Climate Control & Moisture

Acclimating Hardwood Floors Cold Weather and Cracking Tools of the Trade: Moisture Meters Why do your wood floors gap in the winter?

Installation & Maintenance

How Many Times Can You Sand and Refinish an Engineered Wood Floor? Changing the Color of Your Hardwood Floors Matching New Hardwood Floors to Existing Ones Eliminating Common Installation Mistakes How Not to Install Unfinished Engineered Hardwood Floors Sound Control in Multi-Family Units Oil-Based vs. Water-Based Polyurethane Floor Finish Evaluating Jobsite Before Installation Routine Maintenance for Hardwood Floors Dealing with Spills and Stains

Types of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood vs. Vinyl Product Focus: New Heart Pine Product Focus: Southern Yellow Pine The Shortage and Rising Price of White Oak Red Oak vs. White Oak Product Spotlight: Character Red Oak The Differences Between Northern Oak, Southern Oak, and Appalachian Oak Yellow Pine vs. Heart Pine vs. Old Growth Heart Pine Unfinished or Prefinished: What Should I Choose? Plain Sawn vs. European Live Sawn Lumber Plain Sawn vs. Quarter Sawn vs. Rift Sawn Lumber Why Hard Maple is the Best Choice for Gym Floors Exotic Hardwood Flooring Engineered Hardwood European White Oak: Historic but Fresh Design Trend

Trends & Techniques

Wide-Plank Engineered Wood Flooring Pairs Style and Function Using Hardwood Flooring for Walls and Ceilings Border Dos and Don’ts for Pattern Designs Distressing Hardwood Floors Skip-sawn Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Creating Smooth Transitions Between Hardwood Flooring Species Custom Treatment Options for Unfinished Flooring Long-Length Boards Are Here to Stay More Long-Length Wood Flooring Options Available Today Hardwood Flooring Outdoors: Decking Chevron vs. Herringbone: Knowing the Difference

Hardwood Hacks The Rise of the Reclaimed Hardwood Floor The Lacey Act and its Impact Thinking Naturally About Cupping

Product Troubleshooting

Buckling Crowning Face-Checking Cupping

Border Dos and Don’ts for Pattern Designs

The width of a border should suit the scale of the room and the intricacy of the pattern.

Reduce borders to scale in transitional spaces such as hallways.
Borders are typically placed 12 inches or more from the wall. The apron, which is installed between the border and walls, can be used to adjust the dimensions of the pattern to fit the room. Cuts are made along the outer perimeter, and should be roughly equal on all sides of the room, so the apron is a consistent width. The apron can be laid either parallel or perpendicular to the border and can be either lapped or mitered at the corners.
The border and design pattern should complement, not compete. The more complex the design pattern, the less complicated the border design should be.
Use the natural colors of the species as a guide, as well as the grain texture, thickness, and possible differences in expansion.
Most borders come in sections. When ordering, include a cutting allowance, typically at least one extra section.