When buying solid or engineered wood flooring you should always expect some sort of variation. Wood is a natural product which will therefore bring a variation in the colour and character of wood flooring.  Variation in wood flooring can be visible by the amount and size of the grain, knots and growth rings. Natural wood offers an uncontrollable uniqueness which means no two boards will ever be identical, giving your floor an appearance that no other floor will be able to achieve.  When ordering a sample, you have to appreciate that it will not show the full variation of colours or character. You may receive a sample with absolutely no knots at all, but when you order your floor, every other plank may have a huge knot in the middle. Natural variation may look unusual as just two separate planks, however when the planks are mixed together and installed properly then you will gain a fantastic effect.

The amount of variation acceptable can be discovered by the grade of the wood you purchase. All of our manufacturers will grade their wood into 3 different categories. It is important to note that the grades do not represent the quality of the wood, it only represents the amount of variation that may occur

AB or Prime grade wood has an extremely consistent colour throughout the planks and minimal variation will occur, unless the wood itself naturally varies. It is the highest grade available on the flooring market and naturally no knots should occur, however if they are visible they will be smaller than 10mm.

ABC or rustic grade still has a consistent colour but some variation may be noticeable. Some natural knots may occur but they will not be any bigger than 20mm.

You should never be concerned if there is large variation between planks as this is natural and we can assure it looks a lot better when the floor is installed. If you are still unsure about variation after reading this article, then we would recommend contacting our advice team.

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