Hardwood Guide Index

There are so many hardwood flooring choices available today it almost boggles the mind. Each species has a unique set of characteristics that you should consider when making a flooring selection.

In some instances, if you desire one characteristic, you automatically lose another one. For example, if you want a very hard wood for durability, the ability to stain the wood will be limited because of its hardness. If you want a floor that is very easy to stain, then it might be too soft to withstand the traffic from your family and St. Bernard puppy!

Then again, harder species that are prefinished in the factory can sometimes be colored with dyes or special equipment , negating the above dilemma. However, some day the floor will need to be refinished, in which case the staining challenge arises once again because what is done in a factory sometimes can't be duplicated in your home. If all of these things are true, how can a person ever make the right decision on which type of floor to install?

Educating yourself is the first step. By virtue of the fact that you're reading this sentence means you've started that journey. Hiring a knowledgable flooring contractor is the final step. An educated flooring contractor can help you make the difficult decisions and then implement your plan successfully.

For more detailed information on hardwood species, please visit the consumer section of the National Wood Flooring Association website.

Following is information that will assist you in picking the correct wood species and finish to achieve the look you want and still stay within your budget and lifestyle needs.

Hardwood Options top

There are numerous hardwood species available. From Austrailia to Venezuela, there are almost too many options to choose from.

Below is a list of domestic and exotic hardwood (and a few softwood) species that many of our customers ask for. Even though this is a fairly long list, there are even more available. If you have a particular species in mind that isn't on the list, we can obtain it.

	Species	Janka Hardness	Country of Origin	Color Characteristics
	Brazilian Walnut (Ipe)	3680	Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala	The color can vary dramatically and is dependent on where it originates. Planks can range from a light tan to a deep brown. There may be variation in the color initially, but it will settle down to a more uniform darker brown over time.
	Brazilian Teak (Cumaru)	3540	Brazil, Boliva, Peru, Costa Rica	Light color change. Tan color with some darker brown mixed in.
	Bolivian Rosewood (Morado)	3000	Bolivia and Brazil	Significant color change. Medium browns that will lighten as the floor ages.
	Amendoim	2947	Argentina, Paraquay, Brazil	Medium color change. Will tend to even out over time, becoming a darker tan-brown with reddish highlights.
	Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)	2350	Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venuzuela, Suriname, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala, Caribbean	Extreme color change. Varies from yellow hues to dark reds with black striping. Over time it will change to a deep reddish color, just like North American Cherry.
	Santos Mahogany (Cabreuva)	2200	Paraquay, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico	Slight color change. Varies from light brown to darker reddish brown.
	Tiger Wood	2160	Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico	Significant color change. Stripes darken, making them less pronounced.
	Purple Heart	2090	Central & Latin American, Southeast Asia	Significant color change. Vivid purples changes to a brown with purple highlights within a few months.
	Merbau	1925	Southeast Asia	Medium color change. Varies from light browns to darker browns. Will tend to go darker brown over time.
	Hickory	1820	North America	Slight color change. Medium browns to creams. Will amber over time.
	Padauk	1725	Central Africa	Extreme color change. Goes from orangey browns and tans to a deep red over time.
	Brazilian Hickory	1654	South America	Minimal color change. Wood is dark brown with black hues, giving it an espresso color.
	African Wenge	1630	Central Africa	Significant color change. Goes from a lighter color to a deep chocolate brown over time.
	Brazilian Maple	1500	Paraguay	Blonde to yellow tones and will amber over time.
	Africa Sapele	1500	Central Africa	Can be slightly redder than mahogany but tends to have browner tones too.
	Maple	1450	North America	Medium color change. Light tan colors to a light brown. Can be lots of variation. Ambers over time.
	Natural Bamboo	1410	China	Light color change. Does not change in color much over time.
	Austrailian Cypress	1375	Austrailia	Medium color change. Large degree of color variation that tends to even out slightly over time.
	White Oak	1360	North America	Medium color change. Starts as light browns and tans and ambers over time.
	Ash	1320	North America	Medium color change. Ambers from a pale cream color to a straw tan over time.
	Red Oak	1290	North America	Medium color change. Colors run from lighter tan to medium browns. Wood is grainy and the grain tends to be darker.
	Bloodwood (Brosimum, Satinae, Pau, Cardinalwood)	1260	Brazil	Medium color change. Wide color variation, from deep red to pale orange. Will age to a deeper, darker red.
	True Teak	1155	Thailand, Burma and Other Tropical Locations	Extreme color change. Changes to a darker brown over time and the variation in color minimizes.
	Carbonized Bamboo	1120	Asia	Carbonized Bamboo's color is obtained through a steam and heating process. The richer, caramel color of this bamboo will stay fairly consistent over time.
	Walnut	1010	North America	Medium color change. Varies in color from light tan to darker browns.
	North American Cherry	950	North America	Extreme color change. When first sanded, it varies from a creamy color in the sapwood to a darker red heartwood. It will turn a dark reddish color over time.
	Southern Yellow Pine	870	North America	Varies from light yellow to yellowish brown. Tends to amber over time.
	Cork	200	Western Mediterranean	Varies from light to medium browns in color.

