May 31, 2026 · 5 min read · TQF team

Unfinished hardwood grades — Select & Better to Common #3

Grade is about look, not strength

A common mistake: assuming a higher grade is a "better" or harder floor. It isn't. Every grade of the same species has identical hardness and structural durability. Mill grade only sorts boards by appearance — knots, mineral streaks, color variation and average board length.

So the grade you pick is a design decision and a budget decision, not a quality one.

The four grades we stock

Grade	Character	Turnover
Select & Better	Minimal knots, longest boards, most uniform color	Highest — usually in stock
Common #1	Light character, small knots, some color range	Strong — 1–2 day pickup
Common #2	Visible knots, mineral streaks, wider color range	Lower volume — call ahead
Common #3	Heavy character, large knots, rustic	Special order — 1–2 weeks

How to choose

Clean, modern, uniform floor → Select & Better. Fewer knots, longer boards, less waste.

Warm, lived-in but not rustic → Common #1. Best value for most homes.

Farmhouse / rustic / cabin → Common #2 or #3. The character *is* the look, and you save per square foot.

Why we don't post a live sqft number

Unfinished grades turn over fast and move between our Schiller Park and Bridgeview floors daily. Rather than publish a number that's wrong by the time you read it, we keep it honest: call and we'll tell you exactly what's on the floor in each grade today.

See the full unfinished lineup → — species, mills, and DIY install videos.