Are you overwhelmed by all that is available? Do you have a hard time deciding?

We are here to help by providing unbiased support in choosing the right floor for your application.

Hardwood floors are, by definition, produced entirely from solid wood.

Engineered in comparison, consists of a hardwood veneer attached on top of a plywood base.

Hardwood floors are best to be used on plywood sub-floors, on, or above grade. North American grown woods offer great stability, minimizing the risk for gaping and are known to last many years without causing concerns given normal use conditions. Not all, but some exotic hardwoods, although are preferred aesthetically, are not recommended to be installed as hardwoods because of their compromised stability.

Engineered floors have been designed for 2 main reasons. First, the plywood substructure provides increased stability compared to a significant number of hardwoods - this stability is especially beneficial and therefore recommended over radiant heat and also over concrete sub-floors where increased humidity variation is generally found.

Second, it offers the possibility of combining the stability of the plywood base with almost any type of local or exotic hardwood veneer. This combination not only brings an endless choice of local and exotic flooring products, but also makes exotic woods more affordable.

Both hardwood and engineered floors come in a wide variety of widths starting from 2 1/4" to wide planks of 7" and on some custom orders, even wider. Some woods are poor performers in wider planks, therefore the selection will often be kept up to 5" wide. The thickness of both the hardwoods and engineered also vary. Generally hardwoods can be found in the traditional 3/4", but some manufacturers will also have selections in 5/16", 3/8" and 1/2" of an inch. Hardwood and engineered floors also vary in length depending of the manufacturer's collection. Most mass produced floors will come in random lengths from 12" to 84", while some mills will accommodate longer pieces.

Before making a decision on a particular product it is important to keep in mind that disproportions between short and long boards can vary greatly and most of the times this is influenced by the cost /sft.

As a general rule, but not exclusively, pre-finished floors are the choice in new construction, lower budget renovations, most commercial applications (if hardwood is chosen) and in situations where the floor is installed to increase property value for reselling purposes. With pre-finished products, the cost is limited to installation.

The selection is very wide and can meet the demands of most flooring needs.

Unfinished floors are purchased with the purpose to be finished on site after the installation. Generally, this happens when a more customized look is desired and the intention to reside at the property for a longer period of time is strong. The costs are associated not only with the installation, but also with sanding and finishing.

In most cases, the choice for site finishing is well worth the investment, not only because of its aesthetic value but also because of the type of materials used to finish the floor.

For more specific information of both pre-finished and unfinished, visit the pages in the drop-down list under the

"Products" tab.