Solid hardwood floors are often finished on site which means the finish is only as good as the floor s installer.
Which species hardwood is scratch resistant.
Best waterproof wood flooring.
Avoid soft wood.
Some species to avoid when choosing a natural floor include pines american cherry and american walnut.
Here s a guide to which species are the hardest.
They re less likely to warp from humidity or spills.
Brazilian cherry is a good example.
Ipe often called brazilian walnut is hard enough that it is even used on outdoor decks.
Harder more durable and scratch resistant species include brazilian cherry brazilian walnut and hickories.
Some wood species are much softer than others.
If you re interested in buy it for life wood flooring you re going to need to make hardness and scratch resistance a priority in the hardwood flooring industry the janka hardness test is the standard approach to measuring how resistant a wood sample is to both denting and wear.
If durability is a priority you re going to want hardwood.
Brazilian cherry a more exotic species ranks 2 350.
These finishes may also vary with some being more durable than others.
You should remember that the wood is only part of the equation.
One reason some hardwood floors scratch so easily is the floor s finish.
Most scratch resistant wood flooring.
The higher the rating the more resistant the floor is to dents scratches and wear.
Soft woods are beautiful although not a choice for homes with pets.
If solid wood maple or cherry or oak will do great.
Whenever you want the hardest hardwood domestic species tend to be the way to go.
Softwoods such as pine fir and carbonized bamboo rarely score more than 1 000 pounds making them particularly vulnerable to scratching.
Black walnut one of the softer hardwoods ranks 1 010 while douglas fir is even softer at 660 on the scale and will scuff or dent.
Not only does our finish provide scratch resistance perfect for active families or homes with pets but it also helps preserve the beauty of your floors.
Pine will do in lower traffic areas.
Personally i would.
It also known to hold stains better than any other type of wood.
Commonly used soft wood species for flooring include the following.
A number of years ago ipe entered north american markets at premium prices.
The hardest and most scratch resistant species such as ipe cumaru and jatoba come from the tropics and they typically score 3 000 pounds or more domestic hardwoods and raw bamboo on the other hand are about half as hard.
The softer the wood the more easily it scratches and dents.
No wood flooring is truly waterproof but bamboo and engineered hardwood come closest.
If laminated then you are at the mercy of the wood under the fancy face.
The hardness of this wood species makes it highly resistant to marring.
Options for dog owners.
By penetrating the top layers of the wood it guards against oxidation seals the board s top surface and adds a scratch resistant layer to hardwood floors.
Red oak one of the most common hardwood flooring species ranks 1 290.
