Wood Flooring Informational Memos
Topic 1 – Hardwood Floor Types Species Comparison
Click any hardwood species below to learn more |
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Introduction
Let’s face it – beautiful wood flooring is a long-term and sizable investment. Carefully selected and maintained properly, your hardwood flooring can last the lifetime of your home.
But choosing from the many hardwood flooring options manufactured for MacDonald Hardwoods by Bruce, Robbins and other premium vendors is a daunting task! If you’ve started shopping, no doubt you have encountered a whole litany of questions related to your desired hardwood species, finish, installation and maintenance. You’ll need to choose between engineered and solid hardwood. Prefinished vs. unfinished flooring. Nail down, glue down or floating wood flooring installation. You’ll need to factor wood color, grain, hardness, durability, stability into your flooring decision. It’s enough to make your head spin!
Granted, at MacDonald Hardwoods, our flooring experts stand ready to help you choose the special flooring that reflects your unique and personal style. But we encourage our customers to “do their homework” – the more informed and knowledgeable you become about wood flooring the more likely you will be to choose a hardwood floor solution from MacDonald Hardwoods! In addition to the extensive hardwood flooring offerings we proudly display at our Denver-area showroom, our technical expertise and extensive product knowledge is second to none. So this series of flooring selection memos and, in particular this wood species article, is designed to quench your thirst for hardwood floor knowledge.
Which wood flooring species is best for you? We believe that a combination of factors should be considered when you choose a wood floor. Of course, appearance is important. You will certainly consider appearance-related characteristics like texture, grain and color. In addition, you should consider other properties like stability, durability and ease in finishing. Finally, the importance of availability and cost goes without saying. In selecting the species we compare below, our goal was to highlight a fair sampling of some of today's most popular woods. If you are interested in a species that is not included in this article, give one of our showrooms a call to discuss it - Contact MacDonald Hardwoods.
We wish to thank and credit the National Wood Flooring Association for the definitions and much of the wood floor properties content that appears in the paragraphs that follow.
“Wood Species Used in Wood Flooring – Introduction: An Overview of Wood Properties”, National Wood Flooring Association Technical Publication A200 (1994)
Definitions
First, let’s get a few definitions out of the way. According to the NWFA Technical Publication No. A200:
The relative amounts of heartwood and sapwood in a flooring batch may affect the way it accepts stain and finish and, therefore, the finished appearance of the floor. In general, quartersawn and riftsawn flooring will contain less sapwood than plainsawn flooring, and will tend to have a straighter grain and more uniform appearance. Heartwood is also more dimensionally stable than sapwood, so flooring with a high percentage of heartwood will shrink and swell less than flooring that is mostly sapwood.
Wood is dimensionally stable when the moisture content is above the fiber saturation point (usually about 30 percent moisture content). Below that, wood changes dimension when it gains or loses moisture. The ideal moisture content for flooring installation
can vary from an extreme of 4 to 18 percent, depending on the wood species, the geographic location of the end product and the time of year. Most oak flooring, for example, is milled at 6 to 9 percent. Before installation, solid wood flooring should be acclimated to the area in which it is to be used, then tested with a moisture meter to ensure the proper moisture content.
Wood Species Properties
Now we turn to a comparison of a number of wood flooring species available today.
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COLOR: Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwood is creamy white. Similar in appearance to white oak, but frequently more yellow. HARDNESS/JANKA: 1320; 2% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00274; 26% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Remains smooth under friction. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is mostly reddish brown; sapwood is generally pale white. GRAIN: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniform texture. Coarser than European beech. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1300; 1% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Below average (change coefficient. 00431; 17% less stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Wears well and stays smooth when subjected to friction - popular for commercial floors. |
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COLOR: In yellow birch, sapwood is creamy yellow or pale white; heartwood is light reddish brown tinged with red. In sweet birch, sapwood is light colored and heartwood is dark brown tinged with red. GRAIN: Medium figuring, straight, closed grain, even texture. Occasional curly grain or wavy figure in some boards. SIDE HARDNESS/JANKA: 1260 (yellow); 2% softer than Northem red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00338; 8% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Hard and stiff; very strong, with excellent shock resistance. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is light to dark reddish brown, lustrous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pinkish tone. Some flooring manufacturers steam lumber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood resulting in a more uniform color. GRAIN: Fine. Frequently wavy. Uniform texture. Distinctive flake pattern on true quartersawn surfaces. Texture is satiny with some gum pockets. HARDNESS (JANKA): 950; 26% softer than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00248; 33% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Strong, moderately hard; excellent shock resistance. Usually considered too soft for an entire floor - mostly used for borders and accents. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown. Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color change upon exposure to sunlight. GRAIN: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grain or riftsawn clear-grade material. HARDNESS (JANKA): 660; 49% softer than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00267; 28% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Durable but easily dented. Somewhat brittle and splinters easily, especially with age. Used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turns deep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown within weeks due to high resin content. Sapwood remains yellow, with occasional blue-black sap stain. GRAIN: Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn is swirled; rift- or quartersawn is primarily pinstliped. Curly or burl grain is rare. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1225; 5% softer than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00263; 29% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Natural resistance to insect infestation in heartwood; dense. |
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COLOR: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with dark brown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish; sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines. GRAIN: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1820; 41% harder than Northern red oak. Pecan is slightly softer than true hickories. DIMENSIONAL STABIUTY: Pecan, average (change coefficient .00315; 15% more stable than red oak). Hickory, below average (change coefficient .00411; DURABILITY: Combination of strength, hardness, toughness and stiffness found in no other commercial wood; exceedingly high in shock resistance. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale to creamy white. GRAIN: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture. Occasionally shows quilted, fiddleback, curly or bird's-eye figuring. Figured boards often culled during grading and sold at a premium. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1450; 12% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00353; 4% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Dense, strong, tough, stiff; excellent shock resistance - often used in bowling alleys and athletic facilities. Markedly resistant to abrasive wear. |
