R WOOD SPECIES - hardwood floor denver · 7 RELATIVE HARDNESS OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES 8 RELATIVE STABILITY OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES COLOR CHANGES IN WOOD FLOORING

© 2004 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION

N A T I O N A L W O O D F L O O R I N G A S S O C I A T I O N T E C H N I C A L P U B L I C A T I O N N o . A 2 0 0

R

WOODSPECIESUSED IN WOOD FLOORING

Revised Edition

APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

WORKABILITY

RELATIVE COST

AVAILABILITY

Price: $30

2 © 2004 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION


3 INTRODUCTION: AN OVERVIEW OF WOOD PROPERTIES

6 RELATIVE AVAILABILITY OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES

7 RELATIVE HARDNESS OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES

8 RELATIVE STABILITY OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES COLOR CHANGES IN WOOD FLOORING

9 PROPERTIES OF 13 DOMESTIC WOOD SPECIES

CONTENTSWOOD SPECIES USED IN WOOD FLOORING

NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTYThe information contained in this publication represents generally accepted descriptions of wood species and their properties. However,wood is a natural material subject to numerous variations in grain, color, hardness and dimensional stability, and no description is ableto encompass all possible variations. The National Wood Flooring Association accepts no risk or liability for application of the informationcontained in this publication.

9 Ash, White

10 Beech

11 Birch

12 Cherry, Black

13 Douglas Fir

14 Hickory/Pecan

15 Maple, Sugar/Hard

16 Mesquite

17 Oak, Red

18 Oak, White

19 Pine, Antique Heart

20 Pine, Southern Yellow

21 Walnut, American Black

22 PROPERTIES OF 20 IMPORTED WOOD SPECIES

22 Bamboo

23 Bubinga

24 Cherry, Brazilian

25 Cork

26 Cypress, Australian

27 Gum, Spotted

28 Gum, Sydney Blue

29 Iroko

30 Jarrah

31 Mahogany, Santos

32 Maple, Brazilian

33 Merbau

34 Oak, Tasmanian

35 Padauk

36 Purpleheart

37 Sapele

38 Teak, Brazilian

39 Teak, Thai/Burmese

40 Walnut, Brazilian

41 Wenge

41 RESOURCES AND CREDITS

© 2004 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION 3


W ood is a dynamic medium. Like allorganic materials, it has character andquirks, responds to its environment, and

changes over time. Because of its “personality,” woodshould be treated with understanding and a certainamount of care. For wood flooring professionals,knowing about the properties of wood in general, aswell as those of individual wood species, is critical toproper installation. For consumers, it’s important tohave realistic expectations about how wood will per-form. Most wood used for flooring is essentially abyproduct of more expensive wood-consumingindustries (furniture manufacture, for example), so itis usually not the highest grade of lumber. However,it is quite economical in comparison.

This publication provides an overview of themechanical and physical properties of wood, followedby more detailed information on several species usedin flooring. In selecting the species described, theaim has been to offer a fair sampling of some oftoday’s most popular woods. Other species may beincluded in later editions of this publication.

Note: The samples chosen to illustrate eachspecies were selected to be as representative aspossible. However, there are many variationswithin each species, and the methods used insanding and finishing also affect the final appear-ance of a given species. Also, the samples werephotographed only a few days after being sandedand finished. Some species, such as domesticcherry, will change color significantly over time(see page 8). Therefore, the appearance of anyinstallation may vary from the samples shown inthis publication.

The character of woodAs a flooring material, wood is superior to vinyl orcarpet, both practically and aesthetically. A solidwood floor is more than a covering; it adds strengthand stability to the floor system. A one-inch thick-ness of wood has the same insulating value as 15inches of concrete. Wood is durable and long-lasting— occasional sanding and refinishing essentiallyresults in a brand-new floor. Wood floors don’t retainmildew or absorb dust, simplifying cleaning.

Perhaps the most appealing characteristics ofwood flooring, though, are its attractive appearance

and natural warmth. A beautiful wood floor canenliven a drab room, enhance any architecturalstyle, complement furniture and design schemes,and add value to any home or building.

A combination of qualities should be consideredwhen selecting a species for flooring: appearance-related attributes such as texture, grain and color;as well as mechanical properties such as dimen-sional stability, durability, machinability and ease infinishing; and finally, availability and cost.

Properties affecting appearanceMany different factors, from the nature of the livingtree to the way the lumber is sawed, affect the waythe finished floor will look.

HEARTWOOD, SAPWOOD: Heartwood is the older,harder, central portion of a tree. It usually containsdeposits of various materials that frequently give it adarker color than sapwood. It is denser, less permeableand more durable than the surrounding sapwood.

