Grades Of Hardwood Flooring And Why It’s Important To Know

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Learn Which Hardwood Flooring You’ll Want To Use For Your Home In Tucson

The differences in grades of hardwood flooring are how they look. This includes color, mineral streaks, knots, length, and more.

Find out more below:

I Thought I Was Done With School!

“Ugh, we’re going back to grades again,” Justin moans jokingly.

Amber giggles. “Yes, we are! But only for a little and you’re guaranteed to pass.” Justin laughs. “Perfect. So, let’s get back to this grades of hardwood flooring thing.”

Amber looks back to her phone. “Well, apparently people rate hardwood floors based on how they look, which speaks to their quality. We don’t want to get a low grade so I figured it would be a good idea to look it up.”

Justin nods approvingly. “That’s a great idea. What did you find out? Oh, and can we look up hardwood vs engineered wood flooring?” Amber nods as she tells him the following:

Grades Of Hardwood Flooring

The differences in the quality of the grades of hardwood flooring can be seen in how they look. Better grades have fewer imperfections such as knots. They’re also more uniform in color and board length. Lower hardwood flooring grades look more natural and irregular.

Clear Grade Hardwood

This is thought to be the best of the best. What best means is the coloring is mostly the same, as are board lengths, and you won’t see many knots or irregularities. The quality is high and the look is wonderful.

Select Grade

Select grade is the most uniform looking. It has smaller knots and color variations. Select also has the longest planks. Different woods will have different characteristics. It ranks right under clear.

#1 Common Or Natural Grade

This is where you can start seeing the differences in the grades of hardwood flooring. You’ll see the color isn’t as uniform and there are more knots and pinholes. Boards are shorter and the lengths vary more. There are more visible imperfections.

#2 Common Or Rustic Grade

You’ll see a lot more natural character in these hardwoods. The coloring won’t be the same throughout, the boards are shorter, and there are way more knots and pinholes.

Cabin Or Tavern Or Utility Grade

This is the worst grade of hardwood. Breaks, holes, gaps, and wasted wood is how to best describe the utility grade. It may be best to not use this grade.

No matter which grade of hardwood flooring you choose, it’s important to know how to care for your floors so they stay beautiful.

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“Which means we want something like natural or higher,” suggests Justin. Amber shrugs. “I might be ok with rustic too. Let’s see what else we can learn about flooring before we decide.”