Wood Grades top

The terms below are used in the grading system used by the National Wood Flooring Association. The appearance of wood determines its "grade." All grades are equally strong and serviceable, but each affords you a different look.

Clear Clear wood is free of significant defects, though it may have a few minor imperfections.

Select Select wood is almost clear, but contains some natural characteristics such as knots and color variations.

Common Common wood (No. 1 and No. 2) has more natural characteristics, such as knots and color variations, than either clear or select grades and often is chosen because of these natural features. No. 1 Common has a variegated appearance, light and dark colors, knots, flags and wormholes. No 2 Common is rustic in appearance and emphasizes all the characteristics of the species. First grade wood has the best appearance, natural color variations and limited character marks.

Second Second grade wood is variegated in appearance, with varying wood characteristics of the species present.

Third Third grade wood is rustic in appearance, allowing all wood characteristics of the species to be present.

Wood Cuts top

Wood can be cut at the sawmill in different ways, producing different characteristics. The angle at which a board is cut determines how the finished product looks. Wood flooring is either plainsawn, quartersawn or riftsawn.

Plainsawn Plainsawn is the most common cut. The board contains more variation than the other two cuts because grain patterns resulting from the growth rings are more obvious.

Quartersawn Quartersawing produces less board feet per log than plainsawing and is therefore more expensive. Quartersawn wood twists and cups less and wears more evenly.

Riftsawn Riftsawn is similar to quartersawing, but the cut is made at a slightly different angle.

Wood Hardness top

Knowing the hardness of a particular wood can help determine whether it meets your needs or not. Harder woods don't stain as well, but they are more durable. Softer woods take stain just fine, but they can't stand up to lots of traffic and abuse.

Knowing what you want the wood to do is therefore very important. To make comparisons of wood hardness a little easier, the Janka Hardness Scale was developed. The Janka (or side) hardness test measures the force required to embed a .444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. The Janka harness number is a good indicator on how well a particular floor will dent or wear. These Janka Hardness numbers can also be a good indicator for installers as to how difficult it will be to cut or nail the wood. The higher the number, the harder the wood.

The Janka number is listed by each of the woods listed in the Hardwood Options table above.

Finish Types top

There are basically five types of finishes available today. Just Around The Corner primarily uses the first option, oil-based urethane, because of the good balance of features it offers. However, if the job demands it, we can use other Finish Types. Options 4 and 5 are no longer used by most flooring professionals.

1. Oil-Based Urethane

2. Water-Based Urethane

3. Moisture-Cured Urethane

4. Penetrating Stain and Wax

Oil-Based Urethane Oil-based urethane has excellent durability; a rich, warm, golden color as it ages; and a moderate to strong odor as it is being applied. It typically takes about 24-48 hours to dry.

Water-Based Urethane Water-based urethane stays relatively clear during its lifetime, drys faster than oil-based urethane and has a less offensive odor. It also costs more than oil-based urethanes and takes about 8-16 hours to dry. We offer the only Aluminum Oxide urethane for job-site finishes that comes with a 15 year manufacturer warranty. Call today and ask about the high quality finishes we provide to make your life easier.

Moisture-Cured Urethane Moisture-cured urethane has a very strong and potentially toxic odor, superior durability, quick drying time and emits highly combustible vapors. This product should only be applied by a flooring professional.

Penetrating Stain and Wax Penetrating stain and wax is pretty much obsolete. This product works into the wood and dries hard. It does not handle moisture well and requires significant maintenance.

Finish Sheens top

There are three types of sheen available; satin, semi-gloss and gloss.  Each of these sheens may not be available in all Finish Types. All three sheens are available in the oil-based and water based urethanes. The professionals at Just Around The Corner ask customers to pick the stain color from samples applied to their freshly sanded floor, unless the decision was previously made.  For customers that don't even know where to begin, go to www.minwax.com for a starting point.  We use minwax stains and if you pick a stain as a general starting point, we can tweak it from there.

Seeing stain colors in the environment in which they will exist is the only way to know which stain will look the best. You can't make these decisions from showroom samples or color swatches. The desired look will drive which type of sheen the customer selects.

Satins hide scratches more readily and will give the floor a lower luster finish, with little light reflecting off the floor.

A Gloss finish will look more glassy and will show scratches and dents more readily. A gloss sheen is more durable than a satin sheen.

And, of course, a Semi-Gloss sheen falls somewhere in the middle of Satin and Gloss. If you desire some light reflection, but not too much, semi-gloss is the way to go.