Sapwood is the softer, younger, outer portion of atree that lies between the cambium (formative layerjust under the bark) and the heartwood. It is morepermeable, less durable and usually lighter in colorthan the heartwood.

The relative amounts of heartwood and sapwoodin a flooring batch may affect the way it acceptsstain and finish and, therefore, the finished appear-ance of the floor. In general, quartersawn and rift-sawn flooring will contain less sapwood thanplainsawn flooring (see “Types of saw cut,” nextpage), and will tend to have a straighter grain andmore uniform appearance. Heartwood also is moredimensionally stable than sapwood, so flooring witha high percentage of heartwood will shrink and swellless than flooring that is mostly sapwood.

WOOD GRAIN AND TEXTURE: “Grain” and “texture”are loosely used to describe similar properties ofwood. Grain is often used in reference to annualgrowth rings, as in “fine” or “coarse” grain; it also isused to indicate the direction of fibers, as in straight,spiral and curly grain. The direction of the grain, aswell as the amount of figuring in the wood, can affectthe way it is sanded and sawed.

Grain also is described as being either “open” or“closed,” referring to the relative size of the pores, whichaffects the way a wood accepts stain and finishes.

WOOD SPECIESUSED IN WOOD FLOORING

Introduction: An Overview of Wood Properties



Texture usually refers to the finer structure of thewood, rather than to the annual rings. It is some-times used to combine the concepts of density anddegree of contrast between spring wood and summerwood in the annual growth rings.

Wood grain terminology Annual rings: Most species grown in temperate cli-mates produce visible annual growth rings that showthe difference in density and color between woodformed early and that formed late in the growing sea-son. The inner part of the growth ring, formed first, iscalled “spring wood”; the outer part, formed later inthe season, is called “summer wood.”

Spring wood is characterized by cells having rela-tively large cavities and thin walls. Summer woodcells have smaller cavities and thicker walls, andconsequently are more dense than those in springwood. The growth rings, when exposed by conven-tional sawing methods, provide the grain or charac-teristic pattern of the wood. The distinguishingfeatures among the various species results in partfrom differences in growth-ring formation. Andwithin species, natural variations in growth ensure

the unique character andbeauty of each piece ofwood.Figure: The pattern pro-duced in a wood surfaceby annual growth rings,rays, knots and deviationsfrom regular grain. Medullary Rays: Medullaryrays extend radially fromthe core of the tree towardthe bark. They vary inheight from a few cells insome species, to four or

more inches in the oaks; they’re responsible for theflake effect common in quartersawn lumber in cer-tain species.

Flat Grain: Easily recognized by its parabolic(arched) effect. Lumber is considered “flat-grained”when the annual growth rings make an angle of lessthan 45 degrees with the wide surface of the board.

Vertical or Edge Grain: Generally more dimension-ally stable than flat grain—that is, vertical-grainboards are less likely to expand or contract in widthwith changes in moisture. Lumber is considered“vertical-grained” when the annual growth ringsmake an angle of 45 to 90 degrees with the wide sur-face of the board.

(Note: In hardwoods, plainsawn lumber gener-ally contains mostly flat-grained wood, whilequartersawn lumber is nearly all vertical-grained.In softwood lumber, the terms “flat-grained” and“vertical-grained” are used instead of the terms“plainsawn” and “quartersawn,” respectively. See“Types of saw cut” below.)

Interlocked Grain: Grain in which the fibers may

slope in a right-handed direction for several years, ina left-handed direction for several years, back toright-handed, and so on. A high degree of interlockedgrain may make a wood difficult to machine.

TYPES OF SAW CUT: Lumber is either plainsawn,quartersawn or riftsawn.

Plainsawing is the most common and least expen-sive method of sawing; most wood flooring is cut thisway. Plainsawn lumber is obtained by making thefirst saw cut on a tangent to the circumference of thelog and remaining cutsparallel to the first. Thismethod is the most eco-nomical, because it pro-vides the widest boardsand results in the leastwaste.

Since most of the lum-ber produced by plainsaw-ing is flat-grained, withsome vertical-grained woodincluded, plainsawn lumberwill tend to contain morevariation within and amongboards than quartersawnlumber, in which nearly all of the wood is vertical-grained. Also, since flat-grained wood is less dimen-sionally stable than vertical-grained, plainsawn lumberwill tend to expand and contract more across the widthof the boards than quartersawn lumber.

Other physical differences to consider when choos-ing plainsawn lumber rather than quartersawn:

• Figure patterns resulting from the annual ringsand some other types of figures are usually broughtout more conspicuously by plainsawing.

• Shakes and pitch pockets, when present, extendthrough fewer boards.

