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Types of Hardwood Flooring
At Florida Hardwood Flooring, LLC, of Tampa, we carry all species and brands of both exotic and domestic hardwood flooring including Brazilian Cherry, American Cherry, Brazilian Walnut, American Walnut, Maple, White Oak, Red Oak, and Hickory. Our hardwood flooring company focuses exclusively on installing, refinishing and repairing hardwood flooring throughout the greater Tampa Bay area.
Call to schedule an in-home estimate. We will bring our mobile showroom to your home in Tampa, Hillsborough County, or the surrounding areas throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. From the mobile showroom, you can compare the different types of hardwood flooring options. Owner, Richard Porupski, III, has more than 15 years experience in the business. His company handles residential and commercial projects. Richard oversees each job from the beginning to the end.
Call us to find out more about specialty work like medallions, inlays, staircases and custom boarders. Our staff will work hard to make sure that your project is completed with the highest quality of craftsmanship.
When choosing the hardwood flooring for your home a number of factors should be considered. Species, grade, cut, finish, color, layout, pattern, dimensions, and installation method are all very important to achieving the right look. Our specialists will go over all of the options with you to make sure the perfect wood is selected before the job begins.
When selecting your flooring you have a large variety of different species of wood from which to choose. Each different species of wood has a different color, density, and grain. The Janka Hardness scale is the industry standard for measuring the strength and density of different kinds of wood. This scale measures the force necessary to embed a .444-inch steel ball into half its diameter into the wood. The higher the Janka Hardness, the denser the wood.
All species of wood have two main color components, the heartwood and the sapwood. The heartwood is the dead wood in the center of the tree and the sapwood is the live wood surrounding the heartwood. Both the heartwood and sapwood are used to make wood flooring giving the wood beautiful contrasting colors.
Pre-finished vs. Unfinished Hardwood Flooring
The finish is the most important aspect of your hardwood flooring project because it determines how the final product will look. Pre-finished wood flooring has the finish applied to it during manufacturing and does not require a finish application after installation. Unfinished floors do not have a finish applied to them until after the installation is complete.
As the manufacturing process has improved dramatically over the last several years, pre-finished floors have become more popular, easier to install, and less expensive.
At Florida Hardwood Flooring of Tampa, we carry all species and brands of both domestic and exotic hardwood flooring. Some species commonly used in hardwood floors include Red Oak, White Oak, Maple, Hickory, American Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, American Walnut, and Brazilian Walnut. Let us show you all of the factors that go into choosing the right type of hardwood flooring for your residential or commercial project.
Red Oak
The most common species used in hardwood flooring. The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture and makes a strong durable floor. The heartwood is a pinkish reddish brown and the sapwood is white to light brown. Janka Hardnesss – 1260.
Maple
Because of its strength and dent resistance, it is commonly used in bowling alleys and basketball courts. It has a closed, subdued grain, with a uniform texture. The heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown and the sapwood is pale to creamy white. It has a good natural finish. Janka Hardness – 1450.
American Cherry
Has the ability to naturally darken with age. It has a straight grain and fine, frequently wavy texture. The heartwood is reddish-brown to deep red and the sapwood is white to light pink. Commonly used for accents and borders. Janka Hardness – 950.
American Walnut
it has a deep rich, elegant look with dark streaks. The heartwood is a dark chocolate brown to purplish black and the sapwood is nearly white to a light chocolate brown. It has an open, straight grain with some wavy patterns. Commonly used in furniture and border work and is especially good for commercial applications. Janka Hardness - 1010.
White Oak
Slightly denser than red oak, it is known for its uniform straight grain, which is a tighter, less pronounced grain than red oak. The grain is open and has longer rays than red oak. The heartwood is light brown and the sapwood is white to light cream. Tannic acid in the wood protects it from fungi and insects. Janka Hardness 1360.
Hickory
Known for its contrasting dark streaks over a white to light brown color, it is a hard durable wood. The heartwood is tan or reddish and the sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines. It is commonly mixed with Pecan wood during manufacturing. It has a closed, rough textured grain. Hickory floors can give the look of country charm throughout the home. Janka Hardness – 1450.
Brazilian Cherry
Also known as Jatoba, it is very hard and moisture resistant. Good for entry ways, hallways, kitchens, and bathrooms. It has the ability to naturally darken over time; exposure to sunlight will speed up this process. The heartwood is a light pink to reddish brown and the sapwood is white to a light golden. It has an interlocking grain with uniform texture. Janka Hardness - 2760.
Brazilian Walnut
Also known as Ipe, it has a deep, rich appearance with contrasting dark colors. It has a fine grain that is straight and uniform but also sometimes very irregular. The heartwood is a very dark blackish brown and the sapwood is a light yellowish tan. it is the hardest species of wood that is commonly used in hardwood flooring. Very durable and resistant to wood boring insects and fungi. Janka Hardness - 3684.
Give Florida Hardwood Flooring, LLC, of Tampa a call for a free in-home estimate throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. We take great pride in each project. Let us come to your home and help you select the best type of hardwood flooring for your project.
We install, refinish and repair hardwood flooring for all residential and commercial projects in the greater Tampa Bay area including Tampa in Hillsborough County, St. Petersburg and Clearwater in Pinellas County, New Port Richey and Dade City in Pasco County, Bartow and Lakeland in Polk County, Brooksville in Hernando County, and Bradenton in Manatee County, Florida.
Call us today to discuss your installation, repair, or refinishing project.
This article was last updated on Friday, February 17, 2017.