Wide plank engineered hardwood, 7 to 9-1/2 inches.

Color groups are a guide: undertones shift with daylight and lamps, and one plank can sit in two groups. Pick up a free sample and look at it on your own floor.

European oak is a white oak: calm, tight grain that takes natural, pale and gray finishes evenly. Red oak is warmer, with a pink-tan cast and bold open grain that hides everyday wear. Both are hard, proven flooring woods.

The layer of real oak on top of the board. It sets how many times the floor can be sanded and refinished: about 2 mm allows a light refinish, 3 to 4 mm allows full ones. It is the difference between a floor you keep for decades and one you replace.

Plank width. Wider boards show more grain and make a room calmer; every board we stock is wide plank, 7 inches and up. Lengths are 75 or 87 inches, so rooms take few end joints.

How the boards join. Tongue and groove boards are nailed or glued to the subfloor, the traditional method. Click boards lock together and float over most flat floors, which is faster and goes over concrete without glue.

Materials per square foot. Installation by our crews in the Sacramento area adds $4.35 per sqft; removal, baseboard and stairs are priced per room.

A collection is one spec (thickness, wear layer, width) in several colors. Mixing colors from one collection keeps the floor height and feel identical between rooms.