When it comes to wood flooring, the wood used is graded by the manufacturers according to its appearance. We have recently covered the topic of grades in wood flooring, but felt it deserved a further write-up. Generally speaking, the features taken into account when grading wood include (but are not limited to): the number and size of knots; the amount of sap present in the wood and its colour variations. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the knots, the lower the sap content and the more uniform the colour, the higher the grade of wood and (of course) the higher the price.
When it comes to deciding which wood grade is best for your wooden flooring, there are four grades of wood to choose from. Each grade gives a slightly different look. The grades are called:
1. Prime or AB
2. Select or ABC
3. Natural or ABCD
4. and Rustic or CD
In order to help you make the choice of wood grading for your hardwood flooring here are some of the characteristics of each grade:
Prime Grade
Select Grade
Natural Grade
Rustic Grade
What’s the difference among the different grades of hardwood flooring? Which is better… select grade or Number 1?
Most customers don’t realize that there are different grades of oak
flooring. They just assume all oak flooring is the same. For oak flooring, there are 3 main grades: select, Number 1 common and Number 2 common. Select grade is generally considered the highest grade as it has the least color variation. It costs the more. This is followed by No 1 which has more color variation and some occasional knots, and that is followed by No 2 which has a lot more color variation and knots. Sometimes, this is called character grade or
cabin grade wood.
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Technically, the quality of the wood (as measured by hardness/durability) is the same across all the grades. The differences between the grades are their appearances. Some people prefer the higher color consistency that you find in select grade; others prefer more color variation that you find in
Number 1 oak, and still others prefer a more rustic look and feel that it adds more character. There is no right or wrong answer here; it is preference and it’s important to understand which you prefer.
Select grade (red oak)
Number 1 (No 1) Common – red oak
Number 2 (No 2) Common – red oak
The differences in the color among the boards are more obvious when the wood is natural (i.e. without a stain). The darker the stain, the less you notice the color difference in the boards.
Here is a side by side of Select grade Oak vs. Number 1 Common (No 1) Oak. These are pictures of red oak flooring (the same principle applies to white oak flooring. Check out this article for more info on Red oak vs. white oak flooring.
When you are getting estimates from flooring contractors, it’s important that they specify what grade of wood they are using. Sometimes, the main reason that one estimate differs from another is based on the hardwood being used. And, if a contractor doesn’t specify, they are probably going to use a lower grade since it costs them less (and they may think that you won’t notice or won’t know any better.
Select grade (left) vs. Number 1 Common (right) – red oak
Additional articles you may find helpful:
- Tips on matching old and new hardwood floors
- Red Oak vs White Oak – what’s the difference?
- Best hardwood stain colors if you’re selling your home
Complementary products that will prolong the life of your hardwood floors
- Bona hardwood floor cleaner
- Felt pads to protect floors
- Office chair mat
- Doggie Socks