In quartersawing, lumber is produced by firstquartering the log and then sawing perpendicular tothe growth rings. Quartersawing produces relativelynarrow boards, nearly all vertical-grained, and cre-ates more waste, making quartersawn lumber moreexpensive than plainsawn. However, much quarter-sawn wood is obtained by culling the vertical-grainedwood that naturally results from plainsawing.

For reasons other than cost, most people preferquartersawn wood, although some people favor thegreater variety in figuring produced in plainsawing.

Other physical factors to keep in mind whenchoosing quartersawn lumber over plainsawn:

• It twists and cups less.• It surface-checks and splits less during season-

ing and in use.• Raised grain produced by separation in the

annual growth rings does not appear as pronounced.• It wears more evenly.• Figuring due to pronounced rays, interlocked

and wavy grain are brought out more conspicuously.• Sapwood appears only at the edges, and is lim-

ited to the width of the log’s sapwood.



Riftsawing is similar to quartersawing, with manyof the same advantages and limitations. It accentu-ates the vertical grain and minimizes the flake effectcommon in quartersawn oak. The angle of the cut ischanged slightly so that fewer saw cuts are parallelto the medullary rays, which are responsible for theflake effect. Riftsawing creates more waste thanquartersawing, making it generally more expensive.

Mechanical propertiesMOISTURE CONTENT AND DIMENSIONAL STABILITY:Moisture plays a large part in how wood behaves,both during the machining process and after instal-lation. Installers would do well to study moisture’seffect on wood in some detail; however, a brief dis-cussion is included here. (For more information, seethe NWFA Technical Manual A100: Water andWood.)

Moisture content is defined as the weight of waterin wood expressed as a percentage of the weight ofoven-dry wood. Weight, shrinkage, strength andother properties depend on the moisture content ofwood. In trees, moisture content may be as much as200 percent of the weight of wood substance. Afterharvesting and milling, the wood will be dried to theproper moisture content for its end use.

Wood is dimensionally stable when the moisturecontent is above the fiber saturation point (usuallyabout 30 percent moisture content). Below that, woodchanges dimension when it gains or loses moisture.

The ideal moisture content for flooring installationcan vary from an extreme of 4 to 18 percent,depending on the wood species, the geographic loca-tion of the end product and the time of year. Mostoak flooring, for example, is milled at 6 to 9 percent.Before installation, solid wood flooring should beacclimated to the area in which it is to be used, thentested with a moisture meter to ensure the propermoisture content.

(Note: Engineered flooring tends to be moredimensionally stable than solid flooring and may notrequire acclimation prior to installation—check withthe manufacturer of the flooring for that product’s

recommendations.)Different woods exhibit dif-ferent moisture stabilityfactors, but they generallyshrink and swell the mostin the direction of theannual growth rings (tan-gentially), about half asmuch across the rings(radially) and only slightlyalong the grain (longitudi-nally). This means thatplainsawn flooring will tendto shrink and swell more in

width than quartersawn flooring, and that most floor-ing will not shrink or swell much in length.

The individual species descriptions that follow

include an indication of dimensional stability, from“below average” to “excellent,” as well as a comparisonto red oak. For example, mesquite is rated as “excel-lent,” with a notation that it is 63 percent more stablethan red oak—that is, mesquite is likely to shrink orswell 63 percent less. The percentages noted are basedon comparing the shrinkage values (tangential shrink-age from green to ovendry moisture content) of eachspecies. Red oak was chosen as the benchmarkbecause of its widespread familiarity and use in theflooring industry. For a comparison of the relativedimensional stability of several species refer to thechart on page 8. Keep in mind that the shrinkage val-ues come from laboratory testing, and some woodsshown to be relatively stable in the lab have demon-strated significant movement on actual job sites.

For wood flooring professionals, it’s important toinform end users about the normal behavior of woodin relation to moisture. Most solid wood flooring willcontract during periods of low humidity (during theheating season, for example), sometimes leavingnoticeable cracks between boards. To minimize thiseffect, users should stabilize the environment of thebuilding through temperature and humidity control.

HARDNESS AND DURABILITY: Probably the mostimportant strength property for wood used in floor-ing applications is its side hardness, also known asJanka hardness. Side hardness represents the resis-tance of wood to wear, denting and marring. It ismeasured by the load required to embed a 0.444-inch steel ball to one-half its diameter in the wood.Janka hardness ratings are generally based on anaverage of tests on both tangential and radial (plain-sawn and quartersawn) samples. A comparisonchart of the Janka hardness ratings for each of thespecies described in this chapter appears on page 7.Also, the individual species descriptions include apercentage comparison to indicate each specieshardness relative to Northern red oak.

