Wood Flooring

Clear Grade - Most uniform in color, longer lengths, virtually no blemishes or knots.
Select & Better - Very uniform in color, longer lengths virtually no blemishes or knots.
Country or Exclusive Grades - Boards starting to show the natural character such as lighter and darker boards, shorter board average, small pinholes and tiny knots possible.
Traditional, Antique, Character Grades - Boards show a lot of natural character such as light and dark boards, pinholes and knots possible, small checks allowed. Overall board lengths are shorter.
Tavern or Cabin Grade - Boards show a lot of character such as light and dark boards, lengths of boards are shorter approx 24" average. Pinholes and knots can be quite evident.

Clear Grade - Most uniform in color, longer, lengths, virtually no blemishes or knots.
Select & Better - Very uniform in color, longer lengths, virtually no blemishes or knots.
#1 Common - Board starting to show the natural character such as lighter and darker boards, shorter board average, pinholes and knots are present.
#2 Common - Boards show a lot of natural Character such as light and dark boards, larger knots and checks allowed. Over all board lengths are shorter.
Shorts - Boards show a lot of natural character such as light and dark boards, lengths of boards are extremely short approx 16" average, knots and pinholes are quite evident.

 

   ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORING

webassets/eng2.jpgEngineered Wood, is manufactured by compressing several layers of hardwood together with a thin veneer on top.  The layers are criss-crossed to prevent the expansion and contraction due to changes in humidity levels. This makes it possible for people to have hardwood flooring in basements or on top of concrete slabs. Engineered flooring is thinner than solid hardwood flooring.  It typically comes in 3/8" or 5/8" thickness.  It is installed using an adhesive that bonds wood to concrete.  Once it is glued down, it cannot be pulled up for repairs. Eventually, as the glue under the wood dries out (15 - 20 years) individual strips can come loose or give when walked on. Engineered flooring is available either prefinished or unfinished. 

  SOLID HARDWOOD FLOORING           
webassets/hardwood-floor-supply.jpgSolid hardwood flooring is the only flooring that increases the value of a home.  Its timeless beauty will never go out of style.   
Solid wood strips or planks are milled from a single 3/4" thick piece of hardwood.  It is available in widths of 2 1/4" strips, 3 1/4"strips, 4" planks, 5"planks,  and 6" planks.  Solid wood is nailed onto a wooden subfloor that is at least 1/2" thick. Solid 3/4" flooring cannot be glued down and should never be installed directly onto concrete that is below grade (basement).   
 
Solid wood is available either "unfinished" or "prefinished".  Unfinished wood is installed first, then sanded, stained and finished with polyurethane in the home. The entire process - installation and finishing can take between two to three days, depending on the size of the installation. Prefinished wood is stained and finished at a factory. It is then installed and ready to walk on immediately.   
webassets/inst.jpg