The Material to Beat: Hardwood Flooring
Choosing Hardwood Flooring Materials Guarantee Durability and Lasting Beauty
One of the most reliable and sought-after building materials available on the market today, hardwood flooring continues to impress homeowners with its performance in terms of durability and lasting beauty.
There are many hardwood species to choose from, and all of them have their own characteristics that suit a homeowner's need in terms of color, texture, hardness, and general effect, as well as specific functions. With that much variation, you are sure to find one that's best for you.
The Hardwood Flooring Story
As mentioned, there are various types of hardwood flooring to choose from, each with its own characteristics. Let's get to know some of them:
Oak - Available in red and white species. These species of hardwood appear generally pale in color, very hard, and are thus prized for their durability though sometimes quite difficult to saw and nail due to the same reason. It can be noted that between the two, white oak is slightly harder than red oak, which is easier to saw and nail to the subfloor during installation.
Maple - very popular hardwood for use as flooring materials because of its scratch-resistant surface.
American Cherry - A very attractive species that is very easy to work with and has also been used in cabinet making as well as flooring. Not as hard as oak, but has greater range of color that eventually turns into a deep rich color over time due to its photosensitivity.
Brazilian Cherry - also known as Jatoba, it is noted for its reddish brown color that ages into a rich burgundy. It is also very hard and durable.
Ash Hardwood - a light-colored wood that is a member of the olive family. Flooring materials made from ash hardwood exhibit good overall strength and excellent shock resistance. It is seldom stained because of its large pores, but does take all other finishes well.
Black Walnut - Another popular flooring materials choice due to its smooth finish, rich color, and beautiful grain. It is one of the more durable hardwoods, and is noted and highly prized for its dark, rich color that grows darker and richer with age.
Testing For Hardness
There is a way to accurately measure the hardness of each type of hardwood flooring available, and it is called the Janka Hardness Test. It involves pressing a .444-inch steel ball into a test piece of hardwood with constant pressure and measuring how deep the ball is embedded into the wood. The deeper the ball gets into the wood, the softer it is. The Janka rating for the above mentioned hardwoods are:
Clearly these are some very hard flooring materials that are sure to be durable and also beautiful.