Engineered wood flooring FAQ

An engineered floor is a real hardwood board built in layers. The top layer, called the wear layer, is solid oak, 2 to 4 mm thick on our floors. Under it is a core of cross-laid plywood or hardwood plies glued at right angles. You see and walk on real oak; the core underneath keeps the board flat and stable.

Yes. The surface you see and touch is solid oak, cut from the log like any hardwood floor. It is not laminate or vinyl, which use a printed photo of wood. Once installed, an engineered floor looks and feels exactly like a solid one.

For most homes today, engineered. Wood swells and shrinks with humidity, and a solid board moves across its whole width. The cross-laid core of an engineered board resists that movement, so you get fewer gaps in winter, less cupping in summer, and a floor that can go where solid wood can't: over concrete, below grade and over radiant heat. Solid wood can be sanded more times over its life, but a good engineered floor with a 4 mm wear layer still lasts for decades.

The wider the board, the more it moves. A solid 9-1/2" oak plank can cup or gap noticeably with the seasons. Engineered construction is what makes long, wide planks practical, which is why nearly all wide-plank floors sold today are engineered.

Yes, depending on the wear layer. As a rule of thumb, a 4 mm wear layer can be fully sanded and refinished two to three times, a 3 mm layer one to two times, and a 2 mm layer can be screened and recoated (a light buff and fresh finish) rather than sanded deeply. Each floor's wear layer is listed on its page.

With normal care, decades. The finish takes the daily wear; when it dulls, it can be screened and recoated, and floors with thicker wear layers can be sanded back to fresh wood.

Usually yes, and engineered is the preferred hardwood for radiant heat because it is more stable than solid wood. Check the floor's specifications and the manufacturer's radiant heat guidelines before you install, and follow the usual rules: run the heating system for several days before installation to dry the slab, raise and lower the temperature gradually (a few degrees a day), and keep the floor surface below about 80 to 85°F. Ask us and we'll confirm a specific floor.

Yes. Engineered floors can be glued down or floated over a concrete slab, which solid hardwood generally can't. The slab must be flat, cured and dry: your installer should test moisture before installation and use the moisture barrier or adhesive the manufacturer specifies.

Engineered flooring can go below grade, unlike solid wood, as long as the space is dry and climate controlled and the slab passes a moisture test. Basements that flood or stay damp are not a good place for any wood floor.

Kitchens, yes: wipe up spills promptly and use mats at the sink. Powder rooms, yes. Full bathrooms with showers or tubs are not recommended for any wood floor, because standing water and steam can damage the wood over time.

Very. Engineered wood handles the dry radiator heat of a New York winter better than solid wood, and many co-op and condo buildings require a sound-control underlayment, which engineered floors can be floated or glued over. Check your building's alteration agreement for its acoustic rules (often a minimum IIC rating) before you choose an underlayment.

Depending on the floor and the subfloor: nailed or stapled to a plywood subfloor, glued down to plywood or concrete, or floated over an underlayment. Your installer chooses the method based on the subfloor and the manufacturer's instructions, and should follow the NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) guidelines.

White oak is slightly harder (about 1,360 on the Janka hardness scale vs about 1,290 for red oak), has a tighter, straighter grain and takes stains and fumed finishes evenly, which is why it dominates modern interiors. Red oak has a warmer, pinker tone and a more open, pronounced grain. Most of our floors are European white oak; California Oak and Miami Oak are red oak.

Grades describe how much natural character the boards show. AB is the cleanest, with few and small knots and an even color. ABC allows more knots and color variation. ABCD is the most rustic, with larger knots, filled cracks and strong variation. None is better quality than another; it is a question of look.

Cathedral. The arched, flame-like figure you get when a board is cut flat across the growth rings. The wider the plank, the bigger the cathedral.Straight grain. Rings cut on edge give calm, straight lines. Select grades are mostly this.

ABClean and even. Few, small knots.

Knot. Where a branch grew out of the trunk. Sound knots are tight and solid; small voids are filled flush at the factory.Pin knot. A tiny knot, usually under a quarter inch. Allowed even in the cleanest grades.Cathedral. The arched, flame-like figure you get when a board is cut flat across the growth rings. The wider the plank, the bigger the cathedral.

ABCSome knots and mineral streaks, mild variation.

