What takes years to perfect, yet brings beauty to your home for generations? It’s a wood floor.

One of the oldest types of flooring, wood continues to be new, thanks to the arrival in America of a host of new species from the far corners of the world. They are called exotics for two reasons: their origins and their intriguing looks.

Like American traditionals in oak, maple, chestnut or ash, each floor is unique, because, thanks to Mother Nature, no two pieces are ever alike. But in the case of the exotic species we find delightful grains and colors very new to our world like Brazilian cherry, African wenge, merbau and teak featuring warm reds, new tones in cool yellows and light-to-dark neutral browns.

Exotic hardwoods are available in solid strips or engineered, prefinished formats with exceptional performance characteristics. Their stable, layered construction means extremely high fashion hardwoods can be used virtually anywhere in the home, including typically damp environments, at a cost of about a traditional oak floor.

One of the latest trends in wood flooring is hand-scraped, which recalls the art and craftsmanship of individual flooring pieces sculpted by hand prior to the Industrial Revolution. However, these days we can enjoy the tailored look of precision-milled joints and extremely durable aluminum oxide finishes.

These new species, together with the classics, present a previously unheard-of opportunity for personalization and design. Whether you already have a wood floor you’d like to make over, or you’re dreaming of a new one, it’s so easy to make that personal statement. Perhaps yours would be simple and understated, such as dropping in a contrasting room border for intrigue in color and texture, or sophisticated and elegant, such as borders with insets and medallions.

Fortunately, our new age of wood has arrived, along with a resurgence in craftsmanship and the latest tools and technologies to give you an artful wood floor -- new or refinished -- without the mess of days gone by.

Just imagine the possibilities. Whatever you can imagine in wood, as master crafters, we can design for you.