When deciding on the right type of wood for your floor, the first step is choosing a partner that can guide you through the process from start to finish, and offer honest advice. Jason Brown Wood Floors has more than 18 years of superior service. Don’t just take our word for it – we’ve been awarded Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore Award 5 times – 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017 & 2024 – and have hundreds of satisfied clients. We have proudly served Baltimore, Bel Air, Fallston, Towson, Hunt Valley, and all of Baltimore County, Harford County, Howard County, Cecil County, and Anne Arundel County for more than 18 years and are a National Hardwood Flooring Association Member.
Choosing a Hardwood Profile
Making decisions regarding flooring can be overwhelming- with Jason Brown Wood Floors, it doesn’t have to be. We’ve created a useful guide of hardwood profiles to help get you started. As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact us and arrange a consultation.
Solid Hardwood Flooring
Solid hardwood flooring is an excellent choice for longevity. Because the wood is typically ¾-inch thick, it can be sanded, refinished, and repaired over and over throughout the course of its life. Solid hardwood flooring is made from a piece of solid wood that has been milled down. There are countless options for widths, grades, and species, and the stain colors offer endless variety.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Engineered hardwood flooring comes prefinished from the factory. It is typically chosen when there is a limited amount of space. It can be put down on concrete slabs and is better for areas where moisture may be a problem as it will have limited movement in terms of shrinking. Engineered hardwood floors are manufactured with multiple layers of real wood veneers. The top layer is the hardwood you select for look and style while the other layers may be made of plywood or other wood species. Engineered hardwood flooring can be sanded and refinished, but not as many times as solid hardwood flooring.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is a synthetic product, made of a combination of several chemicals, including ethylene and chlorine. Vinyl flooring contains – of course – vinyl, as well as several additives – for example, felt, fiberglass and dyes. Vinyl flooring is also extremely low maintenance, and is considered one of the easiest types of flooring to clean. One of the most distinguishing features of vinyl when compared to linoleum is that vinyl flooring is completely waterproof.
If you’re trying to decide between vinyl and linoleum flooring for a room in your home, you should consider how much moisture that area receives. For example, vinyl would probably be a better choice than linoleum for a bathroom, so you don’t have to worry about sealing and waxing. (Source: Armstrong’s The Floor Board blog, World Floor Covering Association, The Craftsman Blog, flooring.about.com)
Hardwood Grading
Grading is the appearance of the boards themselves. One grade is not necessarily better than the other, but simply a matter of preference in terms of the appearance of the wood. Jason Brown Wood Floors can help you select from rustic hardwood floors, dark hardwood floors, grey hardwood floors and a range of other options.
- Select Grade – Still has grain, but is very clear without dark streaks or knots
- Number One Common Grade – Has some knots and variation in board lengths
- Number Two Common Grade – Used primarily for less wide boards, this grade has large variety of grain patterns and colors.
- Rustic Grade – Used primarily for wider plank flooring. Will have knots and streaking and more variation in color.
Unique Cuts
- Live Sawn – Band saw cuts leaves more variated pattern in the wood.
- Skip Sawn – Board is cut with a circular blade leaving a circular impression so it truly looks as though it just came from the mill.
We Serve Baltimore
Jason Brown Wood Floors proudly specializes in Baltimore neighborhoods, including Rodgers Forge, Stonleigh, Ruxton, Roland Park, Towson, Mt. Washington, Pikesville, Lauraville, Fallston, Bel Air, Forest Hill, Kingsville, Glenarm, Phoenix, Hunt Valley, Cockeysville, Timonium, Lutherville, Jarrettsville, Parkville, Carney, Perry Hall, White Marsh, Charles Village, Guilford, Homeland, Greenspring Valley, Garrison Forest, Federal Hill, Canton, Locust Point, and Butcher’s Hill.
Contact Us For A Consultation
When you’re ready to speak with someone about your hardwood flooring project, we want to hear from you! Contact us at 410-668-9131 or send us a message here.