The 26 Best Hardwood Species for Flooring
- #1. Oak: The Most Common Domestic Hardwood Species for Flooring ...
- #2. Ash: Contemporary and Stylish ...
- #3. Teak: A Naturally Water-Resistant Hardwood Species ...
- #4. Pine: Soft, But With Tons of Personality ...
- #5: Maple: A Strong Hardwood Species with a Natural Creamy Color Janka Score: 1450 ...
- #6: Hickory: Durable with Tons of Character Janka Score: 1820 ...
- #7: Mahogany: A Rich and Exotic Wood Species ...
What is the better brand of hardwood flooring?
Solid Hardwood Flooring Reviews
- Doma Flooring. Part of the impressive Proximity Mills family of flooring brands, Doma is all about style: “where fashion meets flooring”.
- Armstrong and Bruce. As you may already know, Armstrong Flooring is a global leader in the manufacture of all kinds of flooring, with over 30 factories worldwide and a history ...
- Mirage. ...
What is the strongest hardwood flooring?
The hardest wood floors have three elements:
- Solid hardwood, not engineered wood. Engineered wood has a thin veneer of real hardwood on top of dimensionally stable plywood. ...
- Hardwoods are better than softwoods. ...
- For the hardest woods, you need to look for exotics, not domestics. ...
What is the best wood type for flooring?
Types of Flooring Materials
- Hardwood Flooring. Hardwood continues to be the top choice for its great appearance and long-term ROI. ...
- Laminate Flooring. Their are several pros and cons of laminate flooring to consider when researching this material. ...
- Vinyl or Linoleum. ...
- Porcelain or Ceramic Tile Flooring. ...
- Natural Stone Tile Flooring. ...
- Carpet. ...
What is the most durable hardwood flooring out there?
The most popular hardwood flooring brands for availability, durability and quality include:
- Bruce®
- Carlisle®
- Lumber Liquidators®
What is the most popular hardwood flooring?
Oak continues to be the most popular hardwood flooring choice so please take a look at our oak flooring post and also our post on the differences between red and white oak flooring.
What is the best finish for hardwood floors?
The main options for the surface finish on your hardwood are: aluminum oxide – the standard finish for pre-finished and pre-stained solid hardwood planks, and which offers a very good layer of protection to your flooring.
How much does Jasper hardwood cost?
Predominantly featuring oak, maple, birch and hickory hardwoods sourced from America, Canada and Europe, the Jasper range retails from as little as $1.49 per square foot for some of the Forest Value Strip Collection woods, up to around $5.39 per square foot for their Hickory Collection floors.
How thick should hardwood planks be?
The most important dimension that you MUST be sure of, is that your solid hardwood planks are no less than 3/4 inch thick! This is the standard thickness of most hardwood flooring and has been tested for strength and stability. Plus, planks that are at least 3/4” thick can be sanded back and refinished between 5-7 times.
What is the difference between engineered hardwood and solid hardwood?
First let’s make the distinction between solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Solid hardwood is exactly what it says it is, a solid plank of wood, whilst engineered hardwood is a composite product consisting of an upper layer of hardwood that is adhered onto layers of plywood. The difference in construction is key to understanding whether ...
How long is Somerset hardwood plank warranty?
For most of their pre-finished solid hardwood planks Somerset offer an impressive 50-year warranty on finish and wear, and a lifetime structural warranty!
How many collections of hardwood planks are there?
There are currently seven collections that have solid hardwood planks. Most of these collections are solely Appalachian oak with a small but perfectly chosen range of stains that will suit most projects; and each collection features a different finish or style detail. For example the HomeStyle collection has eased edges on all four sides of the planks, whilst the High Gloss collection features a super shiny aluminum oxide finish.
What is the best hardwood flooring?
Oak: This popular hardwood features two distinct types, both highly desirable for flooring options. The most common hardwood flooring choice available today, red oak has a Janka rating of 1290 and is well suited for most flooring needs.
What is the best wood for a room?
Maple: Another highly durable choice, maple ranks 1450 on the Janka scale and is suitable for most rooms. It’s a fairly light-colored wood, with hues that include light cream, beige, and tan, and it often features a slight reddish tint. Maple has a fine grain pattern, with occasional dark streaks and specks that add visual interest to the wood. This hardwood complements many styles, including contemporary, transitional, and eclectic.
What is the difference between engineered hardwood and traditional hardwood?
Traditional hardwood floors feature solid wood boards while engineered hardwood flooring offers the look of the real thing with increased application options at a slightly lower cost.
What is engineered flooring made of?
Is made of multiple thin layers. Its composition includes compressed wood, resin, and polymers , and then topped with a layer of real hardwood. Can be installed over a host of different flooring. Instead of being nailed to the subfloor, engineered flooring planks are fitted and snapped together via grooves on the sides of the planks.
What is the best color for red oak flooring?
