Maple Wood Flooring Characteristics

This guide features 20 of the most abundant and most often used hardwood species.

Maple wood flooring characteristics.

On the janka hardness scale a scale that ranks wood for hardness hickory is the hardest of all domestic hardwoods ranking at 1 820. Poplar ranks 540 on the low end of the scale. There are many varieties of soft maple wood though the most common are the striped maple silver maple red maple bigleaf maple and box elder. The heartwood tends to be a darker reddish brown.

Pre boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. Unlike most other hardwoods the sapwood of hard maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood sapwood color ranges from nearly white to an off white cream color sometimes with a reddish or golden hue. Case 7 79. Hard maple or sugar maple is the most durable of the maple species with a janka value of 1 450 which makes it one of the hardest domestic woods used in furniture making.

Millstead hand scraped maple chocolate 3 4 in. Birch and maple are domestic hardwoods with similar characteristics and appearances but they do have variations. Wide x random length solid hardwood flooring 20 sq. From selecting the most durable wood and bamboo the world has to offer to our patented finishing process that gives our flooring best in class stain gloss and scuff resistance.

The guide to american hardwood species as a resource american hardwoods are abundant renewing and sustainable and an excellent choice for eco effective design and building. Maple floors have gorgeous natural patterns in them with a soft striation and graining. Hard maple dries slowly with high shrinkage so it can be susceptible to movement in performance. Now it may look like hard maple is heads and tails above the rest and to a certain extent it is but for reference black cherry has a janka hardness of 950 lb f the same as red maple and black walnut is rated at 1 010 lb f also note that black maple not pictured isn t quite as hard as its close relative hard maple and ranks in the mid range with a hardness of 1 180 lb f.

Bellawood 3 4 x 3 1 4 character maple prefinished solid hardwood flooring length. Grain patterns also indicate the wood s hardness. Everything we do is about making a better floor. Maple floors come from the wood of a maple tree and is a hardwood making it perfect for flooring.

Maple typically demands higher prices and is considered more exclusive than birch. Hard maple ranks 1 450 while red oak ranks 1 290. For the average homeowner the differences may not be significant but when you consider cost the variance may add up. With care it machines well turns well glues satisfactorily and can be stained to an outstanding finish.