Character Heart Pine blends #1 and #2

Our cheapest Heart Pine grade is not really a grade but rather a blend, Character Heart Pine combines Heart Pine with our #2 grade. Same concept as Character Grade White Oak, which combines #1 common with #2 common by extending the length of the board. These grades are very similar but a layperson (should) can tell the difference, same with our #2 and #1 Longleaf Southern Pine. One has enough Heartwood the other doesn’t, not defects but distance from the tree determines these grades.

“Cheapest” Heart Pine Grade

The “cheapest” Heart Pine only works if you are using a value, not price context. These floors, finished clear or stained dark, will be the showpiece of your home so cheap not a great term. However, we want people to realize that the price per square foot means nothing without context. It is imperative you understand the components within that price. For example, average length and a flooring grade not a marketing term; both very important to avoid being ripped off.

19 Nov

White Oak Prices

Wood Floor Shopping

Yes, SYP Direct offers hardwoods, such as Northern White Oak. Has anyone told you White Oak prices have gone up because of the popularity of Whiskey? “We’re starting to see the impact [the bourbon craze] is having on the white oak industry,” says Jeremy Scherf, a service forester with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. “If we don’t step forward now and start improving how we manage our white oaks, we could be looking at a shortfall.” (American Forest Foundation). What a huge public relations move, blaming whiskey barrels for a “shortage” of White Oak, which there is not. Do not be fooled.

Hardwood flooring grades

Hardwood flooring is graded based on the face surface, specifically its appearance. The most common grades of domestic hardwood wood flooring are; clear (c & btr), select (s & btr), # 1 common, # 2 common and a variety of proprietary grades. Yes, proprietary, as in they make it up. Now, this is not always a bad thing, not at all. However, many times these creations are about raising the price, i.e. natural rustic = #2 common everywhere else.

Character or Contractor grade

Our favorite White Oak grade is Character (Contractor) which blends #1 and #2 common. Why, create another grade? In the case of Character White Oak, at this mill, it reduces part of the sorting process, so you get longer boards that may require some work here and there, perfect for a contractor.

Long Length White Oak

SYP Direct offers unfinished White Oak in long length boards, not shorts or micro shorts. White Oak pricing from the mill combines grade and length, i.e. character grades. Understanding the importance of length to grade is key. Remember, grade means nothing if a board has been altered since mill, which they have unless you are buying direct. How do you? Compare apples to apples, price per square foot is but one component of value. For example are 10′ boards worth more than 3′, or 5′? Of course they are, now what about 8-10 and 12’s, in wide planks? Our prefinished floors are taken from raw materials to finished floor, keeping the lengths in tact.

Hardwood Flooring from SYP Direct

SYP Direct is more than just pine; in fact it might surprise you to know that today 50% of our business is ‘not unfinished pine. Buying hardwood floors from SYP Direct is literally broker pricing for consumers. Why would anyone buy hardwood floors such as White Oak from a company named Southern Yellow Pine Direct? Simple, we remove the people that either take a commission or shorten your boards. “Farther from the blade, the more you paid”, true 100% of the time. The best White Oak prices are always found at the mill in long lengths. We allow (end-users) homeowners to buy direct from the mill floor. We don’t eliminate the middleman, we take it tree to delivery meaning we eliminate several of them.

character grade

Character Heart Pine