A - B wood flooring terms

A
Abrasion resistance - resistance to being worn away by a rubbing or friction process.

Acclimating - allowing wood to adjust to the humidity in your home - wood expands and contracts based on the amount of moisture in the air.

Adhesion - the process of sticking one material to another. Adhesion is affected by the condition of the surface, which should allow a certain amount of penetration, should be chemically clean and not too smooth, hard or nonporous.

Adsorption- a form of adhesion that occurs at the surface of a solid or liquid in contact with another medium.

Aged - a chemical process used to deepen and change the colour of new timber without need for staining.

Air-dried - timber dried by exposure to air in a yard or shed without artificial heat (not kiln dried).

Ambering - a yellowish color change in a floor from either the wood or finish.

Annual growth ring - the layer of wood growth formed on a tree during a single growing season.

Antique - original timber of around 200 years old or more, either in original condition or re-machined to a specified size or finish.

B
Beveled edge - the edge of a plank which has been chamfered off in the manufacturing process to create a groove or 'v' joint between boards when they are laid.

Bleed back - deep stain penetration, especially in spring wood, which causes slow curing of the stain due to the absence of airflow and oxygen. Wiping with a dry, white towel normally identifies the presence of the problem which can be prevented by buffing with a red or white pad.

Bleached/white washed floors - floors lightened in color by the application of either wood bleach, or a white stain, or both.

Bleeding - colouring caused when a stain or other coating material works up into succeeding coats.

Body - description of the consistency of viscosity of a finishing material. Also used to describe the fullness or thickness of film.

Borders - simple or intricate designs which frame and customise a flooring installation.

Bow - the distortion of lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the flat face, from a straight line from end to end of the piece.

Brushed - a manufacturing process applied to the timber to texturise the surface, usually carried out by copper brushes.

Brush marks - marks of the brush that remain in the dried film of a finishing material, caused by working the material after its solvents have evaporated.

Bubbling - bubbles in the film of finish while a finishing material is being applied. It is caused by any condition that causes air, vapors or gases to be trapped in the film while it's soft, but after it has hardened sufficiently to prevent the gas from escaping.

Burl - a swirl or twist of the grain of the wood that usually occurs near a knot, but doesn't contain a knot - commonly found in the stump of a tree and where limbs branch out.