CHOOSING YOUR FLOOR |
The process of selecting your new floor should take you through the steps below. Using this guide will be very helpful in choosing your next floor, but it is also recommended that you visit one of our specialized dealers to see our product assortment firsthand. (Dealer locator) Our dealers can be instrumental in your purchase decision; they supply you with the product and installation costs and provide you with valuable selection, design, and installation advice toward the successful completion of your project.
1. Determine whether you can use solid or only engineered flooring for your project
Solid flooring must be nailed or stapled into an existing wood subfloor and is only recommended on or above the grade level (soil line) around hour home.
Engineered flooring’s construction allows it to be installed over virtually any type of subfloor whether above, on, or below the grade level. Symmetry Engineered has the most versatile design, allowing it to be nailed, stapled, fully glued-down, or even floated (glued in the T&G). A floating installation is the low cost choice for basement and condo installations because it eliminates expensive adhesive costs. Note that if you live in a condo you may also be required to install a soundproofing membrane between your new floor and your existing subfloor.
Points to remember:
• Due to its thicker wear surface Solid flooring has a longer lifespan than engineered flooring.
• Solid flooring expands and contracts more than engineered flooring and thus will create small gaps between boards that may not occur with engineered.
• If you are choosing a solid floor our exclusive Contour Guard Total Protection elements will afford you valuable health and aesthetic benefits.
2. Choose your preferred species and grade
As it will be with most of your choices going forward, your choice of species and grade will to great degree be a question of personal taste. Therefore we recommend that you open up our product viewer to help you better visualize your options. Examine the natural color of each species, their distinctive grain patterns, how the different grades in each species show different amounts of visual characteristics such as knots, and mineral streaks. Find what appeals to you. One non-aesthetic consideration is the relative hardness of the different species offered. If you have an active high traffic household or a large pet, remember that the harder the species the less it will dent and show traffic patterns. Examine the species Hardness Scale to see how each species rates.
3. Choose your Color
If you are decorating and are looking for a particular stain color, you have come to the right place. If any of our standard color offerings aren’t exactly what you are looking for, consider that we can easily match any color you see offered by most of our competitors, and do so at no up-charge. Even if you have a unique color in mind simply supply us with any kind of sample to match, and then for a reasonable up-charge our stain technicians will be glad to reproduce your color and prepare a color matched sample of your one of a kind new floor for your final approval. Be as bold as you like because you hardwood is virtually timeless, so at any time it can be sanded and returned to either its natural color or stained to another once again.
4. Choose your width
The width of the boards in your floor again becomes a question of personal preference. Narrow boards, or strip flooring as it is referred to, performs well and has a certain appeal particularly in smaller rooms, while wide boards, or plank flooring, is often perceived as being of higher value, and is considered to have greater appeal in larger rooms. Up until now many hardwood dealers have counseled against choosing flooring wider than 3 ¼”, because of a fear that the floor will develop unsightly and unhealthy openings. These can develop over time due to uncontrolled swings in relative humidity within a home. With the added protection that our Contour Guard technology affords, you can now choose wider width flooring knowing that a greater degree of both health and aesthetic insurance is built into your new floor.
5. Choose your gloss level
The final choice is the degree of light you wish your floor to reflect. A Semi-Gloss finish which reflects approximately 50% of the light shone upon it is standard on our Classic Collection products. Our Nostalgic Collection features our Simulated-Oil look that reflects approximately 8% of the light. With our Exotic Collection you may wish to choose our Satin-Gloss which reflects at approximately a 30% rate. Regardless of the species and Collection you choose it is your option to customize the gloss level of your floor.
