Hardwood Flooring

[sjwaste]

Should be smooth. Are the boards square or eased (is that the right word, where they're beveled at the top edges a little)? Eased boards are made for uneven subfloors that can't be corrected. If the boards are square, they finished them wrong. It should be flat and smooth.

 

[0roo0roo]

pics, depends on the style perhaps

 

[TallBill]

Why do they call it hardwood flooring? Does softwood flooring exist? I think wood flooring gives us a pretty good idea about what we're dealing with.

Edit - Apparently it does.

 

[UnklSnappy]

<< 30 years experience installing and refinishing hardwood floors.

It depends on the type of flooring.
If it's prefinished solid wood then it is normal to have slight variations in the pieces. My experience is that people have unrealistic expectations for this kind of flooring.
A sanded and finished floor should never be like that.
An engineered wood floor should also not be like that. But I consider engineered floors to be crap, just another disposable floor. They only have at most a 1/8" veneer over plywood.

 

[Zebo]

Nail down or glue down?

Either way it aint right.

Nail down they supposed to sand till level.

Glue down they are supposed to up-charge you if your slab is unlevel and level it. Did they warn you and you rejected or jst went ahead and laid it?

Ive built many many homes and never paid for an unlevel floor.

 

[Zebo]

<< 30 years experience installing and refinishing hardwood floors.

It depends on the type of flooring.
If it's prefinished solid wood then it is normal to have slight variations in the pieces. My experience is that people have unrealistic expectations for this kind of flooring.
A sanded and finished floor should never be like that.
An engineered wood floor should also not be like that. But I consider engineered floors to be crap, just another disposable floor. They only have at most a 1/8" veneer over plywood.

Bamboo is good but otherwise I agree.

 

[Colt45]

Are all the pieces supposed to flush?

Toilets are supposed to flush.
Flooring is supposed to be flush.

 

[Leros]

Why do they call it hardwood flooring? Does softwood flooring exist? I think wood flooring gives us a pretty good idea about what we're dealing with.

Edit - Apparently it does.

Well a wood floor made of pine would be softwood. So I guess yes.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Just a real quick and simple question

Are all the pieces supposed to flush? Some of them are a little higher than others.
Bad contracting job or just the way it is?

Really depends on how old the flooring has been in place, and how old the home was there beforehand.

Unfinished wood flooring is typically installed, sanded smooth, and then stained. But even with this over time the natural forces of environment will start to work against that smooth surface as wood expands and contracts, the subfloor settles and becomes uneven, etc.

 

[Homerboy]

Really depends on how old the flooring has been in place, and how old the home was there beforehand.

Unfinished wood flooring is typically installed, sanded smooth, and then stained. But even with this over time the natural forces of environment will start to work against that smooth surface as wood expands and contracts, the subfloor settles and becomes uneven, etc.

As I have stated earlier in this thread, I really haven't seen this (nor have other in this thread). I have 60 year old HWFs and they are completely flush end to end. I'm in WI too, and we range from 100 degrees with oppressing humidity to -20 degrees with no moisture in the air at all.