Its warm tones range in color from creamy pink and golden red to rusty brown. It features graceful swirled grain patterns throughout and has a tendency to vary slightly in color and grain pattern from one board to the next. Red oak complements diverse décor styles, including classic, rustic, contemporary, and country.
What is the Janka Hardness Scale?
The Janka Hardness Scale, named for Gabriel Janka, an Austrian researcher who developed the scale in 1906, is today’s industry standard for determining wood hardness.
Is hardwood flooring prefinished?
Until recently, solid hardwood flooring was installed unfinished, and then the installer would apply stain and a durable finish coat to protect the surface. Today, hardwood flooring is also available in a prefinished product, with stain and topcoat already in place.
What are the different types of hardwood flooring?
With that in mind, there are three main types of hardwood flooring: Solid Hardwood. Engineered Hardwood. Laminate Hardwood.
What is the best flooring for a kitchen?
What room is the flooring going into? Is it a room that gets a lot of traffic or is susceptible to things spilling or falling? In a room like a kitchen, you’ll want a harder wood that is tougher against incessant use. Oak and hickory are hardwoods that look great and will hold up for you. Oak is one of the most popular flooring materials in the United States.
What is the best wood for a bedroom?
Oak and hickory are hardwoods that look great and will hold up for you. Oak is one of the most popular flooring materials in the United States. For a bedroom or a study, a softer wood might be better suited to your needs. Cherry and walnut woods have nice warm colors that can transform a living space into a home.
Can engineered hardwood be glued together?
Engineered hardwoods are also flexible when it comes to installation. They can be nailed, stapled, or glued. In some cases, they are even designed to fit together, making installation much easier. Some brands, like Anderson Hardwood Flooring, have both solid and engineered options for you to consider.
Is solid hardwood a good investment?
Over time, they can be sanded and refinished to maintain their appearance. Therefore, solid hardwoods are a very smart investment.
Can you staple hardwood floors?
Solid hardwoods can be nailed or stapled to sub-flooring, and in some cases where the boards are very thin, glued.
Is laminate flooring a real wood?
Laminate Flooring. Laminate floors do not bear as much of the “real wood” look, but they can come pretty close. These human-made boards are designed to be resilient. They can withstand exposure to sun, water, and stains more easily than their competitors.
What kind of wood is used for flooring?
Hickory flooring comes from hickory trees; cork flooring comes from cork trees; mahogany… well, you get the point. So what hardwood species are good for flooring? That’s a great question with a lot of answers! But don’t worry—below, we’re only going to break down the 26 best hardwood species around.
What is the best engineered wood flooring?
Ash generally comes in lighter hues, and the grain takes a stain well if you want something darker. It’s also considered one of the best engineered wood flooring choices because it’s durability makes for a stiff veneer. #3. Teak: A Naturally Water-Resistant Hardwood Species.
What Is the Strongest Hardwood Species?
Before we begin, let’s get this question out of the way (because everyone wants to know the answer).
What Is the Janka Hardness Scale?
The Janka scale, or Janka hardness test, simply measures how much force a particular type of wood can take before it becomes damaged. In general, the higher the score, the stronger the wood.
What is the hardest hardwood?
Janka Score: 1820. The hardest American hardwood species commonly used for flooring, hickory is surprisingly modest in terms of price. It’s usually more expensive than say, oak—but not by much. Hickory is considered to have some of the most interesting wood floor patterns around.
What is a good substitute for mahogany?
Santos mahogany is yet another substitute for genuine mahogany, though it lacks an actual family relation. It’s a much stronger and denser hardwood species than real mahogany, though—and arguably makes for a better flooring option.
What is the difference between red oak and white oak?
Red oak is the softer of the two oak species commonly used for flooring and has warmer tones. It’s not as stain-friendly as white oak, but the difference is minimal. Its grain pattern is very similar.
What is the width of engineered wood flooring?
You are a bit limited with the plank width—3”–5” are your options with solid hardwood flooring, and engineered wood flooring is available up to 6 ½”.
What is Carlisle wide plank flooring?
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors is a New Hampshire-based company that’s been in business for 50 years—and it’s the opposite of the big companies we mentioned above. Which is to say, it’s one of the best hardwood floor brands if you want small-batch, hand-crafted wood floors.
What woods does Mohawk make?
As far as offerings are concerned, Mohawk’s solid hardwood products are only outshined by their engineered wood varieties. When you check Mohawk’s TecWood line of engineered options, you’ll find walnut, oak, hickory, and maple along with rarer varieties like acacia—and different textured finish options as well.
What is Mirage flooring?
Mirage Hardwood Flooring is a Canadian company that got its start back in the ‘80s, and it’s a company that the eco-minded consumer can really get behind. Mirage is proud to promote wood flooring options that are based on recycling, preservation, and reducing consumption.
Where did Bruce flooring start?
Bruce has bragging rights when it comes to longevity. The company got its start all the way back in 1884, in Pennsylvania (where it’s still headquartered today). If you’re still debating between getting a laminate vs. hardwood floor, you’re in luck—you can get either with Bruce.
