FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) will help you determine the right flooring for your home or business.

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1. Engineered or Laminate?

2. Solid or Engineered?

3. Hardwood or Softwood?

4. 3 Ply or 5 Ply?

5. Sawn or Rotary Cut Veneer?

6. Square Edge or Eased Edge or Kissed Edge Profile?

7. Strip or Plank?

8. Oak or Maple or Cherry or Hickory?

9. On-the-site Finish or UV Cured Urethane Finish or UV Cured Urethane w/Aluminum Oxide?

Engineered or Laminate?

In the mid 1900’s when hardwood flooring manufacturers initiated using multiple layers of wood veneer to produce flooring, the process was called laminating. Therefore, the floors were called laminated wood flooring. The name "laminate wood floors" was prevalent until 1994 when European manufactures introduced, what is known as "laminate floors" today. Since most of the laminated patterns were wood grains, the hardwood flooring industry initiated the term "engineered", so real wood flooring would not be confused with laminate flooring.

Solids or Engineered?

Solid wood floors are manufactured as one complete piece of solid wood, generally 3/4" thick and board widths are generally 2 1/4" and 3 1/4" wide. The length of the boards may vary from 9" to 72", with an average of 32" long.

Solid wood floors react to the environment in which it is placed. In the winter heating months, the moisture content of the wood reduces causing the floor to contract or leave gaps between each board. In the summer months when humidity enters the wood, it will cause the wood to expand and if there is too much moisture, it can cause the floor to cup.

Solid wood floors are most commonly installed by nailing down to a wood subfloor.

Engineered wood floors refer to products that have multiple layers of wood veneer glued and pressed together. With SIERRA Hardwood Flooring the thicknesses are 5/16", 3/8" and 1/2" and widths are 2 1/4", 3" and 5". Lengths will vary from 12" upwards.

Engineered wood floors have layers of wood veneer that are cross-laminated for dimensional stability. These floors will be less affected by moisture than solid wood floors. Engineered wood floors can be installed on grade, below grade, or above grade – virtually – any room in the home.

Engineered wood floors have several options of installing; nail down, staple down, glue down, and some can even be floated.

Hardwood or Softwood?

Hardwood is produced from trees that bear leaves (deciduous) and softwood trees bear needles (coniferous).

3 Ply or 5 Ply?

Our 3-ply construction consists of all hardwood plys. Each ply is cross-laminated for dimensional stability.

Our 5-ply construction consists of all hardwood plys. Each ply is cross-laminated for superior dimensional stability.

Sawn or Rotary Cut Veneer?

Wood flooring comes from the main stem of the tree between the roots and the first limb. The cross grain part of the log tells the history of the tree. The growth rings indicates how old the tree is and what the climate was like during it’s growth. Narrow annual growth rings tell you that there was poor rainfall during the year. From the outside of the log to the inside of the log, there will be many grain variations and colorations. This is what makes hardwood floors so appealing to the consumer because each plank is different.

Sawn Wood – The log is cut lengthwise by a stationary blade. This process is used in the manufacturing of 3/4" solid floors with less grain variation than that of a rotary cut veneer.

Rotary cut veneer – The veneer log is rotated against a stationary knife to produce a sheet of wood. This method is the most economical method of producing veneer. Rotary cut veneer gives more distinctive and varied grain patterns.

Square Edge or Eased Edge or Kissed Edge Profile?

Square Edge	Eased Edge	Kissed Edge

Square edge - Tongue and grooved, strip or plank flooring edges that are not eased or beveled. The surface appears level and smooth, if the subfloor is properly leveled.

Eased edge - Tongue and grooved, strip or plank flooring with surface edges cut at an angle, a very slight bevel. Some consumers prefer this look because each plank is defined. Also helps reduce the high-low boarding effect on an uneven subfloor.

Kissed Edge - The kissed edge was designed to give the same benefit of an eased edge floor, but with the look of a square edge. A kissed edge is approximately 1/2 of what the eased edge will measure.

Strip or plank?

Strip flooring - Any hardwood flooring that is up to 2 1/4" wide.

Plank flooring - Any hardwood flooring that is 3" wide or wider.

Oak or Maple or Cherry or Hickory?

SIERRA Hardwood Flooring offers a variety of species for the consumer. Each species offers a distinctive uniqueness.

Oak - The smooth flow of oak grain, three dimensional warmth, and ease of finishing is the prevalent choice of the American consumer.

Maple - Maple is naturally harder than oak with a strong consistent grain appearance. Because of it's closed grained and hard fibered construction, it is harder to on-the-site stain than oak, that is why you will see most gym floors and on-the-site finished floors with maple's natural color. Maple has a smooth surface and easy to clean because of its tight grain structure.

Cherry - Cherry is very popular in fine furniture and kitchen cabinets. Cherry is also a tight grained species with a strong consistent appearance in the graining. Like all fine cherry furniture, cherry hardwood floors are sensitive to UV rays and are more prone than other hardwood species to indentations.

Hickory - Hickory is naturally harder than maple with a dense tight grain and has an excellent resistance to indentation. The beauty of pecan is that it easily finishes with a furniture grade appearance. One of the beautiful distinctive characteristics of wild hickory is the wide variation of colors inherent in the species.

On-the-site Finish or UV Cured Urethane Finish or UV Cured Urethane w/Aluminum Oxide?

UV cured factory applied urethane finishes eliminate numerous problems that are prevalent with on-the-site applied finishes. There are two types of on-the-site applied finishes; the penetrating sealer, which leaves practically no surface film, or the heavy solid type finish, which provides high luster and a protective film on the surface. The penetrating finish does not protect the floor from moisture, but does not show wear as quickly as the heavy solid type finish (urethane). The problems with on-the-site finishes are classified in two obvious types; those that occur during application and those that develop after application.

The only solution to any of the above problems which originate with the finishing materials and their application is to sand the floor and apply a new finish correctly, being sure to follow the finish manufacturer's directions. It's an easy choice to choose our prefinished wood flooring, backed by warranties that on-the-site finishes cannot offer.

UV cured urethane finish - UV cured means that each coat of urethane that is applied to the wood flooring is instantly cured when passed under ultra violet lighting. Just like a fine finished automobile that boasts 20 plus coats of lacquer finish, it's not how thick the finish is, but how many thin coats that are cured before you apply the next coat that gives you the durable finish.

UV cured urethane with Aluminum Oxide (AO) - When laminate floors entered the U. S. market in 1994, the floors were sold with AO concentrate in the wear layer that would out perform most conventional flooring products. Finishing manufacturers have developed a process to suspend the AO particles in factory applied urethane to produce a wear layer for prefinished hardwood flooring to out perform any on-the-site finished floors or UV-cured urethane floors.