Bruce Hardwood floors offers premium hardwood flooring designed to keep up with your family’s lifestyle. Bruce offers the largest selection of colors and styles in wood flooring, virtually care-free finishes and our assurance of quality.

> What is Hardwood?   > Lifestyle/Performance
> How Much Does it Cost? > Pros & Considerations

Armstrong/Bruce Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaning System, Cleaner, Floor Mop Contains all the tools for easy cleaning of all no-wax hardwood and laminate floors. A quick and easy way to clean! Contains 1 32oz. spray cleaner, 1 large swivel-head mop, and 1 absorbent terry-cloth mop cover. Swivel-head mop reaches under furniture and appliances. Mop cover is reversible, washable and reusable. Finally, a hassle-free, convenient way to clean

Hardwood floors that are incredibly beautiful, highly durable and extremely affordable. And as always, they're natural and safe for the environment. Affordable Luxury For Active Lifestyles - Bruce Hardwood Floors.

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> $4.39/sqft,
Dundee Strip
Natural Red Oak,
Solid Oak Floor,
2-1/4"x3/4"xRL,
20sqft/carton,
15yr Wrnty
> $4.59/sqft for
3-1/4" Plank,
22sqft/carton

The product lines we carry include:
Adventure Plank; American Originals; American Treasures; American Vintage; Asian Beech Strip/Plank; Balance Plank; Baltic Plank; Bayport Strip; Birchall Strip/Plank; Bristol Strip/Plank; Caruth Plank; Cavendar Plank; Coastal Woodlands 1/2" and 3/8"; Dover Strip; Dundee Strip/Plank; Ecostrip; Eddington Strip/Plank; Fulton Strip/Plank; Glen Cove Plank; Glenhurst Strip/Plank; Harborlight Plank; Heritage; Kempas Plank; Kennedale Strip; Kennedale Prestige Plank; Laurel Strip/Plank; Merbau Plank; Natural Choice Strip; Natural Reflections; Nelson Plank; Newcastle Plank; The New England Collection Strip/Plank; Northshore Strip/Plank; Riverside Plank; Rockhampton Plank; Rockwell Plank; Springdale Plank; Sterling Strip; Sterling Prestige Plank; Summerside Strip; Summit Hill Plank; Tonswille Engineered Strip; Trumbull Strip/Plank; Turlington 3" and 5" Plank; Turlington American Exotics; Waltham Strip/Plank; Westchester Strip/Plank;

What is Hardwood?    

Solid Solid wood is just that – one piece that is milled from lumber. It comes in a variety of widths, from 2-1/4" to 5" wide. It also comes in different thicknesses: 3/4" is standard, but you can also find "thin profile" solid that is 5/16" thick. Keep In Mind:

Moisture and extreme temperature changes can cause solid wood to shrink and expand, potentially causing gaps between boards during colder or dryer seasons. 5/16" thin profile solid wood can be installed directly over concrete; 3/4" can't. All solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished if needed (required every 15-20 years). All urethane coated floors can be recoated as needed to renew the surface of the floor. This is more economical than sanding and refinishing.

Engineered Engineered wood is real wood, but instead of one solid piece it consists of three to 10 thin layers of wood, called plies, that are assembled and glued in a cross-ply construction. The top layer of wood can range from 1/16" to 1/6" thick. Overall board thickness ranges from 1/4" to 3/4". Due to its multi-ply structure, engineered wood is much more stable than solid wood and is less susceptible to shrinking and expanding with changes in temperatures and humidity. Keep In Mind:

Engineered wood can be installed directly over concrete and can also be installed below ground level. Engineered wood with a top layer thinner than 1/10" cannot be refinished; however, it can be recoated to renew the surface of the floor.

Site-Finished vs. Prefinished

Prefinished
A pre-finish, or factory finish, creates a no muss, no fuss installation. There's no dust from sanding, no fumes from chemicals, no waiting for the finish to dry. These floors are warranted to last longer than site-finished floors–typically 15 to 25 years, versus three to five years. This is because factory applied urethane finishes are much tougher and longer lasting than site-applied finishes.

With all the color choices available in pre-finished hardwood flooring, there's no need to custom stain site-finished floors to get just the right look for your home.
If you like the look of site-finished flooring, but want the durability of prefinished flooring, choose a product with a square end and edge.

Site-Finished
Advocates of site-finishing like the fact that the floor can be sanded after it's installed to even out any imperfections. Site finishing also gives you the widest selection of stain colors to choose from. However, on-site sanding and finishing can produce heavy fumes, messy dust and significant waiting time from when the floor is laid until it can be enjoyed. In addition, labor costs for on-site finishing may drive up your installation costs.

