WOODCARVING & ACCESSORIES

Choosing Wooden Flooring To Use In Your Home

Timber is attractive and wonderful for flooring. It is classy and all-natural, and there are lots of different types of timber to choose from. From light pigmented woods to dark, there’s always a wood out there to complement your home and personal taste

Any timber that you make use of for flooring will have been tested using the Janka scale. This checks the hardness of the timber and consequently determines its suitability for use on the floor because the wear it will get from individuals walking on it and putting furniture on it. At the top end of the Janka scale are woods such as Brazilian ebony and Bolivian cherry and at the bottom end are the softwoods such as Balsa and Eastern White Pine.

Undeniably the most popular is oak flooring and oak is available in two types: red oak and white oak. The red oak is still the most popular because it is warm colour and widely available, but the white variety is becoming more popular with trends for paler colours. White oak is also good for areas of the home that may get wet such as the kitchen because it is comparatively impermeable to water. Oak is an enduring flooring favourite and the versatility makes it simple to lay. You’ll find it takes colour stains well if you wish to change the colour.

Maple is a popular choice if you want something dent and scratch resistant. It isn’t as stable as oak so may possibly require a perimiter border to protect it from damage as it expands and contracts. The grain on this wood creates attractive patterns and if you choose this wood it will be partly because of this. The wood is not going to take a stain well so be certain that you’re completely satisfied with the colour and grain before you decide to lay it in your house.

Warm coloured woods for the floor include cherry and walnut. Cherry, like oak, is supplied in two varieties: American and Brazilian. The Brazilian is the darker of the two and is very hard. The American is a gentle pink and one of the softer hardwoods. Both can shift colour after being exposed to the sun’s rays so don’t expect it to remain the same colour as when it was laid.

Walnut is a gorgeous wood but also very costly. It is unlikely that you would lay an entire floor in walnut but it can be used as an accent in small areas. It is very strong and flexible with an even, fine grain. Provided you can afford walnut on your floor, you won’t be sorry.

If you happen to more in to paler wood, ash or birch may be your solution. Paler woods are particularly great in smaller rooms because they make the room seem to be larger. If you couple this with a pale wall, the room will look much bigger than if you used darker colours. Ash is durable and very strong. It isn’t susceptible to splitting and has good shock resistance. An added advantage is that it also takes a stain well should you wish to vary the colouring.

Birch can be creamy in colour but is also available in redder shades. Young birch will be at the creamy end of the spectrum, whereas the older birch (the heartwood from the middle of the trunk) is at the redder end. It is a particularly good timber for high traffic areas of the home.

If reclaimed timber is a bit more your thing, beech might be a great choice. It is one of the most popular reclaimed woods used for recycled flooring and it will take a great deal of wear and tear. It’s strong and resistant to splitting. Often you will find floors of beech with a clear urethane layer to help protect it. The grain is straight as well as being fine, giving it a uniform appearance. You will find it for sale in dark brown to pale white.

You will never go wrong with a real wood floor, but make sure that you select something which is suitable for your home and budget. So why not find a hardwood flooring supplier now?
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