|
Acclimation |
A
process where seasoned lumber is stored in the area for equalization of
moisture content prior to installation. Not required for engineered wood
flooring. |
|
Annual Growth Rings |
The
layer of wood growth, including spring and summerwood formed on a tree
during a single growing season. |
|
Blemish |
A defect
or anything that mars the appearance of the wood. |
|
Bird's Eye |
Small
circular or elliptical areas resembling bird's eyes on the surface of
the wood, formed by indented fibers. Common in sugar maple and used for
decorative purposes. Rare in other species. |
|
Blisters or Bubbles |
Appearance of bubbles on the surface of the finish. Also see squeeze
back. |
| Bow |
A
specific type of warping. Plank or strip has a curvature from end to
end, flatwise. Specific types of bowing are horns up (the ends of the
strip or plank are pointing upward or sometimes called end lift) and
horns down (the ends of the strip or plank are pointing downward.) |
| Build
Up |
The
thick edge of dried urethane on the top of the end of the boards. |
|
Checks |
A
rupture, small splits, or openings running parallel to the grain of
wood, caused chiefly by strains during cutting and seasoning. (Same as
Face Checking.) |
|
Chipped Grain |
An area
in which pieces of wood have been pulled or chipped away from the
surface. Also known as pulled or torn grain. |
|
Cloudy Finish |
Loss of
luster or clarity or a milky appearance of the finish on the surface. |
| Core |
The
inner portion of an engineered board. All layers between the face and
back. |
| Core
Voids |
A void
in an inner ply that runs the full length or width of the board. |
| Crook |
A
specific type of warping when a slat has a curvature from end to end,
edgewise, from a straight line. Also known as banana. |
| Cross
Band |
In
plywood with more than three plies, those veneers immediately beneath
the face, having grain direction perpendicular to that of the face. #1
cross band, in flooring with more than three plies, the veneer
immediately below the face. #2 cross band, in flooring with more than
tree plies, the veneer immediately above the back. |
| Cross
Pull |
A
condition occurring at an end joint with the ends of flooring strips
pulled in opposite directions. Gaps that look like a lightning streak. |
| |
|
|
Crowning |
A
specific type of warping when a board assumes the shape of an inverted
"U" across the face. Often an illusory condition caused by premature
sanding of a cupped floor. |
| Cup |
A form
of warp, a deviation from flatness across the width of a board. |
|
Cupping |
A
specific type of warping when a board becomes "U" shaped across the
face. Can be convex or concave. Caused by moisture change on one side of
the floor. |
|
Delamination |
The
separation of layers in an engineered wood board. Usually caused by
failure within the adhesive or at the bond between adhesives and veneer. |
|
Distressed |
A heavy
texture in which the floor has been scraped, scratched or gouged to give
it a time worn look. |
| Edge
Tear Out |
Where an
amount of wood fibers have been removed from either end of the board on
the face. |
| Eased
Edge |
The
chamfered or slightly beveled edge of flooring at a 45° angle. (1mm x
1mm) |
| |
|
| End
Joint |
The
place where two pieces of flooring are joined together end to end. |
| End
Lift |
This is
the opposite of bow. The distortion of the flat surface from end to end
is lifting up of the ends of the piece. (The board is not flat: it lifts
up on the ends.) |
| End
Matched |
In wood
flooring the ends of individual pieces have a tongue milled on one end
and a groove milled on the opposite end, so that when the individual
boards are butted together, the tongue of one piece engages the groove
of the next piece. |
| End
Tear Out |
The
pulling of wood fibers on the sides of the planks caused by tooling of
the tongue and groove. |
|
Engineered Wood Flooring |
The
science of manufacturing a superior laminated hardwood flooring. |
| Face |
The
surface of flooring having the higher quality that is exposed to view
after installation. |
| Face
Checking |
A
rupture, small splits, or openings running parallel to the grain of the
wood, caused chiefly by strains during cutting and seasoning of the
wood. |
| Fill |
A
substance used to fill the holes and irregularities in the sanded
surface of wood strips to provide a smooth, durable surface, before
applying the finish coats. (Primarily used with southern oak.) |
|
Finish |
Coatings
of stain, varnish, lacquer, wax, etc., applied to wood surfaces to
protect and enhance their durability or appearance. |
|
Finish Laps & Skips |
An
inconsistent coating of a material. |
| Fuzzy
Grain |
Rough
grain on the face of the board, resulting from absorption of moisture
sufficient to expand the wood cells at the immediate surface. The result
is a fuzzy feel when touched. |
| Gloss |
Shine or
sheen of the finish. |
| Gloss
Level |
The
level of the gloss measured by a glossometer. The higher the gloss, the
higher the number. (100 would be a mirror, 0 would be black.) |
| Grain |
The
direction, size, arrangement, and appearance of the wood fibers in wood
or veneer. |
|
Growth Rings |
Increments of growth which appear as figures in the floor. Seen in a
cross section of a log as rings around the center of the log. When only
one growth ring is formed during a year, it is called an annual growth
ring. Viewing the end of a solid board, they appear in bands or layers. |
| Gum
Pockets |
Well
defined openings between rings of annual growth, containing gum and
evidence of prior gum accumulations. (Predominant in cherry usually
shows up as a dark round or teardrop shape.) |
|
Hardwood |
General
term used to designate lumber or veneer produced from broad-leafed or
deciduous trees in contrast to softwood, which is produced from trees
which are usually needle bearing and coniferous. The term does not infer
hardness in its physical sense. |
|
Heartwood |
The
non-active center of a tree generally distinguishable from the outer
portion by its darker color. |
| Knot |
Cross
section of tree branch or limb with grain usually running at right
angles to that of the piece of wood in which it occurs. (The portion of
branch or limb that has been surrounded by subsequent growth of the
stem.) |
| Knot
Hole |
Openings
produced when a knot drops from the wood in which it was originally
embedded. |
| Light
Ends |
Ends of
the board(s) appear to be lighter in color compared to the rest of the
board. |
| Mill
Run |
Unsorted
and usually not inspected product that is produced. |
|
Mineral Streak |
A
general term used to describe discoloring of hardwoods. The discoloring
ranges from greenish brown to black, and has a high mineral content.