Keep in Mind:

Lifestyle/Performance:
Durability & Life Expectancy

Both solid and engineered hardwoods are among the longest lasting flooring options and, with proper care may never need replacement. However, hardwood is susceptible to scratching, especially in high traffic areas, or in households with children or pets. Different types of wood are more durable than others. If you want a floor that stands up to heavy use, choose a species equal to or harder than oak, such as maple, Brazilian cherry, or ash. Another option is to choose a floor with a distressed visual that simulates an aged look, or a handscraped product.

Typical Warranties

Prefinished hardwood floors typically carry a lifetime warranty on structural integrity. Finish warranties can range from three to 25 years. If you're looking for the best warranty protection, prefinished floors are warranted to last longer than site-finished floors–typically 15 to 25 years, versus three to five years. This is because factory-applied urethane finishes are much tougher and longer lasting than site-applied finishes.

Care & Maintenance

Waxing, once a necessary evil for wood floor owners, is not necessary on floors with a polyurethane finish. Simply sweep and touch up periodically with a no-wax floor cleaner, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Any solid hardwood or an engineered hardwood floor with a top layer 1/10" thick or more:
When these floors begin to scratch or gouge, it's time to sand and refinish. Refinishing can make a floor look brand new. It also presents an opportunity to change the look by choosing a different stain color. Refinishing should only be necessary every 15 to 25 years.

Engineered wood with a top layer thinner than 1/10" thick:
These floors cannot be fully sanded and refinished. However, they can be recoated with a fresh layer of polyurethane whenever necessary. This will refresh the look of the floor and eliminate surface scratches. With this process, you cannot change the color of the wood.

Keep in Mind:

How Much Does it Cost?
Product + Installation = Total Cost  

Product Cost

Solid wood (3/4"): $3.39 to $14.00/sq. ft.
Solid wood thin profile (5/16"): $3.29 to $4.99/sq. ft.

The quality of the wood plays a large role in the price of solid hardwood flooring. At the lower price points, there will be more knots, color variations, and natural imperfections. As prices increase, the wood may be more consistent in color, depending on the species. At the high end of the price spectrum, you'll find more exotic types of wood, such as cabreuva and other non-oak species, wider widths, specialty visuals such as color washing, hand sculpted, and special finishes for deeper, richer colors.

Engineered hardwood (1/4" to 3/4" thick): $2.59 to $14.00/sq. ft.

With engineered hardwood, the number of plies in the core and the thickness of the face are the two primary cost drivers. At the lower cost range, look for at least three layers, or plies in the core. At the mid-price range, look for five plies. At the high-end, look for seven plies or more. Top layer thickness ranges from 1/12" to 1/6". The thicker the top layer, the more expensive the board will be.

Installation Cost

Prefinished: $2.00 to $4.00/sq. ft.
Site-finished: $6.00 to $8.00+/sq. ft.

Installation costs can vary greatly, based on geography (labor rates) as well as subfloor preparation needs.  Armstrong recommends that you contact an Armstrong Certified Installer to provide you with an accurate installed cost estimate.

Keep In Mind:

• Expect to pay more for wide planks (3-1/4" thick or wider).

• Wood is a natural product, so you'll find some natur al variations between boards in a carton. During installation, lay boards out in advance to ensure a pleasing visual mix is achieved. You can expect to find less waste with quality products.

Pros & Considerations

Pros

• Appearance Improves with Age
  Hardwood improves with age because it acquires a desirable patina over time.

• Long Lasting
  Hardwood is among the longest lasting of all flooring types.

• Great Investment
  Although hardwood can initially cost more than some other flooring options, it's an investment that pays off, increasing the value of your home.

• Can Be Recoated
  All hardwood can be recoated, allowing you to refresh your floor to its original look.

• Easy Care & Maintenance
  Hardwood is as easy to care for as most other floors –waxing is not necessary for urethane finishes.

Considerations

• May Scratch
  A hardwood floor's finish is susceptible to scratching from traffic or pet nails.

• Limited Below Grade Installation
  Solid hardwood cannot be installed below grade level; engineered hardwood can.

• Full Bath Installation Not Recommended
  Hardwood should not be used in a full bathroom because it is sensitive to humidity and pooling water.

• Transitions to Other Floors
  A new hardwood floor may be a different height than the floor it adjoins. Thinner profile wood and transition strips will help to equalize the difference.