INSTALLATION AND NAILING: When nailing some ofthe denser woods with hand or air nailers, installersmay encounter splitting tongues, as well as failure tosecure the fastener even after repeated attempts. Thiscan sometimes be corrected by changing the angle ofthe nail’s point of entry. On certain exceptionallydense species, pilot holes may have to be drilled toease nailing. Blunting the ends of fasteners may alsohelp prevent splitting. With pneumatic nailers, the airpressure may need to be adjusted to reduce splinter-ing or tongue breakage.

Though dense, heavy woods normally offer highernail-withdrawal resistance, less dense species allowthe use of more and larger-diameter fasteners tocompensate for their lower holding ability. When nail-ing imported species, check with the supplier for therecommended fastener.

Consider wearing gloves while working with somewoods, especially exotic species. Splinters should beremoved immediately, as some species have beenknown to cause an adverse reaction in some people.



SANDING: Some wood species are highly resinousand tend to clog sandpaper. When working with suchspecies, it may be necessary to use a coarser grit ofsandpaper than normal, or to change the sandpapermore often than with other species.

Also, the wood dust created by sanding somespecies tends to cause an allergic reaction in somepeople. This is more likely to occur with importedspecies than with domestic. However, even NorthAmerican oak has been known to cause a skin rashor respiratory difficulties in some people. Whereapplicable, known tendencies to cause allergic reac-tions are noted.

As a precaution, flooring mechanics should wearlong sleeves, gloves, repirators (with a rating of at leastN95/NIOSH-approved) and eye protection when sand-ing. To test for possible allergic reaction to a species,perform a skin-patch test by placing a small amountof wood dust under a round adhesive bandage on theinside of the forearm. If serious skin irritation is pre-sent when the bandage is removed after 24 hours,consider not working with that species.

For more information on sanding, see the NWFATechnical Manual B200: Sanding and Finishing ofHardwood Floors.

FINISHING: Many finish formulations are undergoingcontinual change as their manufacturers move to com-ply with evolving environmental regulations, makinghard-and-fast finishing rules difficult to come by.

Some woods, especially imports, contain oils andchemical compounds that may adversely react withcertain types of finishes to inhibit drying, dramaticallychange the color of the wood, or both. Some importedspecies may weep natural oils for an extended period oftime, possibly causing finish problems at a later date.It is recommended that such floors be sealed or coatedimmediately after the final sanding cut.

Water-based urethane finishes are quick-drying andincreasingly durable. Some flooring professionals alsobelieve they tend to inhibit the color change certainwoods undergo over time, which may be desirable.These finishes tend to leave wood lighter in color. Non-ambering urethanes are often recommended for finish-ing white, stenciled or pastel floors. Water-basedfinishes tend to adhere well to most woods, includingexotics, whereas some solvent-based finishes haveadhesion, drying or color change problems withwoods such as teak, Brazilian walnut, purpleheart,padauk and wenge.

For floors that are to be stained to alter the naturalcolor of the wood, flooring professionals should beaware that some species (hard maple, pine and fir, forexample) do not accept stain as readily or as evenlyas other species.

A grain filler is sometimes used for wood specieswith large pores, such as oak and walnut, if a smoothfinish is desired.

When working with a new species for the firsttime, installers should test stains and finishes on asmall sample of flooring before attempting an instal-

lation and also check with the finish manufacturer.For more information on finishing, see the NWFA

Technical Manual B200: Sanding and Finishing ofHardwood Floors.

AvailabilityJust as every individual wood species is dynamic andprone to change in response to its environment, sotoo is the market for all wood flooring species. Avail-ability estimates were obtained through interviewswith industry sources and reflect market conditionsduring 2003.

EASILY AVAILABLE:Brazilian cherry (jatoba)Hard mapleRed oakSouthern yellow pineWhite oak

READILY AVAILABLE:AshAustralian cypress BambooBlack cherryBrazilian walnut (ipé) CorkDouglas firHickory/pecanSantos mahoganyTeak, Thai/Burmese

MODERATELY AVAILABLE:BeechBlack walnut, AmericanBirchBrazilian mapleBrazilian teak (cumaru)IrokoJarrahMerbauPadaukSapeleSpotted gumSydney blue gumTasmanian oak

LIMITED AVAILABILITY:Antique heart pineBubingaMesquitePurpleheartWenge



RELATIVE HARDNESS OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES

(Ranked by Janka hardness rating)

The Janka (or side) hardness test mea-sures the force required to embed a.444-inch steel ball to half its diameterin wood. It is one of the best measuresof the ability of a wood species to with-stand denting and wear. By the sametoken, it also is a good indicator of howhard or easy a species is to saw or nail.Northern red oak, for example, has aJanka hardness rating of 1290. Spot-ted gum, with a rating of 2473, isnearly twice as hard. If you’re accus-tomed to working with red oak anddecide to tackle a job with spottedgum, you can expect it to be muchharder to cut and nail.

