Think all wood flooring is basically the same? Think again. That beautiful white pine you were considering may be great for a grown couple without kids, but for a family of five with two dogs as well, soft white pine would be a nightmare of unending maintenance. One thing that many people don’t consider carefully enough when choosing their wood flooring is the hardness, or durability of the wood. There is an actual “hardness” scale that you can use to determine just how stout your wood flooring is really going to be.
The Janka hardness measurement determines just how hard or resistant a type of wood actually is. This test is conducted by running a steel ball bearing through wood and measuring how much force it took to push the ball through the wood halfway. At one end of the scale is the softest – yellow pine. The hardest wood flooring available in the general market is Brazilian Walnut. Generally, most people find that common hardwoods such as oak, hardwood maple and Bamboo to be more than adequate for their daily needs.
However, consider that generally speaking, the harder the wood is, the higher the cost and so it is also important to weight your budget as well as the type of wood you will need. Hard woods, in the long run, make for a better investment, simply because they do not require the type of maintenance and repair that a soft wood floor needs. For genuine wood flooring, if you have a soft wood, you may need to strip down the boards, re-sand and re-stain and re-seal at least once a decade. For the best of the hardwoods, you may be able to avoid this step entirely.
When looking over your options for hard wood flooring, visit a local flooring installation center. These professionals are very knowledgeable about wood, the hardness and the best applications for these types of woods and can help you make an informed decision and avoid buyer’s remorse later on. Even better, these local companies can also make sure that they can install the wood properly and without damage so you will be completely happy with the results – something you can’t always say with your own home improvement efforts.
Southern California has many beautiful and exotic woods available in the general market, and local buyers can also possibly snap up sales items to get a better deal as well as a better selection.