Frequently asked questions.

What is Southern Pine?

 Is this Select #2 Knotty Pine? Select #2 Knotty Pine is not a grade and the term is only used to up the price. In fact, by definition select simply means hand selected, as in now by a machine. Therefore, all pine floors should be hand selected or sorted, to be more precise.

Isn't all Southern Pine the same? - Absolutely not! In fact, Southern Pine is not a species but a description of where the yellow or hard pines are common. Specifically from Virginia to Texas, for domestic pine but pine grows in most countries around the globe. For information on our Caribbean Heart Pine, click here. 

What is Heart Pine? 

Why the % of heart content should be in the description, i.e. 50-80% heart content. 

Heart Pine is not a grade but it should be obvious to the layperson. The colors give it away, it has nothing to do with knots. And furthermore, while Heart Pine comes from Southern Yellow Pine, it is not yellow.  Heart pine (without sapwood) will usually have more vertical grain, with tones that are more brown than the red found in sapwood. It should be noted that sapwood becomes as hard as heart pine as it is exposed to oxygen (dies), so the stability and hardness are equal no matter the percentage of heart to sap. Heartwood is where you find the character and color variation that makes pine floors desirable. The variations in sapwood and heartwood provide color variations; we call it character.  

How to match an existing pine floor

The first question from SYP Direct, are you attempting to match the finish or the floor? Makes perfect sense when looking at the difference between the finished floor and what is under the finish. For example, a dark finish holds secrets, revealed only by removing the top layer, i.e. refinishing the existing pine floor. Matching a dark finish is easy, matching the floor a little more difficult but usually makes the sense for the homeowner.  Think about it, if you are matching an existing floor (old houses), chances are, you refinish it. 

Is real wood better than laminate? 

The answer is No, just remember laminate equals landfill.

Laminate is not wood, nor is it a floor, it is a floor cover made of chemicals and composites. Imagine a photocopy of real wood chemically bound to particle board or cheap composites. Made with synthetic materials or very thinly sliced pieces of wood, laminate equals replica. Made to look like wood grain by using a method similar to printing a photo, i.e., designed to fool those not paying attention. 

Laminate is more durable than real wood- FALSE! Solid versus composite should be rhetorical, but not today. The market has convinced buyers that veneers glued to composites are a better way to go than real solid wood. Plastics that will end up in landfills handle moisture better than real wood, give me a break. Repeat business demands reusable products and engineered floors are perfect in the role. Real wood lasts forever, engineered, laminate and others all end up in landfills.

What are Volatile Organic Chemicals and why are they so bad for us?

The term VOC is like gluten in that we understand it is bad, we do not really know why, but it is in everything.
What are VOC's? - – organic chemical compounds used to produce engineered and laminate floor covers. VOC’s originate when off-gas from either a solid or a liquid substance leaks into surrounding atmosphere, or your house.  While most VOC’s are not harmful, some link to serious health issues in humans and substantial environmental damage.

Installing and finishing real wood floors

Before you install them, understanding solid wood floors is key. Please do not take offense to the insinuation you should understand solid wood floors. In fact, we are referring to our specialty Southern Pine, not hardwood and certainly not engineered wood.  The lack of knowledge among installers is shocking and has caused more than one problem, i.e. you do not water pop pine like you do White Oak. Site finish and installation is an art, a lost one for that matter. Not long-ago artisans and craftsmen took pride in sanding, finishing, and repeating! Today is time and real wood takes time.

Yes you can glue solid wood floors. 

Can you glue down ¾ solid real wood? Yes, if you use a polymer-based adhesive such as Bostiks. Bostik’s Ultra Set “Single-Step2” is a high-performance adhesive with built in moisture control and a sound reduction membrane. Using Bostik’s helps maintain the long-term durability of your floor. Based on its polymer technology, allowing for movement just like nails. Bostiks contains one percent recycled rubber and is a certified Zero VOC product along with the Greenguard stamp. Bostiks is the only adhesive SYP Direct recommends for gluing down solid wood.

Face Nailing? Face nailing is when the nail is driven perpendicular into a piece of material, with the nail head exposed. We suggest that our customers face nail wide plank Heart Pine when the width gets to 10" and up. Although our slow-growing Longleaf Heart Pine, as with our 85% heartwood Caribbean Pine, are far more stable than box store versions, we still suggest a little extra prevention in the wider planks. So, while you do not have to face nail our Wide Plank Heart Pine, and in most cases, all will be well, it is still better safe than sorry when the solution takes such little effort or resources.

The Durability of Southern Pine

The difference between White and Yellow Pine

Yellow means hard, Southern Yellow Pine is not species but a description.