AS FEATURED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Hardwood strip flooring is the most common type of wood flooring used in residential interiors, but there are other choices, and they can give your floors a different look and feel.

"One of the best is end grain wood flooring. While strip flooring normally comes in pieces cut lengthwise from lumber, end grain flooring comes in sturdy blocks cut from the ends of pieces of lumber. It makes for a durable floor with an interesting grain pattern because the end of the wood faces up. Once used primarily in demanding environments like factories, it is increasingly being used in homes.

"Dufner Heighes, a New York interior design firm, has put end grain flooring in a number of recent projects. "In a residential setting you're taking this old industrial material and transforming it," said Daniel Heighes Wismer, who runs the firm with Gregory Dufner. "It becomes this great texture on the floor and, once it's finished, it's very smooth and nice to walk on."

"Mr. Wismer discovered end grain flooring while designing a Coach store with another architect. After spotting it in Coach's old industrial offices, he specified it for the new store, and has been using it since — even in his own apartment in Greenwich Village.

"It's actually perfect for New York because it's so easy to install," he said. "There's no subfloor required, and you can put it right over concrete."