Allstate Flooring is not your typical flooring distributor. For starters, it handles primarily wood flooring and associated products. Second, most of the brands it carries are anything but household names. But president Joel Lefkowitz knows wood, and the former Hoboken Floors mastermind has reinvented himself as a distributor of niche lines, all of which are exclusive to Allstate in the New York metro area. Here is what he had to say about his arsenal:

Mullican: They offer any type of flooring you need, from solid to engineered, from click to glue down, unfinished or prefinished, and everything from domestic exotics to red and white oak. They are always introducing new, unique products.

Mercier: Everyone knows Canadian manufacturing and finishing exceed all domestic standards. In addition to their stock colors they will also manufacture custom colors for a moderate charge.

Sheoga: A company located in the heart of the Amish country employs local craftsmen who pride themselves on producing the best quality products available.

Du Chateau: Designed in Holland, they offer products in 7-inch widths and 6-foot lengths, in smooth, hand scraped and wire brushed. The oil finish and colors such as ebony and antique white are cutting edge. Many products reflect the styles found in Europe centuries ago.

The Wood Cellar: They offer a true prefinished quartered and rift engineered white oak product along with American walnut, hickory, maple and several exotic species. All products are finished with Woca Oil in a variety of colors, including ebony and white. It may be the nicest line on the market for the price.

Moosewood Flooring: If people are looking for green flooring, this is the company. All products are FSC-certified and milled in Maine. The finish is a 10- coat UV- cured aluminum oxide to ensure years of durability.

Yarema: The attraction here is their ability to produce any custom border, medallion or parquet, all by laser. Their quality, service and designs are probably the best in the industry. In fact, they were a NWFA Floor of the Year winner.

Hakwood: Manufactured in the Netherlands, this is an extremely high-end collection of solid and engineered products featuring wide widths in unfinished, fumed and oiled looks. Their flooring can be ordered in widths up to 12 inches.

Landmax: A Chinese-imported, engineered line with a sawn face, mostly exotics. The pricing is more competitive than similar products being offered by other manufacturers.

Ten Oaks: Offers “Six Side Seal,” a patent-pending moisture barrier that coats each surface including the tongue and groove. In addition, the six-side seal offers protection from other trades while the flooring is waiting to be sanded and finished.

Trout River: They specialize in southern yellow pine, new heart and long leaf yellow pine. They also have available antique heart pine where the wood is reclaimed from old barns, buildings or riverbeds. The lumber is then re-sawn and manufactured into flooring.

Saroyan: This California company is one of the country’s leading manufacturers of custom design hardwood flooring, molding and millwork. They will do any custom parquet or plank.

Graf Brothers: They are one of the largest suppliers of both rift and quartered lumber and flooring in the U.S.. Their flooring is offered in both solid and engineered, primarily unfinished, but can be special ordered prefinished in either urethane or oil. They are a clear choice for the discriminating buyer of hardwood flooring.