Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Shopping for brand new hardwood floors? Not sure what all the terminology means? Here’s a lowdown to help you when browsing the showrooms:

Solid Wood — This means the planks are milled from one piece of wood into 3/4″-thick boards. They shouldn’t be installed below grade, because moisture causes the boards to expand and contract.

Parquet – Floors crafted from geometrical patterns that are made from individual wood squares, which are held in place with adhesives or mechanical fastening.

Engineered Wood — This type of hardwood flooring is constructed from multiple layers of bonded cross-grain woods. Engineered woods are designed for installation at any house level, below grade included.

Wood Species — This is just the type of tree the wood comes from.

Board Width — The width of individual boards, which are categorized as strips (boards less than 3″ wide) and planks (boards wider than 3″).

Square Edge — This is when boards are designed to fit flush against each other, offering a smooth traditional look.

Edge/End Detail — This refers to special milling at the edges of each board, which creates unique visual effects.

Beveled Edge — This is when the sides of the boards are sanded or angled to create grooves or “an outline effect” around each board.

Eased Edge/Micro-beveled Edge — Slightly angled edges where the boards meet in order to create a less apparent outline.

Source: “Woodn’t You Know?” from the Jan. 2006 issue of Decorating Spaces.