Is Lauzon hardwood flooring environmentally friendly?
Plus, like the last few hardwood floor brands we mentioned, Lauzon is environmentally conscious and takes pride in making floors without the use of harmful chemicals. Their products are VOC-free, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified, and Lacey Act-compliant.
Is Mercier hardwood flooring sustainable?
Have your cake and eat it too—Mercier has it all. And even more importantly, Mercier is a GreenGuard company that manufactures quality, eco-friendly, and sustainable products.
Engineered Hardwood
With beautiful stains and finishes, the average person won’t be able to tell the difference between engineered hardwood and solid hardwood. It can be designed to suit any style, with options for white oak, dark oak, and more. More affordable than hardwood, and more luxurious than laminate, it’s our top pick for hardwood kitchen flooring.
Solid Hardwood
Solid hardwood is the gold standard for luxurious flooring. It’s also the most expensive option, and the most prone to water and moisture damage. That said, we think with the right wood species selection and maintenance, it can be a great option for your kitchen redesign.
What About Laminate Flooring?
This is a popular option, but we recommend avoiding it. Laminate flooring is made from synthetic flooring materials that are fused together through the process of lamination. This results in a flooring type that is scratch resistant, budget-friendly, and can be matched to just about any existing floor or interior design aesthetic.
What is the most durable wood?
Ebony, cherry, live oak, or bamboo are the most durable choices. These extremely hard woods (and wood-like bamboo) wear well and are more resistant to minor damage than other options.
Which is better, bamboo or hardwood?
Bamboo flooring is harder, more durable, water-resistant and sustainable than hardwood. By comparison, hardwood is easier to refinish and can last decades longer.
What is engineered hardwood flooring?
Engineered hardwood flooring features a thin veneer layer of finished hardwood over a multi-layer core of plywood or high-density fiberboard. The increased durability makes it a good choice for kitchens and high-traffic areas.
What is the hardest wood to scratch?
Brazilian ebony is one of the hardest woods, measuring 3,700 on the Janka hardness scale. Dark brown to black shades that darken with age. Extremely durable and not susceptible to scratches and scrapes. High density makes it more resistant to moisture damage than other wood flooring.
What is solid unfinished hardwood?
Solid unfinished planks are 100% genuine hardwood and are installed without a factory finish. Instead, you can choose a custom finish that’s applied to the whole floor after the planks are installed.
What is reclaimed wood flooring?
Reclaimed hardwood flooring has a unique charm. Often made of heartwood (the innermost portion of the tree), these planks bring a little history to your home and provide an interesting conversation point.
How to clean a wood floor with dish soap?
I use a simple mixture of one part vinegar, two parts water and a small squirt of liquid dish soap mixed in a spray bottle and spray as I go. I have used this on hardwood, engineered and laminate. It cleans, shines and doesn’t leave a residue.
What is the best coating for hardwood floors?
Aluminum Oxide. Aluminum oxide is a naturally occurring mineral that provides an extremely long-lasting protective coating on hardwood floors. It protects the floor from scratches, fading, water damage, scuffs, and general wear and tear without changing the color of the wood or hiding its grain.
What oil is used to seal wood floors?
Penetrating oils—there are several types, but tung oil is the most common—soak into the wood’s pores, helping prevent scratches and other damage. Unlike most other hardwood floor finishes, penetrating oils don’t leave a hard “shell” on top of the wood; for this reason, a final coat of wax often tops the oil for extra protection.
What is oil based polyurethane?
Oil-based polyurethane consists of linseed oil, synthetic resins, and plasticizers. Its strength and durability make it a popular finish for commercial properties, but many homeowners like to use it in high traffic areas inside the house, as well. Luckily, those same hardwearing characteristics mean you won’t have to refinish the floors as often as with some of the other options. And it’s easy to maintain—just sweep or vacuum regularly, and clean away dirt with a damp sponge.
What is the best low sheen finish?
Best for: Anywhere you want a low-sheen finish#N#Pros: Easy to apply and touch up; little odor or VOCs; penetrates into wood and can be combined with stain; dries quickly and can be walked on within hours of application#N#Cons: Application is labor-intensive; not very durable; yellows or darkens over time
Can you touch up wood floors with shellac?
It doesn’t hold up to foot traffic nearly as well as polyurethane, but touching it up is fairly easy; just buff in a new coat of shellac when necessary.
Is polyurethane satin or semi gloss?
While most homeowners prefer a high-gloss water- based polyurethane, you’ll also find satin and semi-gloss options. Made with synthetic resins and plasticizers, water-based polyurethane is a very durable finish that resists moisture fairly well (although you’ll still want to mop up any spills or leaks ASAP).
Can you wax polyurethane floors?
Otherwise, it’s easy to care for floors with this finish—a broom and a damp mop is generally all you’ll need. Never wax polyurethaned floors, as that can dull the finish. These are just a few of the qualities that make water-based polyurethane one of the most popular hardwood floor finishes for the home.
