Hickory Flooring in Cary, NC
We fit hickory floors, solid or engineered, in homes across Cary, North Carolina.
- Quotes in writing
- 10 areas covered
Cary Hardwood Flooring fits hickory floors in homes across Cary. We check the floor underneath, measure each room and fit the boards to it.
What hickory is like
Shagbark hickory is one kind of hickory tree. The U.S. Forest Service's species review of it says the wood is tough, heavy, hard and resilient. It says the wood suits uses that need a wood able to resist impact and stress.
The Forest Service's Silvics of North America says no commercial wood is equal to the true hickories in combined strength, toughness, hardness and stiffness. It names flooring as one of the main uses for hickory lumber, along with furniture and tool handles.
Hickory also grows here in North Carolina. The Forest Service's species review of mockernut hickory, another kind of hickory tree, says it is most abundant southward through Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.
Light and dark in the same floor
The species review says the heartwood of shagbark hickory, which is the wood from the center of the tree, is reddish brown, and the sapwood, which is the wood nearer the bark, is nearly white.
Before we nail anything down, we open boxes from more than one bundle and lay the boards out, so the light and dark ones spread across the room instead of bunching up in one corner.
Solid or engineered hickory
We fit hickory as solid hardwood flooring, one piece of wood top to bottom, and as engineered hardwood flooring.
A U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory study says engineered wood flooring is made of several sheets of solid wood, called veneer, bonded together with glue under heat, pressure or both. On the engineered hickory we fit, the top sheet you walk on is hickory.
Moisture in a Cary house
The Forest Products Laboratory says wood takes on moisture from its surroundings, and that the moisture left in wood tends to come to balance with the humidity of the air around it.
So we check the moisture in the new boards and in the floor under them before we start. We also leave a small gap at every wall, hidden under the trim, so the boards have room to move.
What changes the price
We price hickory flooring for your house once we've measured, and you get that quote in writing.
We set our price by the size of the rooms, how many doorways and corners we cut around, and whether you pick solid or engineered boards. We also count in the grade and the board width, plus taking up an old floor, repairs to the floor underneath, and sanding and finishing in your house if the boards come unfinished.
What to get in writing
Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:
- That the boards are hickory, and whether they are solid or engineered.
- The grade, the board width and the thickness.
- How the moisture of the boards and the floor below will be checked.
- The stain and finish by name and the number of coats, if the floor is finished in your house.
- Whether moving furniture, taking up the old floor and hauling it away are in the price.
Questions about hickory flooring in Cary
Do I need a permit for a hickory floor in Cary?
Usually not. The Town of Cary lists replacing floor and wall coverings among the jobs that don't need a building permit. If you are unsure, the town says to call its Inspections and Permits Department on 311 inside town limits or (919) 469-4000.
How is hickory flooring graded?
The Wood Handbook from the U.S. Forest Service says the official grading rules of the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association cover hickory and pecan as well as oak. It says flooring grades are set by how the face of the board looks. We bring samples of the grades you're thinking about.
How thick are hickory floor boards?
The handbook lists 3/4, 1/2 and 3/8 inch as standard thicknesses for tongue-and-groove flooring under those rules. The boards we fit have a tongue along one edge that slides into a groove on the next board, so the rows lock together. For wider boards, see our wide plank flooring page.
Can you stain hickory?
Yes, we can stain hickory, or leave it natural under a clear finish. We try the stain on a spare board first, so you see the color before it goes on the floor. More on that is on our hardwood floor staining page.
What about the smell when you finish the floor in the house?
The EPA says varnishes contain organic solvents that can release chemicals into the air while they are used. Its advice is to make sure you have plenty of fresh air when using these products, and to keep them out of reach of children and pets.
What about sanding dust?
OSHA, the federal workplace safety agency, says wood dust becomes a possible health problem when sanding and cutting put wood particles into the air. So we close off the room we're working in and keep our saw as far from the rest of the house as we can.
What happens to the leftover finish?
The Town of Cary says household hazardous waste should not go out with your ordinary trash, and it lists turpentine and other flammable materials among those wastes. We take our own leftover finish, thinners and used rags away with us when the job is done.
Which towns do you cover?
We fit hickory floors across Cary, plus Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs and the other towns we list on this page.
Get a quote for hickory flooring
Call us, or send the quote form with your ZIP code and the rooms you want done. We'll measure, go through grade, width and finish options with you, and give you a written quote. To see the other flooring work we do, go to the Cary Hardwood Flooring home page.
Ready to talk about your hardwood flooring job?
Call us or send the quote form with your ZIP code and what you need. We will get back to you with a written quote.