Hardwood
is the classic flooring choice and Mercers is proud to offer
a wide variety of quality hardwood floors at all three of our
showrooms in both Carroll County & Howard County. Our selection
ranges from woods like Oak, Pine and Pecan, to more exotic species
such as Bamboo, Cork and Brazilian Cherry.
We have hardwood floors ranging from the clean, formal look
of a high glossed hardwood floor to the warm, rustic appeal
of hand-scraped or reclaimed hardwood flooring. The uniqueness
of our floors can become a backdrop to an already beautiful
design or a foundation from which your dream home originates.
The variety of types and stains available give thousands
of options to complement almost any room and the rich character
of hardwood flooring makes it an appealing choice.
A great way to accentuate a hardwood floor is an area
rug; we have a wide selection from modern to Persian
and we have various levels of customization available through
binding any carpet we have in the store or special ordering
a rug made to your exact specifications.
Be sure to check out our current
specials to see what deals we are offering on both
our standard selection as well as discount floors that we
have for only a limited time.
To learn more about this wonderful flooring choice, we have
included information on
You can also contact
us with any questions if the information available here
does not quite answer your questions.
H a r d w o o d. L i n k s
Below are the websites of our suppliers
that we find are the most useful in choosing a floor. Quite
a few have tools to help you visualize your room with the floor.
We strive to offer only the best hardwood, no matter what
your lifestyle demands, so you will only find the best manufacturers
in our selection of hardwood flooring such as Mohawk, Shaw,
Bruce, Armstrong, & Anderson.
Solid Wood
Solid hardwood floors, the most common wood flooring, are
solid, one-piece boards and come available in three basic
types:
Strip flooring which comes in varying widths and is typically
nailed to the subfloor
Wider width plank flooring boards, which are nailed to
the subfloor
Parquet flooring which comes in standard 6"x6"
squares
Engineered Wood
This kind of flooring consists of three or more layers of
wood laminated together and is becoming more and more popular
due to characteristics such as increased stability, the use
of fewer trees to create more floors, and competitive prices.
Because of the increased stability of crisscrossing layers
of wood, engineered wood flooring reacts less to changes in
humidity and can be installed in all areas of the house, even
in the basement!
The top wear layer is usually an aesthetically pleasing hardwood
of limited supply of varying thickness, with the lower layers
being a less visually appealing wood that is abundantly available.
Most engineered wood floors are either stapled down or glued
down. Some engineered hardwood floors are installed as "floating
floors," meaning the edges of the panels are glued together
but not attached directly to the subfloor. Engineered hardwood
flooring can also be glued directly to a concrete slab.
F i n i s h e s.
Hardwood floors are available as either factory-finished
or unfinished.
•Unfinished hardwood floors,
installed on-site, give you many choices for colorations anddurability.
Unfinished hardwood flooring can take several days to install,
sand, stain, and finish.
•Prefinished hardwood floors
tend to be more consistent due to strict application codes.
Installation of prefinished hardwood floors is less messy,
with fewer odors.
The protective layer of a finish, or the "wear layer,"
gives hardwood flooring a durable, moisture-resistant surface.
The wear layer is commonly made from either Polyurethane or
Acrylic-Urethane, which provide a hard, clear surface that
protects the wood. Aluminum Oxide is often added to these
finishes to increase abrasion resistance. Please note that
because hardwood floors are not completely sealed against
moisture, they are not the first choice for bathrooms.
Acrylic-impregnated hardwood flooring has been injected with
liquid acrylic under the wear layer to increase hardness and
moisture resistance. This extremely durable, scratch resistant
flooring is often used in heavy traffic commercial installations.
Species
Mercer Carpet One has a large selection of hardwood species
available such as Eucalyptus, Imperial Maple, Ironwood, Sapele,
Pine, Elm, Zebrawood, Ebony, Acacia, and Brazilian Olive.
Below is some information on some of the more popular species.
You can also check out our page on Bamboo
and Cork flooring
for some more exotic, unique, and green options!
