Vancouver, BC Hardwood store

Engineered wood flooring

This type of floor is constructed from several wood plies that are glued together. The centre core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the centre core and another softer wood ply is attached underneath the core. This top ply is also called the finish layer and can be constructed of almost any wood specie.

Solid wood flooring

Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood that have tongue and groove sides and come in either pre-finished or unfinished styles. Solid wood floors can be fully glued to the floor or nail-down with a porta-nailer. You can refinish, or recoat solid wood floors several times, which adds to their appeal and to their long life. There are solid floors that are over 100 years old and are still in good condition. The luxurious appearance of a hardwood floor can add warmth and character to any room in a home.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is a grass - not of a tree, so technically speaking, it's not wood flooring. But it looks nice and has many of the same properties as wood, so we'll talk about it here. Bamboo is sold as pre-finished (dark or light) engineered boards instead of solid planks. The striped grain offers an exotic effect, and many people prefer the look to wood. It also resists moisture well, so it's popular in humid climates.

A huge benefit of bamboo is that it's more environmentally friendly than wood. Bamboo grows to maturity in a few years as opposed to the hundred years it can take to grow a tree. So, when it's cut down to be used in flooring, you can be assured more will soon grow back to replace what was taken. Bamboo flooring is comparable to hardwood in price.

Oak Hardwood Flooring

Oak is the most popular choice for hardwood floors in North America. Oak comes in red or white varieties, and within each species, there are a range of hues. The color of the white oak runs from creamy white to a light brown all the way up to a medium brown. Red oak be reddish brown in color.

White oak flooring

White Oak is harder than red oak, and it has a more uniform appearance. It is a heavy and hard wood, that has a medium bending strength and low stiffness. It's good at resisting wear.

Red oak flooring

Red oak has an open grain that makes it more porous than white. Red is also hard and heavy, possessing a medium bending strength and stiffness.

Pine Flooring

Unlike hardwoods such as oak and maple, pine is considered a softwood. Pine is more susceptible to dents, dings, and scratches, but it's still used for flooring, because many people appreciate the character of a worn floor. Knotty pine was the preferred flooring for Americans throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. When paired with wide boards, it gives a home a rustic flair, making it popular with log and timber-frame home owners. As with hardwoods, pine is available in many sizes of planks. Another perk of pine flooring is that because softwoods are generally less desirable than hardwoods, it can be had for less money than other woods.

Maple Hardwood Flooring

Maple hardwood flooring varies from pale white to a light reddish brown. Its uniform texture is appealing, and it's less likely to scratch or dent. It has a closed grain. Maple has excellent strength properties. It's resistant to wear and abrasion. It's widely available in the United States and Canada.

Teak Flooring

Teak was a rare wood for a long time, but the planting of sustainable nurseries and forests today has brought it back into fashion. Teak is similar in strength to oak, plus it is naturally resistant to insects, fungi, termites, and temperature shifts. This natural resistance is what makes it so popular in outdoor furniture, boat decks, and other place where weather is a concern. Teak floors range in color from yellowish brown to a dark golden brown.

Beech Hardwood Flooring

Beech isn't as well known as oak or maple flooring, but it's a wonderful species of wood with lots of appeal. In color, beech ranges from a mid-brown to a pinkish-white, with an interesting flecked grain. Because beech flooring is consistent in tone and patterning, it fits well in a contemporary setting. It also holds a stain well.