Hardwood Flooring Grades

There are grades on engineered but not regulated standard and all sorts of names that manufacturers use and often inconsistently.

Hardwood flooring grades.

Reasons being you will find prefinished manufacturers prefer to stay within a defined area of flooring that is basically more uniform in appearance unless otherwise specified. Grading of hardwood floors is more prevalent with unfinished flooring as it is with prefinished. This grade is slightly lower than the clear still presenting uniform color and little to no knots and pinholes. The grading of solid hardwood flooring revolves around australian standard as 2796 timber hardwood sawn and milled products.

This is the best grade of hardwood flooring because there are few color variations board lengths are not widely varied and there are little to no visible knots or pinholes. Almost all boards sold for hardwood flooring in the u s. The official wood grades apply to solid hardwood. While the national wood flooring association or nwfa has established a grading system it only applies to certain domestic species there is no universal system for international grades of hardwood.

The graining is a bit distorted due to how it s. This is an interesting area for shoppers retailers and manufacturers. Also many engineered woods especially cheaper ones are rotary sawn think of an apple peeler and these tend to be weaker and certainly look cheaper i e. The first is to address aspects of strength and serviceability when flooring is to be laid in structural applications such as over joists.

Grading rules have two specific purposes. Select 1 common and 2 common which is also known as rustic grade or builder s grade. 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. Each grade has its own particular characteristics and appearance.

Especially pertaining to oak hardwood flooring the 3 most commonly used grades are. Qualities meaning aesthetically whether they have a lot of knots wormholes and open grain lines or pretty evenly toned and without natural blemishes. 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. The hardwood grading system was created to help both home buyers sellers and flooring professionals to have a common point of reference for describing batches of wood with similar qualities.