Oak
Oak is highly resistant to water, rotting, and pests.
It has a warm appearance, and can be stained to match
many color schemes. Please note that there are over
200 subspecies with slight variations in colors and
grains.
Ash
Ash is an extremely hard wood, with a coarse texture
and straight grain. Two kinds of Ash are available:
White Ash, which is an alternative to Oak and lower
grade subspecies, which resemble hickory. Ash can
vary greatly in grain.
Maple
Maple is a popular choice for museums,
schools, and ballrooms. It withstands traffic well,
and has a bright, clean look. The wood is hard and
heavy with good strength properties, in particular
its high resistance to abrasion and wear.
Cherry
Cherry has an extremely warm appearance,
with a slight pink tint and large color variation.
It has been used for centuries to create fine furniture.
Birch
Birch is a softer wood, with a beautiful pale reddish
tone. It is tight-grained and finely textured. Please
note that boards can vary greatly in color and grain.
Beech
Beech is similar to maple, with a fine, honey-colored
grain. It was popular for gymnasium floors because
of its hardness and stability. There is moderate to
high color variation between boards.
Hickory
Hickory can vary dramatically in its
graining from straight grain to curvy, mottled grain.
It also varies in color from white to reddish-brown,
depending on the part of the tree used.
Pine
This wood from North America has great
character with its occasional blue-black sap marks
and yellow coloring that darkens to a rich amber with
age.
Exotics:
Merbau
Merbau originates from Southeast Asia and is highly
resistant to termites. With its variable color containing
an orange tint and high character, Merbau is a very
warm looking wood.
Teak
Originating from Asia, Teak starts as a gold brown
and generally turns a rich brown when exposed to sunlight.
Its straight but uneven grain gives it loads of character.
Jatoba
Originating from South America, Jatoba
is known in particular for its density and hardness
and its unique and variable coloring which can be
an attractive burgundy, deep red, or with a slight
orange tone.
Tigerwood
Tigerwood is a unique and bold wood
with bold striping and coloring. Colors for Tigerwood
range from golden yellows to neutral and rich browns,
tending to deepen over time.
Satine Mahogany
This is a rich, dark mahogany-colored
wood that is extremely dense and stable. Its superior
hardness and color fastness make it an excellent choice
over genuine mahogany, which is too soft for most
flooring uses.
Brazilian Cherry
This is a beautiful wood full of character with a
russet coloring usually marked with dark streaks.
Brazilian Teak
Another great wood from South America, this extremely
hard and stable wood has a fine, interlocked grain.
Its coloring starts out as a red-brown or purple-brown
but mellows with sunlight exposure to a light yellow-brown.
Brazilian Walnut
With a varying grain and color, this character filled
wood is a dramatic and classy addition to any home!
Its rich coloring can vary from a light yellowish
tan with slight green overtones to an almost blackish
brown, darkening over time.
Hardwood Warranties
When you buy from Mercer Carpet One, you have added peace
of mind. First, our exclusive Select-A-Floor System offers
multiple levels of warranty based on quality and performance,
so you can choose the level that fits your lifestyle.
The Select-A-Floor System offers the following incredible
levels of hardwood flooring warranty:
120 day beautiful guarantee
30 year wear warranty
Life of the floor installation warranty
90 day beautiful guarantee
25 year wear warranty
Life of the floor installation warranty
60 day beautiful guarantee
20 year wear warranty
Life of the floor installation warranty
30 day customer satisfaction warranty (materials replacement)
15 year wear warranty
Life of the floor installation warranty
15 day customer satisfaction warranty -- (materials replacement)
10 year wear warranty
Life of the floor installation warranty
Hardwood
is the classic flooring choice and Mercers is proud to offer
a wide variety of quality hardwood floors at all three of our
showrooms in both Carroll County & Howard County. Our selection
ranges from woods like Oak, Pine and Pecan, to more exotic species
such as Bamboo, Cork and Brazilian Cherry.
