Monday, April 02, 2012

Floor Grades: What Are They, and Why Are They Important?

Whether you’re in the market for wholesale hardwood flooring to redo the floors in an entire house, or just looking to patch an existing installation, it helps to have a good command of the terminology of the hardwood flooring industry. Knowing the basic concepts will make your experience go more smoothly, and understanding your own hardwood flooring needs will avoid mistakes and misunderstandings that could necessitate costly repairs later.

One of the terms you’re likely to hear your wholesale hardwood flooring representative use is “grade.” Some folks may be confused by this, since in other contexts, “grade” can refer to the angle of a slope—and you’re probably hoping your floor will be flat! But in the hardwood flooring industry, “grade” refers to the level of the floor relative to the level of the ground outside.

There are three types of grade. The first is “on grade.” This means simply that the floor is at ground level—typically the main floor of a residence. On grade hardwood flooring installations can be solid hardwood, engineered flooring, or floating hardwood floors.

The second usage is “above grade,” which means, as you might imagine, installations on the upper floors of the residence. Here also, one can employ solid, engineered or floating hardwood flooring.

Finally, some installations are “below grade,” meaning they’re below ground level — basements or sunken room levels. This is important, since most wholesale hardwood flooring suppliers recommend that you avoid solid hardwood flooring in below-grade situations, due the danger of moisture- related damage to hardwood floors installed below ground level.

On grade installations support most all types of hardwood flooring materials.

We hope this makes things a bit clearer. Of course, there’s no substitute for a conversation with a real expert. Contact Wood Monsters today to learn more about the best choices for hardwood flooring on any level of the house.

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