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Species
Species are the type of tree, such as oak, cherry or walnut and influence the appearance.
Example: Traditional oak has strong mark variations in the grain and shade, while maple has a cleaner grain and does not have these strong mark variations.
These days there are more exotic species available, like Brazilian Cherry, Tigerwood and Merbau, which has unique combination of surface characteristics and color.
Traditional Species (from Northern America)
| | | | | | | Ash | Birch | Cherry | Maple | Oak | Pecan | Walnut |
Exotic Species (from other countries)
| | | | | | | Azelia | Boire | Brazilian
Cherry | Cypress | Eucalyptus | Merbau | Tigerwood |
Colors
A wide viarity of colors is created by the species combined with the stain.
Colors may fade or darken when it is exposed to direct sunlight. Also the lightning in your room might affect the color of the wood, so be sure to ask one of our experiences staff members about this, before purchasing a hardwood floor.
Here is an example of the differences of Red-Oak combined with different stains.
Natural | | Stained | | | | | | | | Natural | | Butter Scotch | Gunstock | Vintage Brown |
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Hardness
Different wood species have different hardness's hat affects the durability.
A harder wood does not mean it is a better wood, but it is wise to keep in mind where the floor is being used.
For a room that will have a lot of traffic, a harder wood is more recommended.
Janka Harness Rating
With the Janka hardness rating, a rating is given to the wood for its hardness.
It is calculated on how much force is needed to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters / 0.444 inches half way in to the wood. The higher the rating, the harder the wood is.
Here is an overview of some common woods:
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