A rating is not included for bamboo,as bamboo flooring varies greatlybetween different manufacturers’ prod-ucts and between vertical and horizon-tal construction. Likewise, a rating isnot included for cork flooring.

• Source: Hardness ratings for most species takenfrom the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service,Forest Products Laboratory, Center for WoodAnatomy Research Web sitewww2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/techmenu.html. Bub-inga value taken from Wood Handbook: Wood asan Engineering Material (Forest Products Society,1999). Padauk and Brazilian maple values were provided by Wood Flooring Interna-tional. Spotted gum, Sydney blue gum and Tasmanian oak values wereprovided by Boral Timber. The heart pine ratingwas provided by Mountain Lumber. The mesquiterating was provided by Mesquite Products of Texas.• Douglas fir rating is an average of ratings forCoast, Interior West and Interior North species.• Values for Brazilian cherry, purpleheart andThai/Burmese teak represent average values.

2023

2690

19251910

2890

18201725

163015001500

14501375

1078

1350132013001290126012601225

1010

1210

950870

690660

2473

2820

23452200

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

gDouglas firgPine, Southern yellow (loblolly/shortleaf)

Pine, Southern yellow (longleaf)Cherry, black

Walnut, American blackTeak, Thai/Burmese Oak, whitePine, heart (antique)IrokoBirchOak, Northern red BeechAsh, whiteOak, TasmanianCypress, AustralianMaple, hardSapeleMaple, BrazilianWengePadaukHickory/pecanJarrahMerbauGum, Sydney blueMahogany, santosMesquiteGum, spottedBubinga Cherry, Brazilian (jatoba)PurpleheartTeak, BrazilianWalnut, Brazilian

35403680

While Janka values give a general sense of hardness, many otherfactors also contribute to a wood floor’s durability, including the typeof cut (i.e. plainsawn, quartersawn), denseness of cell structure, andfinish used.



RELATIVE STABILITY OF SELECTEDWOOD FLOORING SPECIES

(Ranked by percentage of tangential shrinkage from green to ovendry moisture content)

The numbers in the chart reflect the percentage of tangentialshrinkage from green to ovendry moisture content for the vari-ous species. Tangential change values normally will reflectchanges in plainsawn wood. Quartersawn wood usually willbe more dimensionally stable than plainsawn.

These percentages are listed only as a means of comparisonof stability between the species. As these values representchange from green to ovendry, actual percentage change onjob sites will be drastically less.

Although some tropical woods such as Australian cypress,merbau and wenge appear in this chart to have excellent mois-ture stability compared to domestic oak, actual installations ofmany of these woods have demonstrated significant movementin use. To avoid problems later, extra care should be taken toinform potential users of these tendencies prior to purchase.

Several species listed in this book are not included in thechart. This data currently is not available for Tasmanian oak,Sydney blue gum and spotted gum. Due to its composited con-struction, cork is not included, and due to its engineered con-struction, bamboo is not included. Also, due to the manydifferent species and ages of the wood classified as antiqueheart pine, that wood is not listed.

• Source: Stability ratings taken from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Ser-vice, Forest Products Laboratory, Center for Wood Anatomy Research Web sitewww2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/techmenu.html• Douglas fir rating is an average of ratings for Coast, Interior West and InteriorNorth species.• Pine rating is an average of ratings for loblolly, longleaf, shortleaf and slashspecies.

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Cypress, AustralianMesquiteIrokoMerbauPadaukWengeTeak, Thai/BurmesePurpleheartMahogany, santosCherry, blackDouglas firSapelePine, Southern yellowTeak, Brazilian/cumaru Walnut, American blackAsh, whiteWalnut, Brazilian/ipéBubinga Cherry, Brazilian (jatoba)Oak, Northern redMaple, Brazilian/pau marfimHickory/pecanBirch (yellow)Maple, hardOak, whiteJarrahBeech 11.9

11.010.5

9.99.5

8.98.8

8.68.5

8.48.0

7.87.8

7.67.5

7.47.3

7.16.26.1

5.85.8

5.24.6

3.83.2

2.8

COLOR CHANGES IN WOOD FLOORINGWhether finished or unfinished, wood changes color over time due to oxidation and exposure to light. Some speciesdarken in color over time, while others lighten. There is no set value for “color fastness” of a species, so contractorsand their customers need to be aware of how much change they should expect from the species they choose. Cer-tain species, including American cherry, Brazilian cherry and many imported species, are especially notorious fortheir tendency to change in color. A demonstration of this change is shown below. The panels on the left for eachspecies show how the wood had aged since originally being sanded and finished for this publication in 1994. Thepanels on the right are the same panels as they appear now after being freshly sanded and finished in 2004. It isimportant to note that all panels shown on the following pages are shown freshly sanded and finished. Some colorchange is to be expected for all species, and a drastic change can be expected for some.

