Repairs

The hardwood flooring industry standardized most of the products in the early 1900's.  From then until around 1980 almost all the products in our area came by rail and was sold in lumberyards.  The rail cars, lumberyards, and most homes had limited climate controls so more expansion and contraction was normal. 

In our region from 1900 to 1930 in kitchens and bathrooms most all flooring was vertical grain Douglas Fir, 3 1/4" x 3/4".  In all other rooms most all wood flooring was Maple, 2 1/4" x 3/4" in 1st and 2nd grade with bird's eye mixed in.  Yellow Birch was also sometimes mixed in with this maple.  In that era, Oak cost more so it was occasionally used in high-end homes.  During the 1940's World War II absorbed many commodities so flooring was made from a mixture of anything available.  We see Birch, Douglas Fir, Maple, and Oak in these homes.  After the war, there was an economic boom and home building flourished.  The US government required homes backed by the federal government to have hardwood floors everywhere above grade except in the kitchens and bathrooms.  There was an excess of labor throughout the nation so manufacturers made smaller boards available to utilize more of their lumber.  Almost all of this flooring came by rail from the Appalachian mountain area and it was Red or White Oak, 1 1/2" x 3/4" in a variety of grades.  The 70's saw an economic recession and the federal government now approved plywood as a suitable subfloor.  So very little if any hardwood was installed during the 70's.   In the early 80's the economy recovered and home building expanded.  There was no longer a surplus of labor so manufacturers mostly sold 2 1/4" wide boards.  By this time oak was more common so the majority of the flooring installed throughout the 80's and early 90's in our region was Red Oak, 2 1/4" x 3/4", select grade.  It was commonly matched to the cabinets with a medium brown stain color.  Throughout the 1990's we saw more homeowners wanting something unique.  Manufacturers responded and more flooring was installed in a variety of species.  We installed a lot of Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), Brazilian Walnut (Ipe), Cumaru, American Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, and Walnut.  Around 2010 the country of Brazil socialized their lumber industry.  The government took control of all hardwood exports and the price of Brazilian flooring went up about 100%.  So much less of the Brazilian flooring is installed.  Currently there is a lot of Hickory, Maple, Red Oak, and White Oak that's installed.  Kensoks products are real hardwood that is only sourced through great suppliers that understand the importance of correct kiln drying and machining tolerances.  We stock all of these industry-standard maple and oak hardwoods because we repair these floors every month.  We take pride in our work so we only start with great materials.  This gives you the best floor available.