What Type of Hardwood Flooring Will Suit Your Needs?

Hardwood flooring is a classic choice that continues to maintain and even increase its popularity. With proper maintenance and installation, a floor made from hard timber may outlast the owner of the home as they can last a hundred years. There are many vintage and historical homes around that still have the original maple, oak or other lumber in the dwelling. Of course, the original boards have been refinished over the years, but the basic product still is in place and looks classy. During some eras some of the old floors were covered in wall-to-wall carpeting or some other trendy material but today, homeowners are stripping away carpets, rugs, linoleum or whatever has been placed over the vintage hardwoods and restoring them. When homeowners build new houses or simply remodel, many of them decide to install timber floors and want to select the best sort for their home or office.

Hardness and Grading Systems for Timber

One consideration when choosing a type of wood is how hard it is. The harder varieties will be quite durable but may not accept the stain as readily as softer types. There is a rating system for hardness called the Janka system. Woods are ranked and given a score such as 2350 for Brazilian cherry and 1010 for black walnut. Another component that's ranked or graded is grain markings. The NOFMA is an organization that oversees these products. The more uniform the grain markings, the higher the grade of the lumber. Just because grains are uniform does not mean they are preferable. Some individuals prefer the look of a more random pattern.

Types of Hardwoods

There are many choices when it comes to hardwood flooring. Some popular options are cherry, Douglas fir, birch, oak and pine. Cherry is relatively soft and absorbs stain quite readily. It is an attractive choice for accessorizing such as edging or creating a pattern within the body of the floor. Douglas fir is fairly light colored, with a yellowish tinge. Birch ranges in color from light to medium and is fairly sturdy. Oak may be red or white and is quite hard. White oaks are harder than red and both have interesting swirling grain patterns. These woods can be cut into planks, crafted into parquet squares, or sliced into strips. Another option is engineered products that have multiple thin layers of timber compressed and glued together to give a unique composition. Each of the varieties can be finished in a variety of ways to suit individual taste. Finishes range from shiny to matte and from those that penetrate the timber to those that remain on the surface.

There are many considerations when selecting hardwood flooring for a home or office. An individual has to decide which tree the planks, strips, or parquet squares should come from. He or she will also have to ponder what color stain, what grade, grain and finish will work best with the office's or home's style and decor. Many individuals think that the lighter colors are more casual, while the deeply stained varieties look better with a fancier decorating scheme.