NWFA Annual Wood Flooring Convention & Expo

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Hotel tiers

A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

Local transport

Get around the city with these convenient transport options.

Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Solid hardwood flooring

Planks milled from a single piece of lumber, most commonly 3/4 in thick. Solid strip and plank are fastened to a wood subfloor and move noticeably with seasonal humidity, so jobsite moisture control matters more than with engineered product.

2

Engineered hardwood flooring

A dimensional-lumber or plywood core topped with a real hardwood wear layer. The cross-ply build resists movement, which is why engineered planks are the usual choice for glue-down or floating installation over concrete slabs and over radiant heat.

3

Wear layer

The thickness of the top hardwood veneer on an engineered plank, typically quoted in millimetres or in fractions of an inch. It sets how many times the floor can be sanded and refinished and is the first spec contractors compare on the Expo floor.

4

Janka hardness

A standardized test measuring the force needed to embed a steel ball halfway into a wood sample. Buyers use it to compare dent resistance between species - hickory and hard maple rate well above the oaks, while walnut and cherry sit lower.

5

Moisture content (MC)

The percentage of water in the wood, read with a pin-type or pinless moisture meter. Every installation guideline in the wood flooring trade starts with matching the plank MC to the jobsite equilibrium before the first fastener goes in.

6

Equilibrium moisture content (EMC)

The moisture level wood settles at for a given temperature and relative humidity. Because EMC swings with the seasons, wood flooring specs are written around the expected in-service interior conditions, not the weather on delivery day.

7

Acclimation

Conditioning flooring in the building where it will be installed so the planks reach moisture equilibrium with the subfloor and the air. Acclimation time is product- and region-specific and is usually documented with meter readings.

8

Subfloor

The structural surface that carries the floor - plywood or OSB sheathing, a concrete slab, or an existing floor covering. Flatness tolerance, fastener schedule and slab moisture tests are checked before any hardwood goes down.

9

Nail-down and staple-down

Fastening planks through the tongue to a wood subfloor with cleats, staples or nails using a flooring nailer. This is the standard method for solid strip and plank over sheathing.

10

Glue-down installation

Full-spread adhesive bonding of planks to a substrate. It is the normal route for engineered flooring on concrete and is frequently specified where sound transmission or floor height is a constraint.

11

Floating installation

Planks are joined edge-to-edge, by click profile or glued tongue-and-groove, and rest on an underlayment without being fastened to the subfloor. Common for engineered and for installations over uneven or moisture-sensitive substrates.

12

Expansion gap

The perimeter space left at walls, columns and fixed cabinetry so the floor can expand and contract with humidity. Missing or blocked gaps are one of the most common causes of callbacks and buckling complaints.

13

Site-finished flooring

Unfinished flooring installed first, then sanded, stained and coated in place. Site finishing gives a seamless surface and custom colour control, and is a large share of the sand-and-finish contractor business represented at the Expo.

14

Factory-finished (prefinished) flooring

Planks coated under controlled factory conditions, usually with UV-cured finishes and bevelled or micro-bevelled edges. Faster to hand over, but the finish system and bevel profile are fixed by the manufacturer.

15

Sanding and finishing sequence

Progressive abrasive passes, from coarse grit to fine, followed by stain and protective coats. Grit sequence, drum versus orbital equipment and cut-between-coat practice all affect the final sheen and durability.

16

Water-based versus oil-modified urethane

The two dominant finish chemistries. Water-based urethanes dry fast, stay clear and are favoured for low-odour and quick-turnaround work; oil-modified urethanes amber the wood and build a warmer look but need longer recoat windows.

17

Dust containment

Negative-air machines, HEPA filtration and sander-integrated extraction used to keep airborne dust out of occupied homes. Containment equipment and fine-abrasive systems are a regular product category on the show floor.

18

Cupping and crowning

Moisture-related distortion where plank edges rise (cupping) or centres rise (crowning). Both show up after humidity swings or water events and are assessed with moisture readings and straightedges before resanding is considered.

19

Buckling

Flooring that lifts off the substrate, usually from trapped moisture, a missing expansion gap or adhesive failure. Diagnosis overlaps with inspection work, which is one of the professional tracks in the NWFA community.

20

Relative humidity and HVAC control

Interior relative humidity targets, typically maintained with heating and cooling systems, keep installed wood flooring within its designed moisture range. Contractors increasingly write RH and temperature requirements into handover documentation.

21

Grade (Clear, Select, #1 Common, #2 Common, Rustic)

The character allowances a plank may show - knot size, mineral streak, sapwood and colour variation. Grade is a specification decision tied to the design intent, not a quality ranking.

22

Cut: plain-sawn, quarter-sawn, rift-sawn, live-sawn

How the log is milled. Quarter-sawn and rift-sawn produce straighter grain, greater stability and the ray-fleck figure used in high-end residential work; live-sawn yields wider, mixed-grain planks with high yield.

23

Pattern: strip, plank, herringbone, chevron, parquet

Layout families sold by flooring manufacturers. Wide plank and herringbone have driven much of the recent residential demand, and pattern work raises installation skill requirements and waste factors.

24

Species and origin

Domestic species such as white oak, red oak, hickory, maple, ash and walnut sit alongside imported tropical species. Origin now ties into legality and sourcing documentation, so species claims are checked against paperwork.

25

Lacey Act and TSCA Title VI

US rules that matter to anyone importing or specifying wood flooring. The Lacey Act addresses legal harvest and declaration of plant products, while TSCA Title VI caps formaldehyde emissions from composite wood cores such as plywood and HDF.

26

NWFA Responsible Procurement Program (RPP)

The association's chain-of-custody style programme for wood flooring manufacturers who source verified, legally harvested and sustainably managed wood. Buyers use the RPP mark as a sourcing shortcut in specification discussions.

27

Vapour retarder and moisture barrier

Sheet or trowel-applied membranes used over concrete and in crawlspace construction to keep ground moisture out of the flooring assembly. Barrier choice is tied to slab test results, not to installer preference.

28

Underlayment and sound control

Foam, cork, rubber or engineered mats laid under floating and glue-down floors to smooth minor substrate variation and to hit sound ratings such as STC and IIC in multi-family projects.

29

Radiant heat compatibility

Whether a flooring product can be installed over hydronic or electric radiant systems, and at what surface temperature. It is a standard question for engineered suppliers and a frequent specification constraint in new-build homes.