FAQ

The answer is, Yes! Wood responds to changes in humidity. Any wood product will expand and contract with seasonal changes in humidity.

All woods are hygroscopic – they absorb moisture when the air is humid, and lose moisture when it’s dry. Wood cells always contain some water. Technically, this moisture content is expressed as a percentage of the weight of the dry wood: 40 to 160 percent in fresh-sawn lumber; 8 to 10 percent (optimum for dimensional stability) in hardwoods kiln-dried for flooring. Wood gains and loses moisture before and after installation, as surrounding environmental conditions fluctuate.   As such, it is critical that the inside conditions be maintained to control humidity and temperature to within normal living conditions.

Flooring & Paneling – All the wood in your home will contract or expand according to the moisture in the air. In dry, cold weather, cracks and fine lines of separation may appear between boards.   If relative humidity and temperature rises, so does the moisture content of hardwood floors. This increase in moisture content can result in the edges of the boards rising as they press against each other from the resultant expansion. This is known as cupping.

Some minor cupping and fine crack separation is to be expected in all hardwood flooring from seasonal changes in humidity. This is normal characteristic of wood.   Maintaining consistent humidity and temperature levels will minimize these changes. Floors, as do people, benefit from a balance of humidity and consistent temperature in the home.

WOOD & Co. will take every precaution to prepare the wood for the environmental conditions of the home prior to installation, and allow for post-installation acclimatization prior to sanding and finishing. Moisture content of the flooring and sub-flooring will be monitored and measured prior to installation.   Blind nailing and gluing will be employed with wider boards to minimize wood movement. Vapor barriers will be used were required. Expansion joints and voids will be left under baseboards around the perimeters of rooms.

However, please understand that, we cannot guarantee, with even properly installed hardwood floors, against moisture-induced movement following installation and finishing.   Post-installation environmental changes are beyond anyone’s control.

Posts, Beams & Trusses – All beams & timbers are partially air-dried (PAD).   Antique material, due to age, is generally fully dried to ambient conditions. New material is partially air-dried on the yard. However, PAD materials will likely continue to dry after delivery and installation. Some material movement, including: shrinkage, splitting, and checking, should be expected and planned for, and is considered normal.

We try our best to make each product look like photos and samples.  However, please note:

We utilize only the highest-grade solid wood raw materials. Wood is a natural product, and as such, has natural variations in appearance, graining, coloration, knots, mineral streaks, etc. The natural beauty of wood lies in the inherent characteristic that no two boards are alike. Mineral streaks may be visible, where the tree has absorbed mineral deposits into the wood. Graining and apparent texture will vary. These natural variations will be present throughout our antique material.   Variation should be expected. We call your attention to these characteristics of wood because the finished product may vary from wood samples and showroom displays. The variations are broad, but they constitute the beauty of wood.

Antique reclaimed wood materials will have substantially more characteristics considered desirable including, but not limited to, the patina developed over long periods of time, larger knots, mineral streaks, checks, cracks, holes, hand-hewing, rough surfaces, etc. While all of our products are carefully inspected to ensure the material is sound, the character is left wherever possible.

Hand-hewn, weathered, and original-patina antique beams and lumber present a unique situation. They will vary considerable from board-to-board and beam-to-beam. No two beams are exactly alike and no two beams identical to showroom samples. We do our best to locate similar looking and similarly colored beams and lumber for a job order. However, there will be variation.

We offer various pre-defined grades of material. Grading depends on the species. For an up charge, we will attempt to carefully understand the desired characteristics and color match or hand-select matching material at the mill. Cost for this service generally runs 20% to 25% above standard pricing. However, it is our experience that it is less expensive and far more time and cost effective for additional material to be purchased for onsite culling for color or other appearance reasons.

We at WOOD & Co. stand behind our product.  If for some reason you should be dissatisfied upon receipt of your order, non-custom orders can be returned within 30 days for a complete refund less shipping costs.  Returns must be received to our warehouse unused and in original condition for a refund.  Customer pays return freight.  A restocking fee may apply.  All sales are final; we do not accept return of partially or unused materials.  See our warranty requirements.  For more information, call Customer Service: 770-514-0129.

Custom orders – All custom order sales are final. Material waste, leftover materials, and rejected materials cannot be returned. WOOD & Co. does not repurchase unused material.

However, mis-milled or otherwise unsound product will be replaced at our expense.   We stand behind our products. Product defects must be identified prior to installation. We do not cover the cost of labor.