American cherry Brazilian cherry

Aged panel

Same panel freshly sanded Same panel freshly sanded

Aged panel

water-based finish

water-based finish

water-based finish

oil-based finish

oil-based finish

oil-based finish

oil-based finish

water-based finish



AppearanceCOLOR: Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwoodis creamy white. Similar in appearance to white oak,but frequently more yellow.GRAIN: Bold, straight, moderately open grain withoccasional wavy figuring. Can have strong contrastin grain in plainsawn boards.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES:Sometimes confused with hickory; the zone of largepores is more distinctive in ash, similar to that ofred oak.

PropertiesHARDNESS/JANKA: 1320 (2% harder than Northernred oak).DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (7.8; 9%more stable than Northern red oak).

WorkabilitySAWING/MACHINING: Good machining qualities.NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if the correct sandingsequence is followed.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 at a 7 to 15 degree angle to the grainSecond Cut: 60 or 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80 or 100Hard Plate: 100Screen: 80 or 100

FINISHING: May be difficult to stain.

OriginNorth America.

AvailabilityReadily available.

ASH, WHITEFraxinus americana

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood is mostly reddish brown; sap-wood is generally pale white. GRAIN: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniformtexture. Coarser than European beech. VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Onlyone species is native to the United States. Moderateto high color variation between boards.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 1300 (1% harder than Northern red oak). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Below average (11.9; 38%less stable than Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Difficult to work with handtools, but good machining qualities.NAILING: Has a tendency to split the tongues. SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if correct sandingsequence is followed.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 or 60 at a 7 to 15 degree angle to thegrainSecond Cut: 60 or 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80 or 100Hard Plate: Not recommendedFirst Screen: 80 or 100Second Screen: 120 or 150



AvailabilityModerately available.

BEECHFagus grandifolia

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: In yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis), sapwood iscreamy yellow or pale white; heartwood is light red-dish brown tinged with red. In sweet birch (B. lenta),sapwood is light colored and heartwood is dark browntinged with red. GRAIN: Medium figuring, straight, closed grain, eventexture. Occasional curly grain or wavy figure insome boards.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Yellowbirch, sweet birch, paper birch. Paper birch (B.papyrifera) is softer and lower in weight and strengththan yellow or sweet birch. However, yellow birch ismost commonly used for flooring. Boards can varygreatly in grain and color.

PropertiesSIDE HARDNESS/JANKA: Yellow: 1260 (2% softerthan Northern red oak). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (Yellow: 9.5; 10%less stable than Northern red oak).

Workability:SAWING/MACHINING: Difficult to work with handtools, but good machining qualities.NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if the correct sandingsequence is followed.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 at a 7 to 15 degree angle to the grainSecond Cut: 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 120Hard Plate: 100 or 120First Screen: 100Second Screen: 100




BIRCHBetula spp.

water-based finish

oil-based finish



AppearanceCOLOR: Heartwood is light to dark reddish brown,lustrous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a lightpinkish tone. Some flooring manufacturers steam lum-ber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sap-wood, resulting in a more uniform color. Color darkenssignificantly with age.GRAIN: Fine, frequently wavy, uniform texture. Dis-tinctive flake pattern on true quartersawn surfaces.Texture is satiny, with some gum pockets.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Signifi-cant color variation between boards.

PropertiesHARDNESS (JANKA): 950 (26% softer than Northernred oak).DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (7.1; 17%more stable than Northern red oak).

WorkabilitySAWING/MACHINING: Good machining qualities. NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if the correct sanding

sequence is followed.Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 60 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grainSecond Cut: 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 100Hard Plate: Not recommendedScreen: 80 or 100

FINISHING: No known problems.



CHERRY, BLACKPrunus serotina

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown.Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confusedwith that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color changeupon exposure to sunlight.GRAIN: Normally straight, with occasional wavy orspiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grainor riftsawn clear-grade material. VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Woodvaries greatly in weight and strength. Young trees ofmoderate to rapid growth have reddish heartwood andare called red fir. The narrow-ringed wood of old treesmay be yellowish-brown and is known as yellow fir.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 660 (49% softer than Northernred oak).DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (7.3; 15%more stable than Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Harder to work with handtools than the soft pines.

NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if the correct sandingsequence is followed.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 60 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grainSecond Cut: 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 100 or 120Hard Plate: Not recommendedScreen: 100 or 120

FINISHING: Some boards develop a slight pinkish tobright salmon color when finished with some products.Because of tendency toward color change, care mustbe taken to avoid oversanding when refinishing anexisting floor. May be difficult to stain.COMMENTS: Sometimes milled as vertical end-grainblock, which is significantly harder than plainsawn.



DOUGLAS FIRPseudotsuga menziesii

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with darkbrown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white withpinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish;sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines. GRAIN: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular.Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhatrough-textured.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: In bothhickory and pecan, there are often pronounced differ-entiations in color between spring wood and summerwood. In pecan, sapwood is usually graded higher thandarker heartwood. Pecan and hickory are traditionallymixed by flooring mills.

PropertiesHARDNESS (JANKA): 1820 (41% harder than Northernred oak). Pecan is slightly softer than true hickories.DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (8.9; 3% less stablethan Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Hickory’s density makes it dif-ficult to machine and work with hand tools.NAILING: Has a tendency to split the tongues. SANDING: Difficult to sand because of density, andbecause light color makes sander marks show morethan on darker woods.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 40 or 50 at a 7-15 degree angle with thegrainSecond Cut: 50 or 60 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80 or 100Hard Plate: 100Screen: 80 or 100




HICKORY/PECANCarya spp.

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddishbrown; sapwood is pale to creamy white.GRAIN: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuringand uniform texture. Occasionally shows quilted, fid-dleback, curly or bird’s-eye figuring. Figured boardsoften culled during grading and sold at a premium.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Blackmaple (B. nigrum) is also hard; other species are clas-sified as soft.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 1450 (12% harder than North-ern red oak). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (9.9; 15% less sta-ble than red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Density makes machiningdifficult. NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Extra care must be taken during sand-ing and finishing, as sanding marks and finish lines

are more obvious due to maple’s density and lightcolor. The species also burnishes, dulling fine paperand screens and making it difficult to cut out previ-ous scratches.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 at a 7 to 15 degree angle to the grainSecond Cut: 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 120Hard Plate: 100 or 120First Screen: 100Second Screen: 100

FINISHING: Takes neutral finish well. May be diffi-cult to stain.


AvailabilityEasily available. Figured grains have limited avail-ability.

MAPLE, SUGAR/HARDAcer saccharum

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Light brown to dark reddish brown. GRAIN: High in character, with ingrown bark andmineral streaks. Most commonly used in flooring asend-grain block, which has small irregular cracksradiating across the grain. VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Onegrade; moderate color variations.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 2345 (82% harder than Northern red oak).DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (3.2; 63% morestable than Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Very good machining qualities.NAILING: Splits tongues easily.SANDING: Plainsawn can be sanded to a smooth sur-face. End-grain requires a coarser abrasive to flatten; itis recommended that it be flattened by sanding at a45-degree angle to the grain.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 40 or 50 at a 7-15 degree angle with thegrainSecond Cut: 60 or 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80 or 100Hard Plate: 100First Screen: 80 or 100Second Screen: 120

FINISHING: No known problems.COMMENTS: End-grain block usage results in a hard,high-wear surface. Produces only shorter-lengthboards.


AvailabilityLimited availability.

MESQUITEProsopis glandulosa

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood and sapwood are similar, withsapwood lighter in color; most pieces have a reddishtone. Slightly redder than white oak.GRAIN: Open, slightly coarser (more porous) thanwhite oak. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flaredgrain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern,low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, some-times called tiger rays or butterflies.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: More than200 subspecies in North America; great variation incolor and grain, depending on the origin of the woodand differences in growing seasons. Northern, Southernand Appalachian red oak all can be divided into uplandand lowland species. Because they grow more slowly,upland species have a more uniform grain pattern thanlowland species, with more growth rings per inch.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): Northern: 1290 (benchmark).Southern: below average (1060; 18% softer thanNorthern red oak).DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Northern: average (8.6).Southern: below average (11.3; 31% less stable than

Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Above average in all machiningoperations.NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if the correct sandingsequence is followed.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grainSecond Cut: 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 100 Hard Plate: 100Screen: 100 or 120

FINISHING: Stains well and demonstrates strong staincontrast. Red oak generally works better than whiteoak for bleached floors because it is more porous, andbecause tannins in white oak can discolor the floor.


AvailabilityEasily available.

OAK, REDQuercus spp.

