Flooring - Buyers Guide

Commercial Flooring Terminology

Above Grade: Refers to the part of the building that is above ground level.

Air-Dried: Wood flooring dried by an exposure to air without artificial heat.

Base Shoe: A molding designed to cover expansion space.

Below Grade: The portion of a building below ground level.

Custom Floors: Floors made to order.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring: Layers of real hardwood with a plywood backing.

Cork Flooring: Recyclable product generated from the cork oak tree; a durable and acoustical flooring type.

Decay: Wood decomposed by fungi.

Floating Floor: This type of flooring floats above the sub-floor instead of being nailed or glued to it.

Grade: Wood is graded based on length, appearance and size of the knots.

Hand Scraped: Smooth and flat distressed hardwood floors.

Hardness: The resistance of wood to wear, dent or mar.

Laminate: A cost effective solution for parquet-like flooring constructed with a high density fiber board core.

On Grade: Ground level portion of a building.

Plain Sawn: The most common form of cutting wood flooring.

Solid Hardwood Flooring: Obtained from one single thick piece of wood that can be sanded and refinished several times.

Stability: Refers to the wood flooring’s ability to expand and contract as a result of humidity.

Veneer: The top layer of wood.

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