Hardwood

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There are many key components that make up the value of your hardwood. A hard and stable wood with a very good price can be tempting though make sure to conduct a background check on the product to insure that it meets C2 standards. An Aluminum Oxide finish with UV protection can cause the wood to be priced higher than a Urethane based finish due to the durability and longevity.

Hardness and Stability - The stability of the wood you choose is one of the single most important factors to maintain its elegance. The JANKA scale is a great tool to use to understand the density of each hardwood. This does not mean that the harder the wood the better. In fact, when searching for a wood for your home it is more reliable to focus on the stability in our Canadian climate than the density. Canadian Red Oak and Hard Maple are good choices due to their combined ratings of hardness and stability. Choosing a Canadian grown wood ensures that you will have less structural issues due to the wood being already adapted to the Canadian climate. 

Chemical Off gassing - To minimize chemical off gassing in your home, make sure your hardwood is C.A.R.B certified. The California Air Resources Board has a standardized test for measuring off gassing within products sold in North America. Be weary of companies cutting costs by shipping their wood to have them finished overseas. When purchasing a wood exotic to Canada, always take into consideration the density level and stability in the Canadian climate.

Warranty - Always consider choosing a reputable manufacturer to assure you are backed by a full warranty. Warranties cover manufacturer defects that may occur well after the manufacturer is no longer around. 

Identify your substrate - Make sure your sub-floor is compliant with the manufacturers warranty before installing your hardwood. Some manufacturers do not warranty their products over chipboard. If you do not know if your sub-floor is appropriate for hardwood installation ask one of our flooring specialists to come by for a site visit and we'd be glad to give you a no obligation assessment. If you are installing over concrete then we recommend to go with Engineered Hardwood as you may float it over an under-pad (CLICK) or even glue it down.