(The natural discoloration within the wood.) |
|
Moisture Content |
The
weight of water in the cell walls and cavities of wood expressed as a
percentage of the actual dry substance. Normal moisture content would be
between 7% and 11%. |
| Open
Grain |
Wood
with large pores. |
|
Orange Peel |
A pebble
surface similar to that of an orange peel. |
| Out
of Square |
Ends not
cut at a precise right angle. |
|
Overwood |
A
flooring condition in which some wood pieces are higher or lower than
adjacent pieces, leaving a slightly uneven surface. |
| Pin
Holes |
Small
round holes in wood caused by insects. |
| Pin
Knots |
A knot
less than a 1/4" in diameter and containing a dark center. |
|
Plainsawn Wood |
Wood
that has been sawn from a hardwood log in such a manner that the growth
rings form an angle from 0° to 45° with the surface of the board. |
|
Quartersawn |
Wood
sawn from a hardwood log in such a manner so the growth rings form an
angle from 45° to 90° with the surface of the board. |
|
Raised Grain |
1) A
roughened or fuzzy condition on the face of the flooring in which the
dense summer wood is raised above the softer spring wood, but not torn
or separated. 2) The objectionable roughness of wood caused by the
swelling and stiffening of the short broken fibers on the board's
surface. Usually caused by absorption of moisture. |
| Rays |
Tissue
formed in a living tree that radiates from the pith toward the perimeter
of a tree across the growth rings. Rays are very distinct in the oak
species. |
| Ray
Fleck |
A part
of a ray appearing very distinctly on the face of quatersawn board. |
| Rift
Sawn |
Lumber
in which the annual rings make angles of 30° to 60° with the surface of
the board. |
|
Roller Lines |
Mark
made on the board caused by an indentation on a roller from the UV
machines. |
| Sap |
The
water in a tree, including any dissolved nutrients and extractives. |
|
Sapwood |
The live
wood portion of a tree encircling the heartwood. Generally it is lighter
in color than the heartwood. |
| Shake |
A
separation along the grain of wood in which the greater part occurs
between the rings of annual growth. |
| Side
Tear Out |
The
pulling of wood fibers on the sides of the planks caused by tooling of
the tongue and groove. |
| Split |
The
separation of wood fibers running parallel to the grain. Usually caused
by strain while cutting or seasoning the wood. |
|
Softwood |
General
term used to describe lumber or veneer produced from needle and/or cone
bearing trees. |
| Sound
Knots |
A knot
that is solid across its face and fixed in place by growth to retain its
place. |
|
Square Edge |
Tongue
and grooved flooring with edges that are not eased or beveled. |
|
Squeeze Back |
The
forming of bubbles or pimples on the surface of the finished wood. It is
caused by exposure to excessive heat, grease or other volatile material
under the finish, by moisture in the wood or by the too frequent
applications of coats. Anything that causes a gas vapor to form under
the film may cause a blister. (More noticeable in southern oak.) |
| Stain
Spots |
Dark
drops or spots on the surface of the wood from the stain. |
| UV
Cured Urethane |
A
special type of urethane that is cured by subjecting the polyurethane to
a specific dosage of radiation in the form of ultraviolet light. |
|
Veneer |
A thin
sheet of wood, rotary cut sliced, or sawed from a log. Veneer is
referred to as a ply when assembled. |
|
Veneer Laps |
A
condition where one piece of veneer in the same ply overlaps another
piece. |
|
Warping |
Any
distortion of a piece of wood from its true plane. |
| White
Wood |
Unstained wood. |
| Wood
Rot |
Decomposition of the wood. |
| Worm
Holes |
Holes
created by worms burring through the tree. |
General Care
& Maintenance