Q. What is the quality of your hardwood floors?
We only sell factory firsts. We are authorized distributors for all products we sell and therefore you will have no warranty claim issues should the need arise.
Hardwood flooring products are then broken down by grades which quantify the appearance of the flooring as it relates to the natural character of the wood including knots, color variations, worm holes, etc. Our flooring grades include (from highest to lowest):
Clear
A flooring product of mostly heartwood (or Sapwood in certain species) with a minimum number of character marks and discoloration, providing a uniform appearance while allowing for all heartwood natural color variations. The allowable defects and color variation do vary somewhat from species to species and in such cases we follow NOFMA or NWFA guidelines for the species.
Select & Better
Select flooring is a flooring product with coloration variations produced by differences of natural heartwood and sapwood and has minimal characters. Select and Better floors also includes Clear grade material. The allowable defects and color variation do vary somewhat from species to species and in such cases we follow NOFMA or NWFA guidelines for the species.
Select
A flooring product with coloration variations produced by differences of natural heartwood and sapwood and has minimal characters. All of our domestic species that are graded Select are Select and Better. In exotics Select is a distinct and separate grade from clear.
Character & Better
Our Character & Better grade flooring is a 'mill-run' grade and includes the full variation of the species and includes materials that would grade from the top half of #2 Common, through #1 Common, Select, and Clear. This grade ensures that no less than 33% of the flooring will be Select or Clear on a square footage basis. Boxed checks, and knots that can be filled are limited but permitted. No significant milling defects are allowed. Character & Better allows the flooring buyer to get natural variation without sacrificing length or manufacturing quality as is the case with traditional lower grades.
#1 Common
Contains prominent color variations and varying natural character and a shorter average length.
#2 Common
Contains sound natural variations of the forest product and manufacturing imperfections including knot holes, and open characters. Suitable for homes, general utility use or where character marks and contrasting appearance is desired. Shortest average length.
Other flooring grades that are available in the market but that we do not carry:
#3 Common / Tavern / Rustic / Cabin
Are not regulated grades and are reserved for factory seconds, basically anything that resembles a wood floor is permitted; waste of 33-50% or more can be expected. InternetLumber does not offer products in these grades, and provides this information for comparison purposes only.
Natural Grade
Usually a combination of #1 and #2 Common also used to describe factory seconds of exotic species.
Mill Run
Roughly equivalent to our Character & Better grade without the guarantee percentage of upper grade material.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades in Maple & Hickory
These traditional grades in Maple and Hickory equate as follows to our grading rules. Our select Maple includes the high end of 2nd and all of 1st grade Maple. Our Character Maple includes all of 3rd, 2nd, and 1st with a much longer average length.
In Hickory, which we only offer in Character grade except by special order, we include all three grades. Our Hickory is selected for color variation.