We are frequently asked to explain what cabin graded hardwood floors are all about.
The lack of familiarity with Cabin grade flooring is understandable, as only about 5-10% of all hardwood flooring is graded as anything other than first quality. Due to the small percentage, and the unpredictability of available inventory, most stores do not stock Cabin grade floors. At ReallyCheapFloors.com, it is a large percentage of our business. So, let us help you better understand what to expect to find in a box.
What Constitutes a Cabin Grade Floor? Is it Seconds?
Have you ever noticed that almost all of the eggs in the grocery store are grade A, Large? Ever wondered where the Grade B eggs go or what makes them a Grade B egg? If you want to know, eggs are graded on their appearance.
Hardwood flooring is much the same way. Natural defects such as mineral stain, wormholes, small knots, and shorter board length are not allowed in most premium hardwood offerings. How much is allowed depends on a manufacturer’s first quality line specifications. The vast majority of our hardwood comes from Somerset Hardwood Flooring in Somerset, KY. Somerset produces the cleanest, most consistent running-line products in the country. That means that the fallout (Cabin) is cleaner than the other manufacturers’. Another term that is commonly used is Tavern grade flooring. I would like to be able to tell you that all Cabin grade flooring is similar, but they really are not, as each manufacturer will have different grading rules.
Why Buy Cabin Grade?
There are multiple reasons to buy Cabin grade flooring. There are two big reasons that many of our customers share with us all the time. The most common reason is price. We understand that it is important for our customers to shop and compare prices before they add something to our proverbial cart.
The Price
As a general rule Cabin will cost a little less than half of first quality wood flooring. Considering that both grades came from the same tree, were milled on the same line, and received the same finish, it is a pretty good value!
The Look
Another reason people buy it is that they like the visual of the finished floor. Some homeowners prefer a rustic, or country look to their floors. In the lighter colors there can be a large amount of color variation, which results in the more rustic look. This prefinished hardwood product offers the additional character that is very popular in cabins as well as other rustic residential applications. Floors that have the darker stains exhibit significantly less contrast, as the stain darkens the lighter boards. Also, narrow boards like 2 1/4 and 3 will show more contrast than a 4 or 5 inch wide plank as there are alot more pieces of product. Below you will see two natural Hickory hardwood examples side by side.
Cabin Grade (Above) 1st Quality (Below) Hickory Flooring
What Causes Cabin Grade to Look Different?
The bottom picture is of course the first quality. Keep in mind that these floors both came from the same manufacturer, the same milling line, and the same finish line. Heck, they could have came from the same tree! The apparent difference between the two floors is color. Color variation in hardwood flooring can come from:
- Heartwood
- Knots
- Wormholes
- Mineral stain
- Nature’s Touch & Thumbprint
Nature’s Thumbprint
These “imperfections” come from mother nature’s unique touch on certain trees and where they grow. Here is a small list of common imperfections you would see in hardwood options other than first quality.
Heartwood
Can be seen on the furthest board in the picture. Knots can be seen the board third from the back. In this case, the knots don’t have holes, but they do offer some interesting coloration.
Wormholes
Will typically be small holes less than ¼” in width, and can run any direction. In some species, such as Maple, discoloration will accompany the holes. The closest board to us shows what to expect in a hardwood product with wormholes.
Mineral Coloration
The last example of discoloration is mineral. Mineral coloration usually manifests itself as a gray color, and is common in Hickory and Oak, especially those grown in the Southern Appalachians. That is because that area contains more minerals in the soil, which manages to leach itself into the trees.
Board Length
Besides color, average board length is an important aspect of grading. In the first quality example, almost all of the boards are over 24” long, while the lower-graded choice has more short boards. Over half of the Cabin boards are under 24”. Is this bad? It depends on who you ask! Some installers say short boards are more work, while other installers say they like shorts….shorts don’t have any bow!
Like anything else, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many customers that buy lower graded hardwood do so because they want a rustic look. In that case, the more boards you have, the more contrast you get.
In this picture we have two Maple hardwood options. As you might have guessed, the top photo is Cabin grade.
Cabin Grade (Above) 1st Quality (Below) Maple
Maple hardwoods are unusual in that they do not contain many knots, and most discoloration is less of a contrast than a Red Oak or White Oak products. It does usually contain more shorts, as this picture shows. As you look at the first quality wood in this picture, you notice that it has very little color. In the right house, a clean Maple floor is gorgeous!
This next photo is of a stained solid Oak hardwood floor, with the Cabin option on the bottom, and first quality on the top. Not much difference, huh? Makes you feel sorry for the graders at Somerset! They have it tough!
1st Quality (Above) Cabin (Below) Stained Oak
Are They Perfect?
With the exception of that one board in the bottom right, (which the installer will throw out or lay it in a closet) the first quality hardwood floor is perfect, with long boards and almost no color variation.
When you look at the lower floor you will see it is perfect, with shorter boards and more variation. Why did I say that both are perfect, when they are obviously different?
That’s because both, like every other floor we sell, are perfect for someone.
Cabin grade wood floors, unlike other flooring options like carpet, are meant to be a mosaic. Any one piece, or in this case, a board, may look odd or out of place, but the entire floor installed will be perfect for the customer that has that need.
We believe that if your main consideration for flooring is color, price, or availability, our Winchester hardwood floors offer an outstanding value. Please do not hesitate to call us with any questions that you might have, or to ask about closeout specials.
Here’s a video we made offering more information with Ted Cook.
What Other Grades Are Available?
While different manufacturers may use different terms for their products, at ReallyCheapFloors.com we offer 3 grades:
First Quality
Builder
Cabin (except in our Somerset engineered products where we use the term Blue Label)
Rustic Grade
Utility Grade
Occasionally we will add other grades to our menu. If you view a type that you are unfamiliar with please email or call us for an explanation. You can also order a free sample of most of our options.
We currently stock over 250,000 sq ft of solid Cabin grade hardwood flooring, all at a price of $2.99 or less. How? Because we are the largest liquidator of Cabin grade flooring in the United States. We are supplied directly by the largest wood manufacturers in the industry, which allow us huge inventories and the lowest prices.
