One of the hardest decisions for your house is choosing the best hardwood flooring types for your floors. The types of hardwood flooring vary in hardness and color, with an amazing variety in grain pattern. With all that, how to decide on hardwood flooring depends on a few factors.
How much traffic are your floors going to get? What style of decor do you have? How to choose hardwood flooring gets complicated fast!
Let’s take a look at how to choose between the different hardwood floor types!
1. Oak
There are two separate types of oak wood to choose from, red oak and white oak. Both work well as floor surfaces and have a nice spectrum of colors to choose from. What are the differences between the two?
Red oak is the most common choice for flooring. It has a rating of 1290 on the JankaHardness Scale and ranges from a pinkish and reddish-gold to rusty brown in color. Red oak works well for a diverse set of decor styles.
The Janka scale rates white oak at 1360. It has has an elegant look, and is good for higher trafficked areas. White oak does not have red in its color scheme, instead, it has cool gray undertones.
2. Cherry
Cherry ranks lower on the Janka scale, coming in at only 950. It should be kept to lower traffic areas to prevent damage. Over time, the wood tends to darken, and this process will be faster with exposure to sunlight.
With its smooth grain pattern and warm brown hues, Cherry wood is a good choice for formal dining rooms or bedrooms. Cherry’s grain pattern is best showcased with wider flooring planks, about eight inches wide.
3. Walnut
Walnut has a rating of 1010 on the Janka scale and offers a smooth and consistent look. While walnut is more suited to medium-to-light trafficked areas, it can be used in high-traffic areas. Be aware that it will show wear after a few years in those higher trafficked areas.
When looking at discount engineered hardwood flooring, Walnut is a good choice. Its chocolate tones make it a popular choice. Its grain pattern tends toward long and straight with low color variation between boards.
4. Hickory
With an 1820 ranking on the Janka scale, Hickory is the hardest wood on the list. This makes it one of the best choices for high-traffic areas. In fact, it was once used for the flooring in school gymnasiums.
Hickory wood colors range from beige and red to brown streaked with a darker brown. Hickory wood is a stylish choice as it can vary from board to board in color and pattern that features large knots in the grain.
5. Maple
Maple wood is a tough wood you can use in almost any room at a Janka rating of 1450. A light-colored wood, maple’s hues include creams and tans. With a fine grain and high visible interest, maple complements most decor styles.
There Are Many Types of Hardwood Flooring to Choose From
Choosing from the types of hardwood flooring can be overwhelming, as there are far more types of hardwood flooring than what is on this list. The best hardwood flooring types depend on what you need it for. Always use care in choosing what flooring goes for what areas.
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