Because we only sell products that we can buy directly to save you money, most of our hardwood comes from right here in Wisconsin! Almost all the major American brands are controlled by distributors who then sell to retailers and they resource wood from many parts unknown to the average consumer.

If you are concerned about the environment, then almost any North American hardwood is a good choice. One of the co-founders of Green Peace, Dr. Patrick Moore, is a great proponent of North American hardwoods. He wrote an article published in the Vancouver Sun in August of 2007 that explains why using North American hardwood is one of the best things you can do to ensure clean air. In short, well-managed new growth forests, the ones that produce our timber, are far more efficient when it comes to producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. Our old growth forests are virtually stagnant in this category. Because hardwood stores up to 67% carbon, any hardwood produced that is not burned is good for the environment. Our main hardwood supplier is right here in Wisconsin; the wood is from Wisconsin and the upper UP, and the finishing plant is in Wausau.

Dr. Moore specifically mentions hardwood flooring and furniture as good products to buy as long as they are not burned and they are responsibly harvested. Certainly the production cycle is far longer than a product like bamboo. In the USA the same acreage today produces four times the hardwood with essentially the same land we had over 100 years ago. North American timber companies can produce enough wood to supply our vast markets and still export wood. Finally the distance a product is transported is almost as important as its re-generation. Products that takes lots of fuel to get to market are not as friendly as those that are local. Because of the sound conservation practices and the local aspect of Wisconsin products, we can truly say Wisconsin Hardwoods are very “green”.

The short answer is no muss, no fuss. The finish is applied at the factory, and all you do is nail it down and you’re done. Generally speaking, due to mass production pre-finished hardwood costs less overall.

Unfinished hardwood first needs to be nailed and then sanded, which creates lots of fine dust that is a challenge to clean. Then stain and a final finish is applied. This process generally costs more than pre-finished flooring because of the labor and adds time to the household disruption while each layer dries. Also, if anyone in your household has respiratory issues, using pre-finished flooring is the safest choice for their health.

With pre-finished hardwood, the urethane finish is applied under factory controlled conditions using multiple thin coats. The urethane is instantly cured, first with UV lighting and then a ceramic based material, usually aluminum oxide, is mixed into the urethane which in turn makes the water-based urethane much more rugged and abrasion resistant. the result is a floors that will hold it’s original beauty longer than a job-sanded-on-site application.

Most quality pre-finished hardwood has a micro-bevel on all four sides, which ensures that you don’t catch splinters if you run your feet across the floor. If your sub-floor is not perfectly level and the wood is square edged, there’s a chance you would catch a tiny edge and splinter the floor. Many low-end hardwood floors, especially some of those found in big box stores, are beveled only on the sides and not the end joints.

Our Wisconsin supplier uses a patented formula and much higher level ceramic in it’s finish and produces one of the very best, if not the absolutely very best finish available today. The “Wearmax” finish is actually tested to the industry standard (Taber Test) and it has almost double the wear than it’s competitors with normal aluminum oxide! Wearmax also brings out the natural beauty of the wood and grain. Wearmax offers a 50 year wear warranty and also offers a superior commercial finish.

While planning our orders, we consult designers and new home builders to make sure what we offer is “hot” and will have long legs, meaning, products that will still be considered beautiful 30 years from now. No purple flooring.

Ceramic tile used to be sold in 1 in. by 1 in. squares, but now larger ceramic tile is in style. For the last 80 years, hardwood planks were usually 2 ¼ in. wide. Like ceramics, wider wood is now very desirable and creates a modern beautiful impression. Unfortunately, unlike ceramic tile, which is easy to make in larger pieces, wider wood requires better quality boards and therefore usually costs more than the narrower products.

FloorsForLess.com specializes in “hard-to-find at reasonable prices” 4 in. wide wood. Because we buy factory direct in large quantities, we can bring you fine quality wood in this popular 4 in. width, and we can often do so for the price of the 3 ¼ in. wood. Check out other prices on 4″ wider wood, and then come see us.

We also buy special manufacturing lots of first quality wood, so ask about our specials.