Hardwood, Laminate, or LVP? Matching the Ideal Option of Wood Types with Your Lifestyle
Recent design trends in our valley and really throughout the U.S., have pushed to go hard surface throughout a residence for multiple reasons most prominent, of which is ease of maintenance and being more hypoallergenic. This has led to the use of more LVP flooring as well as Laminate and Wood flooring. The most popular choice when it comes to durability and appearance is Solid or Engineered Woods, so this has led to the question of which is the best wood for your floors. While the answer to that question is often whichever one looks best for the project, knowing some info on the hardness of the base materials is also important and for that we use the Janka Hardness Scale.
First let’s discuss what the Janka Hardness Scale is, the Janka Scale is a test done on wood to test Hardness and Resistance to ware. It measures the necessary force to embed a 7/16th steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. This is then expressed in a measurement of force either pounds, kilograms or newtons. With that out of the way let’s move on to most common wood choices.
Red Oak: A widely popular choice, Red Oak sits at 1,290lbf on the Janka scale. Red Oak features very prominent grain patterns and a subtle reddish-brown undertone. It also accepts stains very well, making it a versatile wood that can be used in many different installations.
White Oak: Another popular choice sharing some similarities to Red Oak, White Oak sits a little higher on the Janka Scale at 1,360lbf. It also has a prominent grain that tends to have a straighter pattern with a more subtle cool tone. White oak doesn’t take to stains as well preferring lighter stains for a more modern look. White Oak is also more moisture resistant than Red Oak leading to more use in wet areas of the home.
American Walnut: American Walnut is a far softer wood than Oaks sitting at 1,010lbf on the Janka scale. However, its deeper and richer hues and unique grain patterns create a more sophisticated appeal. It also offers better resistance to shrinking and moisture, leading to more popularity in humid areas with higher fluctuating temperatures. Though its softer nature makes it more suitable for areas with less foot traffic or homes without large animals or kids.
Maple: Maple is incredibly dense and hardwood, making it highly resistant to dents and scratches sitting at 1,450lbf on the Janka Scale. It has a light coloring with a fine and uniform grain structure leading to a bright clean looking floor. Due to its density it does not take stain well, but it is highly resistant to shrinking as time goes on.
Hickory: Hickory is one of the hardest domestic woods sitting at 1,820lbf on the Janka Scale making it perfect for high activity homes with animals and kids. It has a strong color variation leading to unique looks that add depth to your home. The best feature of Hickory in longevity as a harder wood with proper maintenance it will last far longer than other woods.
Moving to some more exotic woods, these tend to be patterns or materials not commonly used due to rarity, cost or uniqueness.
Acacia: Acacia is a unique case as it sits high on the Janka Scale at 1,750lbf but also varies highly from plank to plank. The smooth fine gran pattern allows for more surface dents and scratches to show that are only skin deep. Leading to it being a far less popular choice even though it is eco-friendlier and more resistant to ware, moisture and rot.
Tigerwood: Tigerwood (not the golfer) is far more known for its stunning pattern and color that resembles tiger stripes hence the name, but it is also an extremely durable wood sitting at 1,850lbf on the Janka Scale. It is highly resistant to dents and scratches and ware offering a unique and beautiful appearance at a cost that matches.
Bamboo: The last wood we will talk about is Bamboo as it varies the most and has the most misunderstandings. Bamboo is an incredibly sustainable and ecofriendly wood, that is also budget friendly. The more popular choices of Bamboo when used for flooring are Natural Bamboo and Carbonized Bamboo. Let’s take them separately Natural bamboo sits around 1,300lbf similar to Red oak, it doesn’t hold a stain well leading to a lighter coloring with the classic Bamboo look. Carbonized Bamboo goes through a steam and heating process that darkens the material through cooking the natural sugars, this also leads to a softer wood at around 1,000lbf. Bamboo is very temperamental to humidity.
The last question you might have is, what is the difference between Solid and Engineered woods? Easiest answer is that it is in the name, Solid woods are a single solid piece of wood. This allows for it to be sanded, resurface and stained multiple times throughout the life of the flooring, the other side of that is that it is often softer than its Engineered counterpart and far less resistant to moisture and humidity leading to more gapping and separation. By contrast, engineering woods are often far more stable as they have an engineered HDF core where internal fibers are woven together to have higher rigidity for a harder wood and less fluctuation due to outside effects. The main downside of engineered is that most cannot be refinished due to less old growth wood used in construction. Wood flooring solid or engineered are often far better choices with a superior look and life span compared to other products leading to more personalized looks that make your home feel unique and personalized.
