Living space with hardwood flooring

Wooden Flooring Manufacturing: 9 Steps On The Making Of A Wood Floor

November 17, 2022
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Improvix Hardwood Flooring

It is not surprising anymore that people are interested to know how wooden flooring manufacturing is done. Knowing about the manufacturing process will help if you consider installing wooden floors in your house. It will help you to follow the procedures with a perfect finished wooden floor.

The manufacturing process of solid hardwood flooring is easy. But to maintain the quality, one needs to follow each step precisely. Every step is essential, from drying the wood by ensuring the perfect moisture and size to molding the wood planks. Also, it is essential to go through a final check to ensure the quality of the hardwood flooring.

Now, if you want to learn the making process of solid wood flooring, you are at the right place. Because here in this article, you will get the proper elaboration of the steps of making hardwood floors.

Different Sawing Methods Of Hardwood Flooring

Before jumping into the manufacturing process of the wood floor, having an idea about the sawn will help you. To determine the high-end quality of solid wood flooring, you must clearly know different sawing methods. Also, it will help you decide what type of woodworking you want on your house or office floor.

There are three different types of sawn hardwood floors. These are- plain-sawn, rift sawn and quarter sawn. They are mainly differentiated based on the wood grain.

A brief discussion on each of the swans is given below-

  • Plain-Sawn: Plain-sawn is a cost-effective sawing method as there is less waste while milling the log. Moreover, less effort is put into cutting the wood in the plain sawing method. You must cut the log parallel to get the "cathedral" look on the wood plank or board. However, there are some cons to this sawing method. There is a high chance of twisting and bowing the planks as soon as they are aged and dried.
  • Quarter-Sawn: Quarter-sawn costs more than plain-sawn as it has more stability. The milling process requires more time and work to make the quarter-sawn plank dimensionally stable. The pattern that forms on the quarter-sawn wood is the "linear" pattern. Unlike plain sawn, there are less vulnerable in case of twisting, warping, and cupping. On top of that, they have a high moisture resistance.
  • Rift-Sawn: This sawn-on wood is the most costly among all other sawing methods. It requires more labor as the wood has to be cut in straight lines thoroughly. Moreover, the cost is more due to excessive waste of wood. But the dimensional stability of the wood is worth all the cost. They are the ideal type for making furniture of straight pieces like chairs and tables.

Therefore, plain and quarter-sawn planks are suitable for wood floors. The wood plank having rift sawn has more stability, which is why they are suitable for making furniture instead of wood flooring. So, you may choose between the plain and the quarter for engineered flooring as per your requirement and ability.

Manufacturing Process Of Engineered Hardwood Floors

Living space with hardwood flooring

The mantra behind perfect engineered flooring is following the steps thoroughly. There is no way to skip any of the steps. Here are the steps that will tell you how to manufacture a hardwood floor-

Retaining A Definite Amount Of Moisture

The natural wood that comes to the factory is filled with moisture after getting cut down. Remember, the type of wood that we need for hardwood flooring must be dry and have a minimum level of moisture.

So, the first thing to do is dry the wood by lowering the moisture content to 7%. This process of reducing moisture is usually done with the help of a drying machine like a kiln.

Please note that one needs to be patient while going through this step because it takes up to 10-30 days to remove the excess moisture from the timber.

Once the rough moisture wood is dried, it is ready to undergo further processes to evolve into a solid hardwood flooring element.

Cut The Wood Into A Standard Size

It is essential to cut the wood into standard sizes for wood flooring. When the wood boards or timber are dried, their sizes vary from each other. So, the conveyors cut the dried rough planks into standard sizes with a wood-cutting machine.

Moreover, sizing the planks is considered one of the essential steps in manufacturing hardwood flooring for volume. There is no alternative to cutting the wood into standard sizes to maintain a perfect volume for the wood floors.

Defects Removal

This is a manual step that helps to ensure the durability of the wood flooring. A rough plank consists of many defects, like cracks and knots. It has to be made sure that all the cracks and knots are properly removed to avoid breaking the planks in the manufacturing process of the wood floor.

Mold The Wood Flooring Planks

To have the right flooring, it is essential for the wood planks to have a tongue and groove edge. It eases the installation methods and secures the level of the floor.

Now, to mold the plank, all you need is an advanced molding machine. Only a molding machine can give the wood planks a tongue and groove sides.

It is important to mold the planks to prevent the wood flooring from warping or twisting due to weather changes. The change in weather means the changes in moisture. So, the grooves are usually engraved under the wood flooring planks to allow the air to circulate.

Checking The Quality

It is essential to check the wood repeatedly to maintain the highest quality because hardwood flooring requires extremely durable planks.

Oak hardwood flooring of different colors

Sort The Wood By Grade And Color

After checking the quality and trimming defects, the wood timbers or planks are sorted and differentiated by color and grade contrast.

Modify The Tongue And Groove

The end of the tongue and grooves of the planks needs modification. It will ease the process of wood flooring easier by allowing the planks to attach.

Final Check Of The Planks

To have perfectly finished wood timbers or boards for wood floors, give a final check to ensure the highest quality of wood.

Prefinishing And Packaging

Now, it is time for the wood flooring timbers to have a finishing touch with a sander. The wood needs to be sanded with a grit sanding belt. It will smoothen the wood's outer surface and make it suitable for wood flooring.

After sanding the wood boards, it is now time to color-stain them. This process is done through a staining machine. Furthermore, the planks of the wood floor are varnished for more protection. It is the finishing process of the hardwood flooring.

Once the wood boards are varnished, they are ready to be packaged as a final product and installed on the floors of your home.

FAQ

What is manufactured wood flooring called?

Manufactured wood flooring is also known as hardwood or engineered flooring. They are usually premium-quality plywood with a thin layer of hardwood.

How much does manufactured wood flooring cost?

Not all hardwood flooring has the same price. The price of wood flooring varies depending on the wood grain and the thickness of the hardwood. So, there are three categories of price range. The premium quality, high-end engineered floors cost up to $13 per square foot. The mid and low-end costs are $5-$10 and $3-$5, respectively.

Which type of wooden flooring is best?

The oak flooring is considered the best wooden flooring. Whether it is red oak or white oak, both of them have the best qualities. Besides this, maple, walnut, pine, and cherry flooring are also great options.

Conclusion

Well, that's all about wooden flooring manufacturing. After going through the article, hopefully, you are now aware of the manufacturing process in detail. Also, you now know how to differentiate hardwood flooring based on its sawing methods. All this information about wood flooring will help you before buying or dealing with wood boards.

Book Your Appointment

Are you looking for the best hardwood flooring contractors in Chicago? If so, Improvix Flooring is always ready to provide top-quality service. Call us at (773) 345-9719 for any concerns regarding hardwood floors.

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