Hardwood Floor Installation in Hills, MN | Natural Wood Style
Natural wood style lets the floor be what it is: real oak, maple, hickory, or walnut, with its own color, grain, and character showing through instead of being hidden under a heavy stain. Done well, it feels warm, honest, and timeless. Hills, a Rock County town of 686 that carries the title "Tree City USA," is a fitting place for floors that celebrate the wood itself.
Sioux Falls Premier Hardwood Flooring helps Hills homeowners choose species by their natural color and grain, pick clear finishes that keep that color true, and blend boards during installation so natural variation looks deliberate. Because every finish changes wood at least a little, samples are shown with the actual clear coat you'll get. Request a quote to bring natural wood into your home, just across the state line from South Dakota.
Natural Wood, Honestly Presented by Sioux Falls Premier Hardwood Flooring
Sioux Falls Premier Hardwood Flooring shows every Hills homeowner natural wood as it will really look, using samples of the actual species finished with the actual clear coat, since even a clear finish deepens color. Natural variation is explained up front, from sapwood streaks to knots and mineral marks, so nothing about the finished floor comes as a surprise. During installation, boards are blended from many boxes so character spreads evenly instead of clustering. And if a species won't give you the look you're after, you'll hear that before anything is ordered.
Named for a Railroad Man, Not a Hill
Hills was platted in 1889 and named for Frederick C. Hills, a railroad official. When the Sioux City and Northern built its line north from Sioux City, Iowa, to Garretson, South Dakota, most of the businesses and residents of nearby Bruce, two miles to the west, relocated to the new town along the tracks. A post office opened in 1890, and Hills incorporated in 1904. The Illinois Central tracks were removed in 1982, but BNSF trains still serve the town today.
Hills has grown slowly and steadily, from 398 residents in 1910 to 520 by 1950 and 686 in both 2010 and 2020. The Hills-Beaver Creek schools, consolidated in 1965, have earned National Blue Ribbon honors at both the elementary and secondary levels, and the town's two parks include a man-made reservoir with a gravel walking path, campsites, and a disc golf course. Surrounded by working farmland, it's a town where natural materials feel right at home.
Choosing Wood by Its Natural Color
With a natural finish, the species is the color, so choosing wood starts with knowing how each one looks on its own. Red oak has warm, slightly pinkish undertones and a bold, open grain. White oak runs cooler, with tan and olive tones and a tighter grain, which is why it's a favorite for natural looks. Hickory brings dramatic contrast between pale sapwood and darker heartwood within the same board. Maple is pale and creamy with a subtle grain and occasional dark mineral streaks. Walnut offers deep chocolate tones, sometimes with lighter sapwood streaks, and cherry starts pinkish before deepening to a rich reddish brown. In Hills homes, seeing these side by side is the easiest way to find a favorite.
Even a clear finish changes the wood. Any finish deepens color and makes the grain stand out more, an effect often called the wet look, and oil-modified finishes add an amber tone on top of that. Waterborne finishes stay clearer and keep pale species closer to their raw color. For homeowners who want the floor to look almost unfinished, some products are made specifically for a raw or natural look, often with a hint of white pigment that offsets the darkening effect. A simple preview helps: wiping a sanded board with a damp cloth shows roughly how a clear finish will enrich it. Matte sheens complete a natural look, since they reflect less light and let the wood's texture read more clearly.
Regional Woods and Natural Coordination
In a town that takes trees seriously, it's worth knowing which flooring species grow close to home. Red oak, white oak, sugar maple, hickory, and black walnut all grow across the upper Midwest and the eastern United States. Ash was once a common choice as well, prized for its light color and strong grain, though the emerald ash borer has affected ash supplies in many areas. Choosing one of these domestic species gives a Hills home a floor with roots in the same broad landscape as the town itself, and a look that feels naturally at home in a Midwestern house.
Natural floors look best when they're coordinated with the other wood in the house. Trim, doors, cabinets, stair parts, and furniture all bring their own species and tones. A good rule of thumb is to either match closely or contrast clearly. Nearly matching tones, such as a natural white oak floor beside slightly different oak cabinets, often look like a mistake, while a deliberate contrast, like pale maple cabinets over a warm walnut floor, looks planned. Painted trim gives natural floors the most freedom. In Hills homes with stained woodwork, samples are best compared right next to that trim before any decision is made.
Bringing Natural Wood Into Your Hills Home
Natural floors leave nowhere to hide, so every stage is planned to show the wood at its best. The steps below cover how species, finish, and board placement come together. Here's the sequence.
Step 1 — What "Natural" Means to You
Hills wasn't named for its landscape, which is mostly flat with gently rolling hills, but for a railroad official. Names can mislead, and "natural" means different things to different people. The first conversation sorts that out: whether you picture pale and airy, warm and golden, or rich and dark, and how much knots and color variation appeal to you. You'll also be asked which rooms are included and what's on the floor now.
Step 2 — Site Visit Across the State Line
Hills sits about four miles from the South Dakota border and two from Iowa, making it the southwesternmost city in Minnesota and a straightforward trip from Sioux Falls. During the visit, rooms are measured, the subfloor and moisture are checked, and natural light is observed in each room, since natural finishes are especially sensitive to how light falls across them. Existing trim, cabinets, and furniture are noted for coordination.
Step 3 — Natural Samples and the Water Test
Hills has its own reservoir, known locally as the Rez, and a little water reveals a lot about wood too. Samples of each species are shown both raw and finished with the actual clear coat under consideration, and a damp cloth across a sanded board previews how the finish will enrich the grain. Samples are compared next to your trim and in your own light before anything is ordered.
Step 4 — Quote and a Schedule Around the Seasons
The local economy leans heavily on agriculture, with corn and soybeans as the main crops, and some households prefer to schedule flooring work around planting and harvest. The written quote lists the species, grade, finish system, prep, installation, and timeline. Ordering enough material from one production run is confirmed at this stage, since natural finishes show any color differences between lots.
Step 5 — Prep and Acclimation
Hills grew from 244 housing units in 2000 to 286 in 2010, so projects range from long-established homes to newer ones. Old flooring is removed, the subfloor is corrected, and the hardwood acclimates inside the home for the time the manufacturer specifies. Boxes are opened during this stage so the crew can see the full range of color and character in the order.
Step 6 — Blending Boards During Installation
The Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots won the 2025 9-player state football title and the 2026 Class A boys basketball championship, and strong teams depend on every player fitting a role. Board blending works the same way. Boards are pulled from many boxes at once so light and dark pieces, sapwood streaks, and knots spread evenly across the room, with no clusters drawing the eye. Each row is fastened on the manufacturer's schedule with expansion space at every wall.
Step 7 — Finishing to Keep the Color True
For homes in the 56138 ZIP code, site-finished natural floors are sanded with extra care, since a natural finish shows every sanding mark that stain might otherwise hide. The chosen clear or raw-look finish is applied in multiple coats exactly as sampled, so the color you approved is the color you get. Prefinished natural floors move straight to trim and transitions.
Step 8 — Walkthrough and Natural Aging
The trees in Jacobson Park change through the seasons, and natural wood shifts too, especially over its first months as light deepens or mellows its color depending on the species. The walkthrough covers every room with you, touch-ups are handled right away, and care guidance includes how to let the floor age evenly, with rugs and furniture moved occasionally in sunny rooms.
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