Ipe is one of the most sought after tradewoods in the industry. For one, it possesses one of the highest Janka hardness rating. It doesn’t just boast exceptional hardness but it is also very structurally sound. Its resistance to moisture as well as insects and other pests. Its Janka rating is 3680 and is virtually the hardest tradewood available. It has a Grade A fire rating, which is the same grade applied to cement and concrete. Extremely difficult to damage, it’s the perfect choice for households that need a very durable hardwood flooring. Because of the wood’s hardness, it’s very difficult to shape and form into Ipe Hardwood Floors. It has a tendency to dull bladed tools and with such a fierce resistance to being nailed, it requires the pre-drilling of holes in order to properly set nails.
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Maple is one of the most diverse types of trees in the entire world and as such it has a great deal of uses. It excels as maple hardwood floors because of how durable it is. It has a high crushing strength and when combined with its stiff and durable composition it is truly formidable. Shock resistance as well as resistance to scuffs and scrapes makes Maple a popular choice for flooring in high stress areas. And naturally, all of these features make Maple a wood that can be difficult to work with. While the wood does sand well, the machining process can place unsightly scratches and imperfections on the surface of the wood. So extra care must be taken. Maple has a respectable level of hardness with a Janka rating at 1450. Maple’s sapwood produces creamy white flooring that will carry into lighter ranges of the heartwood. Mixing the cream white of the sapwood with the darker reddish brown of the heartwood has an advantageous appearance.
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Hickory is often referred to as the “first” hardwood choice of the United States. It’s well known for its unique and rustic qualities. With a Janka Hardness rating of 1820 it is a very hard wood–considerably harder than most commercialized woods. For instance, it is approximately 50% more durable than Northern Red Oak. It also compares favorably to other hardwood like hard maple and purpleheart. Because of this hardness Hickory Hardwood Floors can sometimes be hard to work with. Sawing and nailing can be difficult–while using screws can prove to be more advantageous. Gluing is also a viable option. Once hickory flooring is installed they stain well but it will require some work to achieve a smooth finish. Hickory hardwood floors appeal stems from its dark streaks which will range in thickness. These streaks are naturally organized onto lither, sometimes cream-colored tone.
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As one of the leaders of the online flooring industry, FloorMall has always been focused on creating better ways for customers to find the right flooring. And this is why they developed “The Floor Navigator”. The navigator is an unique interface which allows visitors to choose from a series of drop-down lists. Each drop down list has several attributes to select from. Visitors can browse from these attributes and find the floors they’re the most likely to buy by its function. It’s a more efficient way of browsing than just by brand and collection, though customers are free to search that way as well. And since FloorMall.com showcases over a thousand products, the Floor Navigator is a way for customers to get the most out of their time during their visit. Whether they’re searching for hardwood flooring, laminate flooring or bamboo from Johnson Flooring they’ll be able to find it quickly by utilizing the Flooring Navigator.
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It’s true that nothing quite revitalizes a room and adds value to a home like a new set of engineered hardwood flooring. That’s why it’s important to carefully research and consider all of the factors and choices that goes into the purchase of engineered flooring. At the forefront of all considerations should be who you’re purchasing the flooring from. This impacts everything from the quality of the flooring, to its price, its Janka rating and the level of customer service that accompanies your purchase. You can find the best of all these things at FloorMall. FloorMall is an authorized flooring retailer with a huge selection of engineered flooring options at prices that won’t break your budget.
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Bamboo is a woody plant that has become very popular for use in hardwood flooring for several reasons. It is the fastest growing woody plant in the world and is actually considered a grass. At its optimal height it can grow over 24 inches in a single day. Bamboo’s growth rate is one of the main reasons for the plant’s popularity in flooring. A single bamboo plant can reach maturity in only four to seven years. This makes it easy to quickly produce and profit off of bamboo plantations. This growth rate is the reason why bamboo is considered a renewable resource and green flooring. But what’s the difference between regular bamboo flooring and strand-woven bamboo? The answer lies in the way the two types are engineered. (more…)

Because of the heightened popularity of hardwood flooring there are now more options available to the average homeowner than ever before.  These options will end up suiting different households depending upon the needs of each homeowner.  In this post, we’ll go over some types of hardwood flooring that’ll be extra durable and resilient.  This will be perfect for homes that have children or just see an elevated amount of foot traffic.  A good choice for flooring is of course just natural hardwood flooring.  There are many options available with this type of flooring as well.  There are many types of trees– exotic, domestic and otherwise and each one has different properties.  When trying to decide on what types of hardwood flooring to get it is important to be familiar with the Janka hardness scale.  Since we’re going over trade woods that would be a fine fit for a house that sees more foot traffic than normal we will deal with hardwoods that lie towards the top of the scale.  These would be woods such as Brazilian Walnut and Wenge. (more…)

Flooring made from a wood with a high Janka rating is attractive due to its durability and sometimes exotic colors. It is a good idea to know the hardness of the wood you’re going to be installing in the home because the species differ greatly as you move up and down the Janka hardness scale. (more…)

Courtesy of FloorMall.com, we’ve integrated a real-time rendering of the Janka Hardness Scale Graph.

View the Janka Hardness Scale.

We have all heard of ’hard floors’ when it comes to interior decoration and furnishing, but what actually embodies this so-called hardwood flooring?

Wel, the term hardwood is used to describe wood from broad-leaved angiosperm trees, mostly deciduous, but not necessarily, as in the case of tropical trees. Hardwood contrasts with softwood in that softwoods come from conifer trees. Hardwood species are more varied than softwood. There are about a hundred times as many hardwood species as softwoods.

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