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A Glossary of Common Hardwood Flooring Terms

There are several terms used by contractors and other hardwood flooring professionals. This article discusses several commonly used terms and offers a hardwood flooring glossary.

Whether you hire a professional to install your new hardwood floor or you've decided to do it yourself, there are some terms you may want to familiarize yourself with. Here are some of the most commonly used hardwood terms.

Engineered Hardwood: Engineered hardwood is made of a thin layer of the hard wood glued or laminated onto a surface - like plywood - in order to form a plank.
Exotic Woods: These types of woods are found outside of North America. Many of them come from Australia, Africa and Brazil.
Floating Floor: A floating floor is a type of installation commonly used with longstrip boards. Floating floors are not fastened to the subfloor with adhesive.
Glue-Down: The glue-down method involves directly gluing the planks to the floor beneath it.
Longstrip: A longstrip is the largest unit that the flooring comes in. It can be several times longer and wider than either a strip or a plank.
Plank: A plank is the unit between a strip and a long strip. It can be as long as a long strip, but somewhat wider. It's often smaller than a long strip.
Prefinished Wood: According to those at IFloor, www.ifloor.com, prefinished wood is a good alternative for those installing the wood because the finish is placed on the wood in the manufacturer's factory.
Solid Hardwood: Solid hardwood is a solid piece of hardwood cut into wood planks. It's usually about 3/4 inch thick.
Strip: A strip is one of the smallest units that wood flooring comes in. It's often narrower than a plank or a long strip.
Staple-Down: The staple-down installation process involves using a pneumatic staple gun to connect the hardwood to the floor beneath it.
Unfinished: Unfinished wood is often purchased by contractors because it's more affordable than prefinished wood. It is not stained of finished.

Hopefully, these terms can make it easier to communicate with your contractor or the sales associates at flooring stores.

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