Hardwood Buying Guide: How to Shop for New Floors
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.
Written by
Daniel Santos
Owner, CDS Hardwood Floors
Daniel Santos is the owner of CDS Hardwood Floors and has spent 15+ years sanding, staining and installing hardwood in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC homes. He personally walks most projects, specializes in HEPA-contained dustless sanding, premium water-based finish systems and custom installations, and believes homeowners make better decisions when the process is explained plainly before a single board is touched.
Looking for hardwood floor installation in Maryland?
CDS Hardwood Floors handles this work every week across Gaithersburg, Montgomery County and the wider DMV.