about our flooring

Sun Mountain Wide Plank Hardwood Floors are made in the U.S.A. We offer both solid wood and engineered flooring. Our lumber is sourced only from responsibly managed forests. Sun Mountain is a proud member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA).

Solid Wood

Sun Mountain's solid wood flooring is recommended for at or above grade applications only. Solid wood floors are not recommended for "direct glue to concrete" or radiant heat sub-floor applications. Standard features of our solid wood products include:

• 3/4" thickness
• End-matched tongue and groove
• Widths up to 8" (on selected species)

Engineered

Sun Mountain's engineered flooring is strongly recommended for below grade applications (i.e. high moisture content in basements). Engineered floors are also strongly recommended for "direct glue to concrete" applications and installations over radiant heat sub-floors. Advantages of our engineered flooring include less shrink and expansion related to moisture than solid wood—reducing warping, cupping and cracking, and widths greater than 8" (up to 12" on selected species). Standard features of our engineered products include:

• 15mm thick (approximately 9/16") core material—11-ply alternating grain laminate material, glued with Exterior Grade, Class 3 glue
• 4mm thick (>1/8") wear layer veneer (can be sanded and refinished twice)
• Two-piece material (core, plus wear layer veneer) approximately 3/4" thick, on all widths from 3" to 8"
• Three-piece material (core, plus wear layer veneer, plus mill-option bottom veneer) approximately 7/8" thick, on all widths greater than 8"
• Core and veneer construction tested by submersion in water for 48 hours, with no delamination!
• End-matched tongue and groove
• Widths up to 12" (on selected species)

Flooring Warranty

Sun Mountain offers an industry leading warranty.

Sun Mountain's Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring is available in a variety of widths. Solid wood flooring is available in widths up to 8" (on selected species, grades and cuts). Engineered flooring is available in widths up to 12" (on selected species, grades and cuts). Our most popular widths are:

• 3"
• 4"
• 5"
• 6"
• 7"
• 8"
• 9"
• 10"
• 11"
• 12"
• Random placement of 3" 5" and 7" widths
• Random placement of 4" 6" and 8" widths
• Random placement of 6" 7" and 8" widths
• Random placement of 6" 8" and 10" widths
• Random placement of 8" 10" and 12" widths

If you don't see the specific width or random width pattern you desire, we are happy to manufacture to your unique specifications.

Sun Mountain offers Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring in a variety of the most popular wood species, lumber grades and cuts of lumber. An explanation of each of these follows:

Wood Species

Sun Mountain manufactures flooring in the following traditional and exotic wood species (click on the wood species below to learn more).

• White Oak
• Red Oak
• Hickory
• Walnut
• Maple
• Northern White Ash
• Cherry
• Sapele
• African Mahogany

If you don't see the specific wood species you desire, we are happy to source your desired species.

Grades

Most hardwood lumber in the United States and Canada is graded according to rules established by the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA). NHLA grading is based on the size and number of clear "cuttings" that can be obtained from a board when it is cut up and used for various products such as furniture or flooring. The higher grades require wider and longer cuttings of clear wood (limited or no knots) than the lower grades. In most situations, lower grades are a more economical choice than the higher grades. Sun Mountain offers two grades of lumber we summarize as "Rustic" (generally considered a lower grade of lumber, characterized by rustic knots and grain variations) and "Select" (considered a higher grade, mostly clear of knots). A description of these grades is as follows:

Reclaimed Lumber

In addition to Rustic and Select grades, Sun Mountain offers a number of "reclaimed" lumber options. This lumber is taken from old buildings, barns, granaries, etc., de-nailed and then manufactured into beautiful antique flooring featuring knots, insect scarring, nail holes, saw-tooth etchings, flecks of barn paint and areas of weathered patina. Sun Mountain offers the following species of Reclaimed lumber (others available on request):

• Antique White Oak, Reclaimed
• Granary Oak, Reclaimed
• Antique Chestnut, Reclaimed
• Antique Heart Pine, Reclaimed

Cuts

Sun Mountain offers two cuts of lumber—"Flat Cut" and "Rift and Quartered." A description of these cuts is as follows:

Flat Cut

The Flat Cut, sometimes called "Plain Sawn," is the most common method of sawing logs. This method provides the widest boards and least waste and is, therefore, the most economical. The Flat Cut is obtained by making the first saw cut on a tangent to the circumference of the log and the remaining cuts parallel to the first. Flat Cut limber is easily recognized by it cathedral (or gothic arch) effect on the face of the board, with wide grains patterns and end grain with semi-circles.

Rift and Quartered

Quarter Cut lumber is produced by first quartering the log and then sawing it perpendicular to the growth rings. All of the boards are thus cut of radial grain, the with growth rings positioned at between 60° and 90° angles to the face of the board. This Quarter-sawn cut splits the medullary ray of the wood, causing a beautiful plumed or flared appearance referred to as "rays" or "flecks," often appearing shiny or reflective.

The Rift Cut is similar to the Quarter Cut, but with the angle of the cut changed slightly so that fewer saw cuts are parallel to the medullary rays, which are responsible for the flake effect. This positions the growth rings between 30° and 60° angles to the face of the board. The Rift Cut accentuates the vertical grain and minimizes the flake common in the Quarter Cut. Rift Cut lumber produces an almost straight grain with practically no flake figure.

Rift and Quartered Lumber provides the following benefits:

• Reduced shrink or expansion in width (ideal for high traffic flooring areas)
• Reduced twisting, warping and cupping
• Reduced wear, with no surface check or split
• A superior finishing surface