Hardwood Buying Guide: How to Shop for New Floors
8 min read
Shopping for hardwood floors comes down to five decisions: species, grade, plank width, solid vs engineered, and site-finished vs prefinished. Get these right and installation is straightforward.
Grade
Clear (no knots, uniform color) is most expensive. Select is nearly clear. #1 Common has moderate character. #2 Common (rustic) has heavy character. Pick based on the look you want, not just budget.
Plank width
Strip (2¼"), plank (3–5"), and wide plank (5"+). Wider planks feel more modern and luxurious but cost more per SF and require premium subfloor prep.
Site-finished vs prefinished
Site-finished is smoother (no microbevels), color-customizable, and easier to refinish later. Prefinished is faster, factory-precise and immediately walkable — but has small V-grooves between every board.
Quick answers
- What's the best plank width for modern homes?
- 5" – 7" wide plank is the current sweet spot for modern DMV homes.
- Should I buy from Home Depot?
- Big-box product is fine for budget projects. For luxury builds we source from Bruce, Mirage, Somerset, Shaw and Mohawk specialty product lines.
- Do you supply the wood?
- Yes, or we install owner-supplied material as long as the mill and grade meet our specs.