Wood Species

• Acacia: This wood is known for its durability and unique wood grain. It tends to be harder than oak, making it a great option for high traffic areas.
• Brazilian cherry: This popular wood has a reddish-brown color and a slightly coarse grain. It tends to be a bit more stable compared to red oak.
• Hickory: This wood comes in a range of colors from red, to beige, to brown. This is a popular choice known for its distinct grain pattern and strength.
• Red oak: This wood choice is popular among many for its affordability and durability. It tends to have a subtle pink undertone compared to the brown or yellow undertones seen in oak floors.
• White oak: Many people choose white oak wood because of its long lasting durability and versatility. It is known for its consistent grain pattern and is also popular because of the vast possibilities for stain and finish options.

Finished vs Unfinished

Another important thing to consider when planning your hardwood floor installation is whether you want the material to be finished or unfinished. If you want to have a custom stain applied before the final finish or you want to match the color of existing flooring, then unfinished flooring is your best bet. If you’d prefer a fast installation process, prefinished floors are probably a better choice for your home. These come pre-sanded and sealed, so they can be put in your home quickly.

Solid vs Engineered

You’ll also need to decide whether you want solid hardwood floors or engineered hardwood floors in your home. As the name suggests, solid hardwoods are made from all wood and they can be refinished and sanded many times. Engineered hardwoods, on the other hand, have a veneer of real wood that’s glued to layered wood underneath, such as plywood. Our flooring experts here at Ridgeline Floors are here to talk to you about your project. We can help you make the right decisions for your needs when it comes to wood species, finish, and solid or engineered wood so you get the floors of your dreams.

What to Consider When Choosing Hardwood Floors

After you decide on those three factors, there are a few other options to think about when picking out the perfect hardwood floors for your home, which we cover below. 

Color 

Should you install light hardwood floors or would a darker color better suit your home? Choosing the right color for your floors is key to creating a cohesive design throughout your home. Keep in mind that dark floors can create warmth in your home while light floors reflect light and can make the space look bigger. 

Direction 

You’ll also need to decide which direction you want your floors to lay. As a good rule of thumb, we recommend having your hardwood floors installed lengthwise towards the window, but ultimately, it’s up to you. 

Grain pattern 

The way a piece of wood is cut makes a different type of grain pattern on the planks. Plain-sawn wood is the most common type of wood grain and has a pattern known as cathedrals. Rift-sawn wood, on the other hand, does not have cathedrals, but it has long and consistent grain, while quarter-sawn wood has a more irregular grain pattern. 

Where you plan to install it 

Give some consideration to where you plan to install your new flooring. How much foot traffic will the area get? The answer can help you determine which type of hardwood flooring you need.

How much natural light the space gets 

Along those same lines, think about how much natural light you get in the areas where you want to install new floors. If you get a lot of natural light, combining that with light floors can make the whole space feel brighter and bigger. If it’s an area without much natural light, you might want to avoid dark floors or the space might feel more cramped than it is

What to Expect During Hardwood Floor Installation

When you hire Ridgeline Floors for your hardwood floor installation, we will work quickly and efficiently to transform your home with as little disruption to your life.

Here’s what you can expect during the installation process. 

• Preparation: First things first, we’ll prepare the area where we’ll be installing your new floors. This includes removing furniture and other items from the room, wall hangings, baseboards, etc. Once everything is out of the way, we can start preparing the subfloor. 

• Board racking: Next up, we’ll lay out the wood planks to determine where they will go before we begin the installation. This helps to give your floors a more finished, cohesive look, as it ensures that the color of your floors flows smoothly. 

• Installation: After the racking process, we’ll start the actual installation, nailing down the boards to the subfloor and working our way throughout the room. 

• Finishing: If you decide to install finished hardwood floors, then our work is complete. If you choose unfinished hardwood floors, we’ll then sand, stain, and finish the planks before cleaning up after ourselves and doing a final inspection.