Knot. Where a branch grew out of the trunk. Sound knots are tight and solid; small voids are filled flush at the factory.Knot. Where a branch grew out of the trunk. Sound knots are tight and solid; small voids are filled flush at the factory.Mineral streak. A darker line in the grain where the tree took up minerals from the soil. Purely cosmetic.Pin knot. A tiny knot, usually under a quarter inch. Allowed even in the cleanest grades.Knot. Where a branch grew out of the trunk. Sound knots are tight and solid; small voids are filled flush at the factory.Knot. Where a branch grew out of the trunk. Sound knots are tight and solid; small voids are filled flush at the factory.Filled check. A short surface check that was filled and sanded flat at the factory. It does not open up or weaken the board.

ABCDRustic. More and larger knots, strong variation.

The same light oak in each grade, so only the character changes. Hover or tap the marked spots to see what each one is. Every floor's page lists its grade; order a free sample to see the real boards.

Knots, cathedrals and mineral streaks are natural characteristics of real oak, not defects. They do not affect the strength, the wear layer, the finish or the warranty of the floor. The grade only sets how much of this character you will see.

7-1/2" boards suit almost any room and are easy to lay. 9" and 9-1/2" extra-wide planks make large and open rooms feel calmer, with fewer seams. Herringbone suits living rooms, foyers and traditional rooms. If you are between two widths, order free samples of both.

Our prefinished floors have a factory finish applied and cured before shipping, so the floor is ready to live on the day it is installed. Most are matte or low sheen, many with a light wire brushing that brings out the grain and hides small scratches. Unfinished floors are sanded and finished on site, so your contractor can match any stain or oil.

Wood is natural: color, grain and knots vary from board to board, and screens show color differently. Room scenes on this site are illustrations. That's why we send free samples, and why we recommend laying out boards from several boxes before installing so the variation blends across the room.

Measure the room in square feet, then add extra for cuts and waste: 10% covers most rooms, 15% for herringbone or rooms with many angles. The calculator on each floor's page lets you pick none, 10% or 15% and rounds up to whole boxes. Order everything at once: if you run short and order more later, we cannot guarantee the new boxes will match your lot.

Yes, free. Choose "Free sample" on any floor's page and we ship it free by UPS. Architects, interior designers and builders can order a free kit of up to five floors.

Samples ship by UPS. Flooring ships by freight on a pallet. To New York, New Jersey and Connecticut it is $250 per crate (up to about 3,000 lb, roughly one pallet), with liftgate delivery and a scheduled appointment. Elsewhere in the continental US you see a live freight quote at checkout. Someone must be there to receive and sign; delivery is to the curb or driveway.

In-stock floors usually ship within 3 to 5 business days. Freight transit is typically 2 to 7 business days depending on distance.

Yes, though less than solid wood. Keep the boxes flat in the room where they'll be installed for 48 to 72 hours (or as long as the manufacturer's instructions say), with the heat or air conditioning running at normal living conditions and any plaster, paint or concrete work already dry. Your installer should check the moisture of the boards and the subfloor with a meter before laying anything; the two should be close. After installation, keep indoor humidity around 35 to 55% year round, which in a New York winter usually means a humidifier.

Unopened boxes in resellable condition can be returned within 30 days of delivery, less a 25% restocking fee and all shipping costs. Opened boxes, cut or installed flooring and special orders can't be returned. Inspect every delivery and report damage within 48 hours. See the full refund policy.

Yes. Architects, designers, builders and contractors should contact a Tribeca Wood sales representative for project pricing and a trade code to use at checkout.

Yes. The boards are on display at the Tribeca Stone showroom, 104 Reade Street, Suite LL, in Tribeca, New York. Call 212-518-3669 before you come.

Humidity is the single most important thing for a wood floor's health. Keep indoor relative humidity between about 35 and 55% all year, at a steady room temperature of roughly 60 to 80°F. Too dry (common with New York radiator heat in winter) and boards shrink, gaps open and the surface can check or crack. Too humid (summer, or a new home with wet plaster or concrete) and boards swell and cup. Put an inexpensive hygrometer in the room, run a humidifier in winter and air conditioning or a dehumidifier in summer. Manufacturer warranties generally require humidity to be kept in this range, so damage from very dry or very damp conditions is usually not covered.

Sweep or vacuum (with the beater bar off) and clean with a damp, well wrung-out microfiber mop and a cleaner made for finished wood floors. Never wet-mop, steam-mop or use oil soaps, vinegar or ammonia, which can dull or damage the finish.

Put felt pads under furniture legs, use mats at entrances to catch grit, keep pets' nails trimmed, and avoid stiletto heels and rolling chairs without a chair mat. Wire-brushed and matte floors hide everyday wear best.

Heating dries the air and wood shrinks slightly; the gaps close again as humidity returns in spring. Engineered floors move far less than solid wood, and a humidifier that keeps the room around 35 to 55% humidity minimizes seasonal gaps.