Blog Submitted by Quality Red Tag Floors
When choosing hardwood flooring for your home, it’s important to understand the different grades available. Wickham Hardwood offers a variety of options, including Cottage, Builder, Natural, Canadian Plus, and Select & Better. Each grade has its own unique characteristics and specifications, so it’s important to choose the one that best fits your needs and budget.
As Wickham solid hardwood suppliers, Quality Red Tag floors share important information about hardwood flooring grades.
Grades
Cottage grade
Cottage-grade hardwood is full of character and perfect for those who want a natural, rustic look. This grade mixes heartwood and sapwood, resulting in a natural colour variation. It also includes mineral marks, small knots, small checks, small splits, pits, and wormholes. Cottage grade is a combination of 45% Select, 40% Natural, and 15% Rustic grade. The average plank length for this grade is 40 to 43 inches.
Key features of cottage grade
– Longest average grade
– plenty of character
– mid-range price point
– cottage is a mixed grade, which is unique to Wickham Hardwood
Builder Grade
Builder-grade hardwood is a great option for those on a budget. It’s a mix of 70% Natural and 30% Rustic and has many of the same specifications as Cottage grade, including piling marks, small splits, checks, pits, and wormholes. The average length for this grade is 27 to 29 inches for builder grade hardwood. Edmonton homeowners can consult with Quality Red Tag Flooring to see if this option is the best for you!
Key Features of builder grade
– builder grade is less expensive
– slightly lower average length
– nice mix of natural and rustic wood varieties
Natural Grade
Natural grade hardwood is for those who want a floor with varying shades of natural colours, mineral marks, and sound closed knots. No paste filler is accepted. The average length for this grade is 25 to 29 inches depending on the species and plank width.
Key features of Natural Grade
– natural grade will have no open knots
– shorter average
– similar to Canadian plus grade but it has more variation
– good price point (middle option)
Canadian Plus Grade
Canadian Plus grade hardwood combines 50% Select & Better and 50% Natural. This grade has a slight variance in colour with some mineral marks and sound knots. It has an average plank length of 32 to 36 inches, making it the second-longest grade.
Features of Canadian Plus Grade
– nice length of planks
– subtle variation in colour and shade from board to board
– mixed with natural, so about 25% of the variation will be darker boards
– most popular grade
– similar price to cottage grade (slightly higher)
Select and Better Grade
Select & Better grade hardwood is the most expensive option as it requires the most sorting. This grade is very uniform in colour and does not contain any knots or mineral stains. Checks, wormholes, splits, and fisheyes aren’t accepted. The average length for this grade is 30 to 32 inches.
Features of Select & Better Grade
– Standard very clean look
– no knots
– no variation
– clean grain
– decent average length
When choosing a Wickham hardwood grades, you must consider your budget, the look you’re going for, and how much natural variation you’re comfortable with. Wickham Hardwood’s Cottage, Builder, Natural, Canadian Plus Grade, and Select & Better grades offer a range of options to fit any taste and budget. These different grades make it easy to choose the perfect hardwood floor for your home!
Learn more about Wickham hardwood flooring!
