Guides & advice

What we tell people when they ask. Practical guides to flooring, doors and other building finishing materials.

WO on a flooring spec sheet: white oak, decoded

WO on a flooring spec sheet stands for white oak. Here is why that code matters more than the product name, and what to check before you choose.

Entryway flooring fails at the finish long before it fails underneath. Here is what grit, wet shoes and a front door ask of the floor.

Herringbone oak flooring uses the same oak as a straight plank. The layout, the waste and the shape of your room are what change the decision.

A bathroom floor finish protects the face of each board, not its seams. Here is when a wood floor can work in a bathroom, and when it cannot.

An ultra-matte floor finish is a factory-cured UV urethane with very little shine. Here is what it hides, what it shows, and how it wears.

What RO means in flooring: it is the species code for red oak. Here is how red oak differs from white and European oak, and when that matters.

To prepare for flooring installation, settle furniture, appliances, doors and the crew's workspace ahead of time. Here is what to check and when.

European oak vs vinyl flooring comes down to water, wear and whether you want a surface you can renew. Here is how to decide for each room.

Measure a room for flooring in rectangles, then order more than the total. Here is how much waste to allow and what changes it.

The flooring wear layer is the top skin that decides how a floor ages. Here is how to choose a thickness that suits your rooms.

Flooring for dogs has two jobs: shrugging off claw marks and coping with a water bowl. Here is how to read the spec sheet for each one.

Dining room flooring has to handle chairs dragged in the same arc every day. Here is what the room asks of a floor, and what to check first.