Hardwood floors Glossary

Classic
3/4" thick solid prefinished hardwood flooring. Mirage Classic flooring is designed to be nailed or stapled down over a wood subfloor.

Coloring
It is important to distinguish between wood's natural coloring and variations caused by external factors. Each species has its own grain, and thus its own typical coloring. In the same block of wood, color varies according to the density of the fibers. This is what creates wood's unique pattern. Various natural factors can alter wood's coloring, such as exposure to light, air, and humidity. The color can be changed with stains and varnishes. The effect will vary in intensity depending on the density of the fibers and the degree to which they absorb the stains and varnish.

Commercial
We distinguish between floors installed for commercial and residential use, especially for the warranty. A location is considered commercial if it is open to the public or is a place of work. A residential location is one where people live. In commercial locations, floors are subjected to heavier traffic. Mirage offers a collection of commercial-use floors called Mirage Commercial.

Dry Sawn
A method of precision sawing hardwood to the desired strip thickness without having to presoften the wood by soaking.

Engineered
3/8" thick prefinished hardwood flooring composed of a hardwood layer glued on 5 ply plywood. Mirage Engineered flooring is specially designed to be installed over concrete, but can also be nailed or stapled down over a wood subfloor.

Exclusive
Mirage's name for its grade of wood that lets you play more with the subtle color variations in wood than Select & Better grade. See Grade.

Exotic
Wood imported from countries with climates different from that in North America are considered exotic. For example, Santos Mahogany (Cabreuva), Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) and Sapele are exotic species, whereas Maple and Oak are indigenous.

Gloss
The luster or shine of a surface when light is reflected off it. A glossy surface reflects more light than a matte surface.

Grade
Wood strips are categorized according to variations in their natural coloring. "Grade" refers to visual aspect only and has absolutely no bearing on quality. See Grade for examples.

Grain
The pattern created by the variations in the density of wood fiber particles as a tree grows. Fiber densities vary from one species to another.

Groove
In wood strips with a tongue and groove joint, a tongue is milled on one edge of the strip and a groove is cut into the opposite edge. The form of the joint is also referred to as male (tongue) or female (groove). When the flooring is installed, the tongue of each strip is inserted into the groove of the adjacent strip.

Hardness
The wood's resistance to impact. Hardness depends on the density of the fibers and is measured in terms of the pressure required for a steel ball to mark the wood to a certain depth. The harder the wood, the higher the pressure required.

Hardwood
This does not refer to the actual hardness of the wood, but is a botanical term that distinguishes the wood of broad-leaved trees from that of conifers, which are considered softwood.

Healthy Knot
A solid wood knot that contains no bark or rot.

Heartwood
Part right below the sapwood, in the core of the three. It is generally darked in color.

Herringbone
An arrangement of wood strips creating repetitive symmetrical patterns.

Laminate
Material manufactured by pressing resin-impregnated fibers or sheets, then applying a top layer of a higher quality product.

Micro-V
The edge of a wood strip is originally cut at a right angle (90°). Just before the final sanding, the edge is cut at a 45° angle. When two strips are placed side-by-side, a small "V" shape is formed.

Milling
This refers to all the shaping operations required before a strip is ready to sand and finish.

OSB
Oriented strand board.

Parquet
An assembly of wood strips in a square or rectangular pattern sometimes called a mosaic.

Plywood
A board or panel made of multiple layers of wood glued cross-directionally for greater dimensional stability.

Polyurethanet
A large molecule of chemically joined urethane units. Can be irreversibly solidified or "cured" using heat, light, or other techniques.

Prefinished
Ready-to-install factory-finished flooring, compared to unfinished flooring, which requires on-site finishing.

Refinishing
The process of sanding a previously finished floor and applying a new finish.

Relative Humidity
The ratio between the amount of water vapor in the air and the air's absorption capacity at a given temperature.

Resanding
Sanding a floor in order to remove the finish and restore the wood to its raw form.

Residential
We distinguish between floors installed for residential and commercial use, especially for the warranty. A location is considered commercial if it is open to the public or is a place of work. A residential location is one where people live. In residential locations, floors wear more slowly.

Rotary Cut
A log peeled in ultra-thin layers using a rotary saw (method generally used to make veneers). This cutting method requires soaking the wood in a solution to soften it before peeling, which can alter its natural color and open the wood grain, causing it to splinter.

Sapwood
Part of the three right under the bark, it is generally lighter in color.

Sanding
Polishing the surface of the wood.

Select & Better
Mirage's name for its grade of wood with the most uniform natural color. See Grade.

Sliced Cut
A wood block cut into thin sheets using a knife. This cutting method requires a presoaking process to soften the wood, which can alter its natural color and open the wood grain, causing it to splinter.

Solid
Strips made entirely of natural wood. See Classic.

Species
A specific variety of wood, like maple or oak. Some varieties include multiple species, such as red oak and white oak. The characteristics of a single species of wood can vary depending on the region. Oak grown in Nordic regions is harder than oak from the South.

Stability
Characteristic of a material that does not react, or reacts only very slightly, to ambient variations such as relative humidity.

Stain
A substance used to give wood a specific color.

Strips
Flooring boards to be installed in parallel rows, manufactured in various thicknesses and widths. Strips are connected with a tongue and groove joint.

Subfloor
A floor base on which the floor covering is installed.

Tongue
In wood strips with a tongue and groove joint, a tongue is milled on one edge of the strip and a groove is cut into the opposite edge. The form of the joint is also referred to as male (tongue) or female (groove). When the flooring is installed, the tongue of each strip is inserted into the groove of the adjacent strip.

Traditional
An unfinished product that must be stained or finished after installation. Traditional is also Mirage's name for its grade of wood with the heaviest natural variation in color. See Grade.

Ultraviolet-cured polyurethane
A special kind of polyurethane cured using ultraviolet light.

Urethane
An ingredient in varnish.

UV Protection^™
For some natural wood species, Mirage's Nanolinx finish provides UV Protection^™ that slows and reduces the sunshading phenomenon that causes wood to darken and yellow over time.

Varnish
A solution that leaves a thin layer of protection on the wood after curing.

Wear layer
The surface of a wood strip, which can be resanded after wear to restore the floor's original appearance. Wear is generally very superficial. A 5/32" (4 mm) thick wear layer is thick enough for many resandings.