How To Buy Hardwood Flooring

Each of our sales people brings 15+ years of flooring knowledge to every customer relationship.

Knowledge that includes today’s styles and trends, so Baker Bros. continues to be the place “Where Fashion Meets Flooring”.

The bottom line is, you can search the state of Arizona but you won’t find more hardwood flooring knowledge, more shopping tips or more installation know-how than with our people. Baker Bros. offers you…

More experience per square foot.

Experience that includes advising thousands of hardwood buying customers and installing countless square feet of beautiful, livable hardwood flooring.

In this section we’ve laid down what we know and what you should consider before making a wood floor buying decision. Because knowledge about hardwood specifics and characteristics, about its traits and subtle differences, can be invaluable.

It’s a fact. Choosing the best hardwood floor is really about knowing the right combination of characteristics, aesthetics, performance and budget that best meet the needs of your lifestyle.

You want to shop smart. That way your final decision not only creates a warm, inviting environment in your living spaces but also delivers what hardwood floors are noted for: adding value to your home.

Our goal here is to help you get smart before your hardwood floor is laid down -- and long before you lay down your money.

So we invite you to read on, check out these notes and considerations and get the upper hand on the flooring that may soon be underfoot.

Let’s begin with Pre-finished hardwood flooring.

A work of natural art, the elegance of a pre-finished hardwood floor adds beauty and value to any home, easy care and durability to any lifestyle.

Each species of wood has its own unique characteristics and the conditions of nature that the wood matured in make each floor exceptional and individual.

Pre-finished hardwood floors are sanded, screened and stained in highly efficient manufacturing plants.

Several coats of urethane are sprayed on the boards and then they are UV dried for a very durable finish.

Pre-finished floors may be screened and recoated to rejuvenate the finish and revitalize the floor’s natural beauty.

Like you, wood is individual and unique.

Each species of wood has its own unique characteristics. Color is determined by what part of the tree the wood originally comes from.

The grain pattern is determined by the species and how the wood is cut.

Natural variations in the color and grain are normal and to be expected.

Similar to natural stone, these variations create the beautiful and unique look of a wood floor. They make your floor close to one of a kind.

Hardwood moves. It’s natural and typical.

Wood floors will expand and contract due to moisture and temperature changes, causing hairline cracks, slight height variations or both.

Hardwood does not expand or contract equally in all directions. This is not considered a defect but a natural result of nature.

So, in dry climates, you may want to consider the use of a whole house humidifier to help minimize shrinkage and hairline cracking.

Nothing is perfect, including your subfloor.

No sub-floors are perfectly level. You may also hear hollow sounds where your sub-floor’s surface dips and ridges.

This does not affect the integrity or installation of the hardwood. Hollow sounds are normal and are not considered a product or installation defect.

All hardwood floors will fade, darken or change shades over time. Exposure to sunlight will greatly increase this process.

Window treatments are recommended as well as rotating area rugs and furniture regularly to allow floors to age evenly from UV exposure.

Next, understand this about Finish in Place hardwood.

Nature’s rich beauty is abundant when displayed through the character of a Finish in Place hardwood floor.

PLEASE NOTE: Finish in Place hardwood flooring is not recommended over concrete slab, so, therefore, is typically not used in Arizona.

In addition to various wood species and finishes, these hardwood planks are also available in different widths – an elegant addition to any home.

Finish in Place, or unfinished hardwood, is installed in the home and then sanded. The stain and 2-3 coats of urethane finish are then applied.

The urethane finish, brushed or mopped on, is known as a “floor finish” not a “furniture finish”.

Dust, unfortunately, is a fact of finishing.

Baker Bros offers:

Arizona Flooring

Flooring in Phoenix

Arizona Floors

Arizona Carpet

Phoenix Hardwood Floors

Floor Tile Phoenix | Ceramic Floor Tile Arizona

Phoenix Area Rugs