Appalachian sells its solid hardwood under three grade names, Prestige, Advantage and Excel, and the names mean little until you know what stands behind them. This Appalachian hardwood flooring review reads those grades the way a buyer needs them read: what the manufacturer says a grade is, what the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) says about grade names, and what each grade costs today in our solid hardwood flooring collection. It draws on catalogue data and published documents rather than customer testimonials, so there are no star ratings here. "Appalachian" is also a mountain region, so everything below concerns only the Appalachian-brand planks in our catalogue.
Quick answer: Prestige, Advantage or Excel?
- Prestige covers 21 of our 26 Appalachian listings across red oak, hard maple and white oak, at $5.09 to $6.99 per sq ft. Start here if colour choice matters most.
- Advantage covers 3 listings, all $5.50 per sq ft, in hard maple and red oak. The grade document we read does not describe Advantage for those two species, so judge it by looking at the boards.
- Excel covers 2 red oak listings: Natural at $5.39 per sq ft and Amaretto at $6.99 per sq ft. Appalachian's red oak pages name more kinds of character marks for Excel than for Prestige.
- Price does not climb with the grade name. A Prestige hard maple is $5.49 per sq ft while Advantage is $5.50 per sq ft, so compare the colour and species you want before you compare grade names.
What Prestige, Advantage and Excel actually mean
Appalachian's own grade specification, a January 2022 edition, opens with a definition: the grade of a wood floor represents its appearance, and the choice of grade is a matter of appearance. Planks are sorted by colour variation, knots, splits and other character marks that occur naturally in the wood. That definition is about looks only and makes no promise about strength or wear.
The document then shows each grade with a list of marks. On its red oak pages, Prestige lists mineral streaks, nuanced coloration and pin knots. Excel lists character marks, colour variation, micro cracks, mineral streaks, pin knots and small filled knots. Read plainly, Excel lets more kinds of variation show in a plank, and Prestige is the calmer look of the two. For Advantage, the document's contents show a white oak page only, so we cannot describe Advantage in maple or red oak from a published rule. The boards themselves are the evidence.
Why grade names do not transfer between brands
The NWFA standard for factory-finished solid wood flooring says that appearance guidelines are all proprietary to individual manufacturers, and that certified flooring is graded against the maker's own guidelines. Prestige is therefore Appalachian's word, defined by Appalachian, and another mill's top or "character" grade can look different even when the name sounds familiar. The same standard notes that factory-finished flooring is generally designated by two or three appearance grades, and three names is what we see here.
Our character grade vs select grade guide covers the select-versus-character vocabulary, the Lauzon and Appalachian comparison sets two brands side by side, and our Appalachian and Lauzon hardwood overview covers the wider range.
What the NWFA length minimums say about grade
Grade also shapes board length. For planks from 3 inches up to 5 inches wide, the NWFA standard sets these average board length minimums, using its own grade wording:
| NWFA appearance grade | Average board length minimum |
|---|---|
| Comparable to a Select and Better | 33 inches |
| Comparable to a #1 Common and Better | 28 inches |
| Comparable to a #2 Common | 22 inches |
The average is measured across a shipment of 1,000 sq ft or more, not box by box, and no single piece may be shorter than 9 inches. Nothing we could quote ties an Appalachian grade to one of these bands, so ask what average length to expect before you plan a layout.
Appalachian solid hardwood in our catalogue: what all 26 share and how prices fall
Every one of our 26 Appalachian solid hardwood listings is 19mm (3/4 inch) thick, has nail-down as its installation method, carries "semi gloss" in its product title and is listed as not waterproof. By species the range splits into 12 red oak, 12 hard maple and 2 white oak, and 22 of the 26 are in stock. Grade and price vary far more than the specification does, so the table lays the in-stock listings out by price.
| Price per sq ft | Grade | Species | Box price | Coverage per box | Listings in stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5.09 | Prestige | Hard maple | $101.80 | 20 sq ft | 1 |
| $5.19 | Prestige | Hard maple | $103.80 | 20 sq ft | 2 |
| $5.39 | Excel | Red oak | $101.87 | 18.9 sq ft | 1 |
| $5.49 | Prestige | Hard maple | $103.80 | 18.9 sq ft | 1 |
| $5.50 | Advantage | Hard maple | $103.95 | 18.9 sq ft | 2 |
| $5.50 | Advantage | Red oak | $103.95 | 18.9 sq ft | 1 |
| $5.99 | Prestige | Red oak | $113.21 | 18.9 sq ft | 1 |
| $6.69 | Prestige | White oak | $126.44 | 18.9 sq ft | 2 |
| $6.99 | Excel | Red oak | $132.11 | 18.9 sq ft | 1 |
| $6.99 | Prestige | Hard maple | $132.11 | 18.9 sq ft | 2 |
| $6.99 | Prestige | Red oak | $132.11 | 18.9 sq ft | 8 |
Prices checked October 4, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue, and each price per sq ft is the box price divided by the coverage per box.
- Prestige alone runs from $5.09 to $6.99 per sq ft, a spread of $1.90 per sq ft inside one grade.
- The $6.99 price holds both Prestige and Excel, so Excel does not automatically cost less.
- Advantage at $5.50 per sq ft is just $0.01 per sq ft above a Prestige hard maple at $5.49 per sq ft.
- The first two rows are the three narrower-plank maple colours, which are packed at 20 sq ft per box.
