5 Hardwood Types To Consider For Your Flooring
Posted on: 18 October 2017
Hardwood flooring is still a prized feature in homes. It increases the resale value and overall beauty of the house. The main reasons are that the wood is organically attractive and unique to each home. However, there are numerous hardwood options, ranging from soft and inexpensive to hard and pricey. Discover three common wood species and two popular exotics that can complement your décor.
Red Oak
Red oak is probably the most popular type of hardwood for flooring. It features attractive graining in warm tones that range from golden red to rusty brown with highlights of creamy pink. The coloration and graining vary slightly from board to board, giving your floor visual interest. While red oak works well with any décor, it especially complements country and rustic styles.
White Oak
While not as popular as red oak, white oak is actually somewhat harder. It features cooler hues than red oak, ranging from cool tans and yellows to medium browns, grays, and even taupe. The grain patterns are finer than with red oak, so it creates a smoother overall finish for your floor. Because it's harder, white oak is ideal for high-traffic households. Design-wise, the cool, subtle surface complements contemporary and modern styles.
Hickory
If durability is a big concern, hickory is a prime choice for your hardwood flooring — it has one of the highest ratings on the Janka Hardness Scale. Hickory is deeper in tone, with mocha shades highlighted with red and warm brown. This hardwood also features trademark knots and big variations in color and patterning from board to board. This makes it ideal for any of the rustic styles, such as farmhouse, shabby chic, and cottage.
Brazilian Cherry
Brazilian cherry hardwood actually doesn't come from a tree that produces the fruit — rather, it's harvested from the jatoba tree in Brazil. It is one of the hardest woods on the market, making it ideal for high-traffic households. However, the wood is prized more for its beauty, featuring deep reds and salmons with darker stripes. Because Brazilian cherry is an endangered hardwood, The Spruce recommends looking for flooring that's been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Brazilian Tigerwood
Another exotic flooring option is Brazilian koa, locally known as tigerwood. The reason for the name is that this hardwood features bold, orange-tinged stripes. It creates a very dramatic appearance in your flooring. Brazilian koa also offers the dense, interlocking grains that make it very hard and durable. As with Brazilian cherry, look for flooring that's been certified by the FSC.
Choose a hardwood flooring that complements your lifestyle and décor. Contact a store, like K J M Floor Store, for more help.
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