A common question I get asked everyday is what determines the price of the wood? Yes the question I get is worded differently but the meaning is the same. Wood is priced based on quality of the milling, rarity and grade of the wood, desirebility of the wood, and in a small part yes Brazilian woods go up a certain time each year due to the seasons.
A quick response is Quality, and who you are buying from, determines price. For more info read on my freind.
First the milling, most people dont like prefinished wood because they have that "Big GAP" between each and every board. This "Big GAP" is called a bevel in this industry and serves two purposes; one covers up any milling imperfection that would be sanded down in an unfinished wood and two, makes it so when the wood is being installed the board sides dont smash each other and chip the finish. The bigger the gap the cheaper the floor. You may notice that brands such as Bruce or somerset have larger Bevels where Canadian mills have smaller gaps between boards. The other part of milling is the straightness of the boards, It is important to have nice long straight boards when installing a floor, the longer straight boards are less likely to move and have been properly cured (the technical term is kiln dried).
The rarity and grade of the wood. Woods such as Pine or Oak are very plentiful, and give an older look to your floor they are normally much less money than woods such as Santos Mahogony or American Black Walnut. Wood is graded based on defining characteristics of the boards in terms of color variation, Knot size, mineral streaks, board lengths, and milling. Clear Grade is the highest in most species it has the tightest milling, longest board length, Select and Better is the next grade in some species the highest grade there is more color variation in this grade. #1 has shorter board lengths and more color variation and small pin size Knots, #2 has much shorter boards lots of color variation and knots are common then rustic or utility grade is basically the wood left over short boards with great amount of color variation and Big Knots.
The most Desirable woods now are wide boards. Wider boards are less common therefore more money. The other Growing fashion trend is a more distressed look in hand scraped, hand rubbed, wire brushed, reclaimed wood look. This is normally up to 3.00 sq ft more for these looks and very rare to find in a solid. The final more desireable hardwoods are the rare woods such as Brazilian woods or Asian species. There species are very hard and give your home an exotic look.
I hope that this was helpful and not too long or too boring. if you have any ideas or questions please do ask them. I promise always the truth and if I do not know an answer I will find the answer and tell you where I found that answer.
Best Regards, Middle Tennessee,
Kevin Middleton Country Flooring Direct.
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