Prestige: the widest choice of colour and species
Prestige is where most of the range sits, with 9 red oak, 10 hard maple and 2 white oak listings. Natural Hard Maple is a pale option at $6.99 per sq ft, which is $132.11 for an 18.9 sq ft box. Our Moka hard maple has the same price and box size, so the colour name is what separates the two.
Red oak has the broadest Prestige spread. One listing is $5.99 per sq ft, and eight are $6.99 per sq ft, including Gunstock below. The gap between those two price points is $1.00 per sq ft, yet the product data shows the same grade, species, thickness and coverage for both, so the grade label does not explain it.
White oak has the smallest selection, and it sits below the $6.99 red oak line. Our Paisley white oak is $6.69 per sq ft ($126.44 per 18.9 sq ft box), which is $0.30 per sq ft under Gunstock. For a closer look at how maple, red oak and white oak compare, see our species comparison.
Advantage: three listings at one price
Advantage is the second-smallest family in the catalogue. Rosewood hard maple, Walnut hard maple and Walnut red oak are each $5.50 per sq ft, with the box at $103.95 for 18.9 sq ft. That is $1.49 per sq ft below the common $6.99 Prestige price. The photo below is a sample board for the walnut red oak listing, and it carries grade labels, a reminder that the label on the board is a quick way to check what you are buying.
Excel: two red oak listings and a $1.60 gap
Excel has two listings, both red oak and both packed at 18.9 sq ft per box. Natural is $101.87 per box, or $5.39 per sq ft. Amaretto is $132.11 per box, or $6.99 per sq ft. Nothing in the product data other than the colour separates them, so grade cannot explain the $1.60 per sq ft difference.
The Natural listing lets you compare two grades in the same species at a lower price, and Amaretto lets you judge colour without the grade changing.
What the grade changes on a 400 sq ft order
Take a 400 sq ft room as a reader scenario. Add the 5% waste allowance we build into quotes and you order for 420 sq ft. At 18.9 sq ft per box that is 23 boxes, because 420 divided by 18.9 is 22.2, rounded up to whole boxes. Material before HST looks like this:
| Option | Box price | Boxes | Material before HST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunstock red oak, Prestige | $132.11 | 23 | $3,038.53 |
| Paisley white oak, Prestige | $126.44 | 23 | $2,908.12 |
| Walnut red oak, Advantage | $103.95 | 23 | $2,390.85 |
| Natural red oak, Excel | $101.87 | 23 | $2,343.01 |
Choosing the Walnut Advantage floor over Gunstock Prestige lowers the material line by $647.68, and Natural Excel lowers it by $695.52, both before HST. Installation, delivery and trim are not included because they depend on your floor and subfloor; our hardwood flooring price guide covers the rest of a solid hardwood budget.
When to choose each grade
- Choose Prestige when your colour is only offered in Prestige, as with both white oak colours and 10 of the 12 hard maple listings, or when you want the calmer look the manufacturer's red oak list describes.
- Choose Advantage when one of the three walnut or rosewood listings suits your room and $5.50 per sq ft fits the budget.
- Choose Excel when you want a red oak floor with more visible natural character.
- Choose by price row, not by label when cost leads, because grades overlap across prices.
Checks before you order
- Compare real boards. The NWFA standard describes colour match as a visual inspection and says new flooring may not match sample boards in a showroom because of the light sensitivity of the different species of wood.
- Expect a few off-grade pieces. For certified flooring, the NWFA standard allows a 5% tolerance for pieces not in compliance with the desired appearance grade, a good reason not to trim your waste allowance.
- Plan for nail-down. All 26 listings name nail-down as the installation method, so confirm your subfloor suits it before you choose a colour.
- Treat it as a dry-area floor. The product data lists waterproof as "No" for every Appalachian listing.
- Sheen will not split the choice. All 26 titles say semi gloss, which leaves colour, species and grade as the real differences.
Appalachian hardwood grades FAQ
What is the difference between Prestige and Excel grade?
Both are appearance grades defined by the same maker. On the red oak pages of Appalachian's specification, Excel allows more kinds of natural mark than Prestige does. In our catalogue Excel has 2 listings and Prestige has 21.
Is Excel a lower grade than Prestige?
The names do not rank themselves. The manufacturer calls the choice of grade a matter of appearance, and our prices do not rank them either: Excel Amaretto is $6.99 per sq ft, the same as most Prestige red oak. Pick by how the boards look in your room.
What is Advantage grade in Appalachian hardwood?
Advantage is the grade on 3 of our listings, all $5.50 per sq ft. The specification we read gives Advantage rules for white oak only, so for maple and red oak, look at the boards or ask us to confirm before you order.
Where can I read Appalachian hardwood flooring reviews?
We do not publish customer ratings, and this page makes no quality claims it cannot source. What we can offer is the data: thickness, installation method, current prices and the manufacturer's published grade rules. Read independent opinions with the proprietary grade names in mind.
What is cabin grade hardwood, and is it one of these grades?
The term does not appear in our Appalachian listings, which use Prestige, Advantage and Excel. The NWFA wording for factory-finished flooring is Select and Better, #1 Common and Better, and #2 Common.
Get a solid hardwood quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room sizes and the colour and grade you have in mind through our quote request page, or reach us from the contact page, and we will price your floor from current box prices.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819