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OUR WOOD FLOORING GRADING SCALE
Introduction
Many of our customers have no idea that hardwood floors come in different grades when they purchase wood flooring products. They don't know when making choices about wood flooring, in addition to considering the species, color, and size of the plank, the grade of the floor is also an important factor that customers must consider, because these factors will ultimately determine the flooring appearance, and more so, affect the overall interior design.
What is a wood floor grade system?
A wood floor grade system consists of several different grades(usually 3 to 5) of wood flooring. For our Bentham Plank European Oak Engineered hardwood floors, the grade is the classification of the natural characteristics of the Oakwood on the top layer of the engineered wood plank. These natural characteristics include but are not limited to, the irregular grain of the wood, the size and number of knots, sapwoods, mineral streaks, color variation, and the presence of wormholes. And each grade also involves plank length requirements and processing defects. Generally speaking, the floor grade is an aesthetic category, rather than a division of floor quality, stability, durability, structural integrity or hardness.
What affects wood floor grades?
Floor grades generally speak of the difference in the cleanliness of the deck(the very top layer) on a laminate floor, not the structure and performance of the floor. When a floor is selected and produced from the log, it will retain the mark that the log itself has. There are many kinds of marks, such as knots and filler, sapwood, and medullary rays.
From the beginning of the material selection, we will choose different grades of log materials, and we will have grade control in the coloring and finishing stages. In the process of processing, there will be a special manager to control each process to ensure the product meets quality standards, as well as to ensure that each grade meets the respective standards. All processes strictly follow Bentham Plank's unique quality control system to ensure that every grade of every color can be perfectly presented.
Sapwood
Many of our customers have no idea that hardwood floors come in different grades when they purchase wood flooring products. They don't know when making choices about wood flooring, in addition to considering the species, color, and size of the plank, the grade of the floor is also an important factor that customers must consider, because these factors will ultimately determine the flooring appearance, and more so, affect the overall interior design.
Knots And Filler
A knot is a mark on the timber made from either the base of a side branch of the tree or a dominant bud, around which the grain has flown. Knots in timber can often be a sought-after feature, particularly for rustic design schemes, as they are a very familiar and beautiful characteristic of wood.
Often if a knot is quite large or deep, small holes can form in the plank. These are often (but not always, depending on the size and depth) filled with "filler" to maintain a relatively even surface.
The filler is chosen to compliment the timber coloring rather than match it and may be either white, gray, brown, or black.
Medullary Rays, Checks, And Shakes
Medullary rays are a white ribbon-like pattern that indicates that the plank has been crafted from quarter-sawn timber.
Checks and shakes are slight cracking along or across the grain of the wood and are a normal result of moisture in the wood before the drying process takes place.
Medullary rays, checks and shakes are not product defects and in no way compromise the quality or durability of your timber flooring. Rather they display the unique beauty of nature and are a natural characteristic to expect with real wood flooring.
Color Variation
Color variation between planks, cartons and batches is a natural characteristic of wood products and should be expected. Depending on the flooring product, color variation can be subtle or significant. Color variation should not be considered a manufacturing defect but rather a desired natural characteristic and appearance of a wood floor.
A professional installer will open several cartons of planks at the time of installation, and “dry-lay” the floor to ensure the colors are mixed throughout the flooring layout. Mixing up the planks from different cartons ensures an even spread of different tones and characters over your entire floor layout, giving you an overall naturally-arranged appearance.
What is our grade system?
Bentham Plank has three wood flooring grades, Prime/Clear(AB), Select/Natural(ABC), and Rustic(ABCD), each having primary characteristics that distinguish them from one another. These characteristics can include features in the wood such as the number and size of the knots, the amount or level of sap present, and color variation.
To simplify the distinguishing factors in the different wood flooring grades, the higher wood grades are "cleaner" in appearance (which then fetches a higher price tag), which means that the wood offers smaller and lesser knots, lower sap content, and less color variation.
Here are the three wood flooring grades that we provide to our customers:
What is our grade system?
Bentham Plank has three wood flooring grades, Prime/Clear(AB), Select/Natural(ABC), and Rustic(ABCD), each having primary characteristics that distinguish them from one another. These characteristics can include features in the wood such as the number and size of the knots, the amount or level of sap present, and color variation.
To simplify the distinguishing factors in the different wood flooring grades, the higher wood grades are "cleaner" in appearance (which then fetches a higher price tag), which means that the wood offers smaller and lesser knots, lower sap content, and less color variation.
Here are the three wood flooring grades that we provide to our customers:
What is our grade system?
Prime/Clear(AB)
The Prime/Grade is the highest grade of all Bentham Plank products.
The wood in this grade has been carefully selected, and it features a minimal amount of natural defects like knots, sapwood, and grain irregularities. The color is also very consistent from plank to plank, making the Prime/Clear grade a popular choice for those who want a "clean" look for their flooring because it fits perfectly with the minimalist interior style. However, to meet the Prime/Clear Grade criteria, planks need to be mostly clear of natural defects, which means the manufacturers need to be more careful and selective about their wood selections, and that’s why Prime grade hardwood is often more expensive than other grades.
Select/Natural(ABC)
The Bentham Plank Natural Grade flooring is the most common type of wood flooring that you can find in the market. It introduces more natural defects, like knots, sapwood, nature cracks with wood fillers and grain irregularities than the Prime grade. And also the color is more varied than in Prime grade, it’s a popular choice for those who want the “Natural” look of wood for their flooring.
Note: Bentham Plank Natural Grade flooring usually comes in with higher standards than other Natural Grade flooring in the market, certain planks can meet the Select Grade standards of the market.
Rustic(ABCD)
The Rustic grade wood flooring is the lowest grade in the Bentham Plank Grade System, but it doesn’t mean the rustic grade wood flooring is of lower quality. The rustic grade contains more and bolder natural defects than the Select/Natural and Prime/Clear grades. Because it has so many of wood’s natural characteristics, the color variation is even more significant. It’s an ideal choice for those who have a specific preference of wanting to create a retro/classic/rustic style that presents the natural feeling of wood flooring.
Why is it important to know about wood floor grades?
Many people are not satisfied with the appearance of their flooring after finishing the installation because they did not have any idea about wood floor grades before purchasing. It’s important and necessary for customers to do some research on the different grades so they can find a choice that best suits their home style and interior design. Currently, there is no universal standard of flooring grade systems in the world, and different suppliers and manufacturers usually have their own standards and definitions of wood grades, so we highly suggest our customers understand our unique grade system before making choices.
Generally, suppliers and dealers should provide detailed information about their wood floor grades, and also should educate customers about the pros and cons and characteristics of each grade depending on their grading system. To help our customers make a fully informed decision in a short period, at Bentham Plank, we have been doing our best to provide sufficient visual marketing materials (such as photos, videos, and large samples) and relevant professional technical analysis. And we are more than willing to welcome our customers to check out our visual and physical samples.