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood is light brown; some boards mayhave a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Sapwoodis white to cream. GRAIN: Open, with longer rays than red oak. Occa-sional crotches, swirls and burls. Plainsawn boardshave a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawnhas a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quarter-sawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tigerrays or butterflies.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Consid-erable variation among boards in color and grain tex-ture, but variations not as pronounced as in red oak.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 1210 (6% softer than Northern red oak). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (10.5; 22% less sta-ble than red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Excellent machining qualities.NAILING: No known problems.

SANDING: Sands satisfactorily if the correct sandingsequence is followed.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 or 60 at a 7-15 degree angle with thegrainSecond Cut: 60 or 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80 or 100Hard Plate: 100Screen: 80 or 100

FINISHING: During the finishing process, tannins atthe surface can react with some liquids to turn thewood green or brown. This effect tends to be morepronounced with products that have a high watercontent, such as wood bleach and water-based fin-ishes. Stains very well and accepts stain evenly.



OAK, WHITEQuercus spp.

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turnsdeep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown withinweeks due to high resin content. Sapwood remainsyellow, with occasional blue-black sap stain.GRAIN: Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn isswirled; rift- or quartersawn is primarily pinstriped.Curly or burl grain is rare.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Moderatecolor variation.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 1225 (5% softer than Northernred oak).DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Values can vary greatlydue to the variety of species and ages used.

WorkabilitySAWING/MACHINING: Good machining and hand-tooling qualities. NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Tendency to clog paper due to high resincontent. Abrasives will need to be changed fre-

quently during sanding. Beginning with a coarsegrade is recommended.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 40 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grainSecond Cut: 50 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80Hard Plate: Not recommendedScreen: 80

FINISHING: May be difficult to stain. To reduce thewood’s tendency to repel finish coats, surface resinsmay be removed with a 100 percent pure (not recy-cled) solvent that is compatible with the finish to beused (do not use water).

OriginNorth America. Often recovered from structural tim-bers in pre-1900 warehouses and factories, or assunken logs from river bottoms.

AvailabilityLimited.

PINE, ANTIQUE HEARTPinus spp.

water-based finish

oil-based finish



AppearanceCOLOR: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orangeto reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood islight tan to yellowish white.GRAIN: Closed, with high figuring; patterns rangefrom clear to knotty.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Longleafpine (P. palustris), shortleaf pine (P. echinata), loblollypine (P. taeda), slash pine (P. elliottii). All have many ofthe same characteristics as Douglas fir. Old-growthlumber in these varieties has substantially higher den-sity and is more stable than second-growth material.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): Loblolly and shortleaf 690,(47% softer than Northern red oak); longleaf 870 (33% softer than Northern red oak). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (7.5; 13%more stable than Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Good machining qualities.NAILING: No known problems.

SANDING: Resin in wood tends to clog abrasives; fre-quent sandpaper changes are required.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 50 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grainSecond Cut: 60 or 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 80 or 100Hard Plate: Not recommendedScreen: 80 or 100

FINISHING: May be difficult to stain. To reduce thewood’s tendency to repel finish coats, surface resinsmay be removed with a 100 percent pure (not recy-cled) solvent that is compatible with the finish to beused (do not use water).COMMENTS: Generally manufactured for flooringwith no end-match; sometimes flooring is “distressed”to create an antique look.



PINE, SOUTHERN YELLOWPinus spp.

water-based finish

oil-based finish



Appearance COLOR: Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich darkbrown to a purplish black. Sapwood is nearly white totan. Difference between heartwood and sapwood coloris great; some flooring manufacturers steam lumber tobleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood,resulting in a more uniform color.GRAIN: Mostly straight and open, but some boardshave burled or curly grain. Arrangement of pores issimilar to hickories and persimmon, but pores aresmaller in size.VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Greatvariety of color and figure within species, as well asvariation in color among boards, especially in lowergrades and from material that isn’t steamed prior tokiln-drying.

Properties HARDNESS (JANKA): 1010 (22% softer than Northernred oak). DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (7.8; 9% more sta-ble than Northern red oak).

Workability SAWING/MACHINING: Excellent machining qualities.NAILING: No known problems.SANDING: Sands satisfactorily.

Suggested SequenceFirst Cut: 60 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grainSecond Cut: 80 straight with the grainThird Cut: 100Hard Plate: Not recommendedFirst Screen: 80 or 100Second Screen: 100 or 120

FINISHING: No known finishing problems.COMMENTS: Frequently used as a highlight materialfor borders or other inlay techniques.



WALNUT, AMERICAN BLACKJuglans nigra

water-based finish

oil-based finish

Documents

R WOOD SPECIES - hardwood floor denver · 7 RELATIVE HARDNESS OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES 8 RELATIVE STABILITY OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES COLOR CHANGES IN WOOD FLOORING