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COLOR: Light brown to dark reddish brown. GRAIN: High in character, with ingrown bark and mineral streaks. Most commonly used in flooring as end-grain block, which has small irregular cracks radiating across the grain. HARDNESS (JANKA): 2345; 82% harder than Northem red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00129; 65% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Dense and very strong. End-grain cut has excellent resistance to abrasion and shock. |
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COLOR: Heartwood and sapwood are similar, with sapwood lighter in color; most pieces have a reddish tone. Slightly redder than white oak. GRAIN: Open, slightly coarser (more porous) than white oak. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattem, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger rays or butterflies. HARDNESS (JANKA): Northern 1290 (benchmark). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00369). DURABILITY: Stiff and dense; resists wear, with high shock resistance, though less durable than white oak. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is light brown; some boards may have a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Sapwood is white to cream. GRAIN: Open, with longer rays than red oak. Occasional crotches, swirls and burls. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger rays or butterflies. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1360; 5% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00365; 1% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: More durable than red oak. Tannic acid in the wood protects it from fungi and insects. |
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COLOR: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white. GRAIN: Closed, with high figuring; patterns range from clear to knotty. HARDNESS (JANKA): Loblolly and shortleaf 690, 47% softer than Northern red oak; longleaf 870, 33% softer than N. red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00265; 28% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Soft, fairly durable, although not as resistant to scuffs, dents and abrasions as the hardwoods. Often used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness. |
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COLOR: Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich dark brown to a purplish black. Sapwood is nearly white to tan. Difference between heartwood and sapwood color is great; some flooring manufacturers steam lumber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood, resulting in a more uniform color. GRAIN: Mostly straight and open, but some boards have burled or curly grain. Arrangement of pores is similar to hickories and persimmon; but pores are smaller in size. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1010; 22% softer than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00274; 26% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Moderately dense, very strong, good shock resistance. Not as dent-resistant as oak. |
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COLOR: Sapwood is gray-white; heartwood is salmon red to orange-brown when fresh, and becomes russet or reddish brown when seasoned; often marked with dark streaks. GRAIN: Mostly interlocked; texture is medium to rather coarse. HARDNESS (JANKA): 2350; 82% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00300; 19% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use. DURABILITY: Dense and very strong. |
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COLOR: Cream-colored sapwood; heartwood is honey-gold to brown with darker knots throughout. GRAIN: Closed. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1375; 6% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00162; 56% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated signillcant movement in use. DURABILITY: Excellent. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is uniformly pinkish to dark red, often a rich, dark red mahogany hue, turning a deep brownish red with age and exposure; sapwood is pale. Frequent black streaks with occasional ingrown grain. GRAIN: Frequently interlocked or wavy. Texture is even and moderately coarse. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1910; 48% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Below average (change coefficient .00396; 7% less stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Dense and very strong; high resistance to wear. |
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COLOR: Dark reddish brown. GRAIN: Striped figuring in quartersawn selections; texture is even and vety fine. HARDNESS (JANKA): 2200; 71% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABIUTY: Above average (change coefficient .00238; 36% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Excellent. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is yellowish to orange-brown when freshly cut, turning brown or dark red-brown upon exposure. GRAIN: Straight to interlocked or wavy; coarse texture. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1925: 49% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00158; 57% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use. DURABILITY: Strength is comparable to hickory, but density is somewhat lower. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is vivid reddish orange when freshly cut, darkening to reddish- or purple-brown or black over time. Sapwood is cream-colored. Very uniform in color. GRAIN: Straight to interlocked; coarse texture. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1725; 34% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00180; 51% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Average to high durability. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is brown when fi:eshly cut, turning deep purple to purplish brown over time. Sapwood is a lighter cream color. GRAIN: Usually straight; medium to fine texture. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1860; 44% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00212; 43% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Very strong and dense. |
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COLOR: Heartwood vartes from yellow-brown to dark golden brown; turns rich brown under exposure to sunlight. Sapwood is a lighter cream color. GRAIN: Straight; coarse, uneven texture. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1000; 22% softer than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00186; 50% more stable than red oak). DURABILITY: Strength values are similar to those of American oak. |
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COLOR: Heartwood is yellow-brown when freshly cut, turning dark brown to almost black with alternate layers of light and dark. Sapwood is yellowish-white and clearly demarcated from heartwood. GRAIN: Straight when quartersawn; coarse texture. HARDNESS (JANKA): 1630; 26% harder than Northern red oak. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coefficient .00201; 46% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use. DURABILITY: Average. |
Conclusion
As you can see each of these wood floor species has advantages and disadvantages related to durability and style. Understanding the differences is an essential first step towards selecting the floor that is appropriate for your needs. Don’t forget to factor in your particular lifestyle, and consider what the room will be used for. Finally, while we encourage you to spend time on our website, www.MacWoods.com, there is no substitute for a personal visit. Stop in a MacDonald Hardwoods wood flooring showroom, run your fingers over our wood flooring samples and discuss your project with a hardwoods expert.
MacDonald Hardwoods is an industry leader in providing the finest quality hardwood flooring and care products. To learn more about our premium products and services, visit our website at www.MacWoods.com. If you have a question about how to install, maintain or renew your hardwood floor, call us toll free at 800-639-3006.