It is our experience that the most commonly asked question is what type of hardwood to use for a specific application. In most cases, the process starts by choosing the appropriate product that has the required hardness to stand the test of time.
What's the best hardwood for a high traffic area?
Most people assume that a more expensive, exotic product will hold up much better than a softer hardwood floor. This is mostly true but more important is the proper care and maintenance of your floor. So choosing a hardwood type is only half the battle.
If you choose a harder wood for your flooring, you won't have to worry about wear and tear.
All hardwood floors can be scratched and dented if treated poorly. So while choosing a harder wood for your floor will LESSEN the damage if poorly treated, proper care and respect are the best habits to demonstrate in order to maintain your floor. Choose the flooring that you like best, treat it well, and it will provide years of beautiful living. See Hardness Chart Below by Clicking Here
Engineered Hardwoods
Engineered wood flooring is composed of multiple layers of wood. The top layer is the wood that is visible when the flooring is installed, and is adhered to a core that provides the stability and strength.
Laminate, vinyl and veneer floors are often confused with engineered wood floors. Laminate flooring uses a picture of wood on its surface. Vinyl flooring is plastic formed to look and feel like wood. Veneer flooring uses a thin layer of wood with a core that could be one of a number of different composite wood products.
Engineered wood is the most common type of wood flooring used globally. North America has a larger solid wood install base than engineered, although engineered wood is quickly catching up in market share.
The Bottom Line
Choose the hardest variety of wood flooring that meets your individual tastes and budget. Regardless of the type of wood used, maintenance is the key to keeping your floors beautiful and long lasting. Every 2 to 3 years, you should review the state of your hardwood floors and have preventative maintenance performed.
Contact us to make an appointment to evaluate your floors and determine what if anything needs to be done to better extend the life of your hardwood flooring.
| Wood Flooring Types | Hardness |
|---|---|
| Brazilian Ebony | 3692 |
| Ip / Brazilian Walnut | 3684 |
| African Pearwood / Moabi | 3680 |
| Bolivian Cherry | 3650 |
| Lapacho | 3640 |
| Brazilian Teak, Brazilian Chestnut | 3540 |
| Southern American Chestnut | 3540 |
| Ebony | 3220 |
| Brazilian Redwood | 3190 |
| Bloodwood | 2900 |
| Red Mahogany | 2697 |
| Southern Chestnut | 2670 |
| Spotted Gum | 2473 |
| Brazilian Cherry | 2350 |
| Mesquite | 2345 |
| Golden Teak | 2330 |
| Santos Mahogany, Honduran Rosewood | 2200 |
| Brazilian Koa | 2160 |
| Brazilian Chestnut, Tiete Chestnut, Brazilian Walnut | 2140 |
| Brushbox | 2135 |
| Karri | 2030 |
| Sydney Blue Gum | 2023 |
| Tallowwood | 1933 |
| Purpleheart | 1860 |
| Goncalo Alves / Tigerwood | 1850 |
| Hickory / Pecan | 1820 |
| Australian Wormy Chestnut | 1810 |
| Rosewood | 1780 |
| Blackwood | 1720 |
| Highland Beech | 1686 |
| Wenge, Red Pine | 1630 |
| True Pine | 1570 |
| Sweet Birch | 1470 |
| Hard Maple / Sugar Maple | 1450 |
| Caribbean Walnut | 1390 |
| Coffee Bean | 1390 |
| Natural Bamboo | 1380 |
| Australian Cypress | 1375 |
| White Oak | 1360 |
| Tasmanian Oak | 1350 |
| Ash (White) | 1320 |
| American Beech | 1300 |
| Red Oak (Northern) | 1290 |
| Caribbean Heart Pine | 1280 |
| Yellow Birch | 1260 |
| Heart Pine | 1225 |
| Brazilian Mesquite | 1220 |
| Larch | 1200 |
| Carbonized Bamboo | 1180 |
| Teak | 1155 |
| Brazilian Eucalyptus | 1125 |
| Peruvian Walnut | 1080 |
| Boreal | 1023 |
| Black Walnut/North American Walnut | 1010 |
| Teak | 1000 |
| Black Cherry | 950 |
| Paper Birch | 910 |
| Eastern Red Cedar | 900 |
| Southern Yellow Pine | 870 |
| Chestnut | 540 |
| Hemlock | 500 |
| Western White Pine | 420 |
| Basswood | 410 |
| Eastern White Pine | 380 |
| Balsa | 100 |
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