The wood that we generally refer to as walnut is predominantly black walnut, and it grows over much of the eastern and southeastern United States. Black walnut is a strong, durable, highly-attractive wood, and it has been used for flooring, as well as many other uses, for hundreds of years. Read more…

Probably the first thing to know about Brazilian Cherry is that it’s not actually a cherry wood at all. Its correct name is Jatoba, and along with several other valuable tree species, it belongs in the legume family. Jatoba is indigenous to the Caribbean, Central and South America.  The second thing to know is that Brazilian cherry is one of the most durable, hardest woods in existence, and has long been favored for furniture, decorative purposes, and, of course, flooring. Read more…

Sanding and finishing are among the toughest jobs in the wood flooring industry. To do it right takes skill and knowledge. So it was great to find a reference to an old article on Hardwood Floor Magazine that really lays out the essential ingredients to doing the job correctly. Read more…

Everywhere you turn these days, whether it’s in the construction industry or anywhere else, the mood is green. In an earlier time, the buzz word was “conservation.” Today, it’s “sustainability,” which is probably a better term. Read more…

White oak, a traditional American wood, has been used over the centuries for wide plank flooring and many other uses. It is grown in large areas of the U.S., including central and southern states, and southern Appalachia.  White oak is prized for its density and strength. Read more…

We came across a really interesting site this week. Not just about wood flooring, but about the amazing utility and potential of wood as a building material in general (which obviously includes lots of flooring!). Read more…

An important article from the Hardwood Manufacturers Association makes the point that hardwood flooring has health benefits that go well beyond the aesthetic and functional benefits of wood floors. Read more…

If you’re thinking about installing a wide plank floor, whether in a single room, or a whole house, you know it’s about a lot more than simply planks, nails, and square footage. Just as much as any other element in a room, a floor is about design. Read more…

Far from being, as some believe, a cheap fix for damaged wood flooring, the art of painting wood floors goes back centuries in the United States. Today, a painted wood floor that is original would be a good candidate for meticulous preservation.

According to the preservation-oriented website Historic New England, the painting of wood floors, especially the soft white pine of colonial New England, was well underway by the end of the 18th century. Read more…