Which Material is Perfect for Hard Wood Flooring

1818 Views 15 Replies 13 Participants Last post by emmaemily, May 22, 2017

emmaemily

Discussion Starter · May 17, 2017

Red Oak and Maple are my options for flooring which suits the best to give more rigid quality and durability. Any suggestions, please let me know.

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hawkeye10

· #2 · May 17, 2017

emmaemily said:
Red Oak and Maple are my options for flooring which suits the best to give more rigid quality and durability. Any suggestions, please let me know.

I would choose oak as it has more figure. I have oak in my house and some of it is more than 30 years old. The rest was installed during a remodel.

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Stick486

· #3 · May 17, 2017

Hickory will out last the oak...

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woodworker47

· #4 · May 17, 2017

I have oak floors which are over 50 years old.

Frank

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kp91

· #5 · May 17, 2017

red oak can dent, especially if you have guests who wear certain types of high heels in the dining room where you just installed it. (It was 20 years ago, but I am over it now...)

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emmaemily

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 17, 2017

kp91 said:
red oak can dent, especially if you have guests who wear certain types of high heels in the dining room where you just installed it. (It was 20 years ago, but I am over it now...)

Thanks for the information. It helps a lot.

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I agree with Stick on the Hickory. Good durability and aesthetics.

Maple is a good choice, also, but can lack that "popping" appearance (think basketball court or bowling alley lane bland appearance).

Although, Oak has and still is a good choice it has some problems (like denting from high heels).

Modern finishes and top coats have come a long way in the past several years. Many of the past problems have been minimized or eliminated. However, nothing is perfect.

Ask yourself the questions; how long do I want it too last before I have to refurbish the finish, what effect am I looking for, and how much maintenance am I willing to do on a regular basis? The choice all boils down to you!

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chuckgray

· #8 · May 17, 2017

I replaced the white oak in our bedroom with cherry and I really like the red color that it has aged to. However, I don't think it's quite as durable as the oak. We have a chair that is leaving small dents in the floor where the legs touch, but it's not really noticeable unless you're looking for it.

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DaninVan

· #9 · May 17, 2017

Tap Dancing

kp91 said:
red oak can dent, especially if you have guests who wear certain types of high heels in the dining room where you just installed it. (It was 20 years ago, but I am over it now...)

:0... apparently not!

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Tonto1

· #10 · May 17, 2017

I have Red Oak in mine, been installed about 15 years now. Raised 2 daughters on it & have never had to refinish anything yet. It still looks great.

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gailenjensen

· #11 · May 17, 2017

We were wanting to replace out cold tile with wood but after reviewing some of the pros and cons about the denting, the clip/clop, and the longevity of real wood in a kitchen or bathroom, we installed luxury vinyl plank. The product we used is Mannington, Adura Max, Dockside Sand. It has the look of wood, even some of the texture, and it's waterproof.

See less See more

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JOAT

· #12 · May 17, 2017

Or, you could just have everyone take their shoes off at the door. But personally, I'd probably go for oak.

The medical center when I went to get my legs treated has floors of recycled tobacco barns. There was some light wood, and some stained by the tobacco, laid out in curved patterns. No clue as to what type of wood, but there is a LOT of traffic on it, including daily walkers, and the floors look wonderful.

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Nickp

· #13 · May 17, 2017

kp91 said:
red oak can dent, especially if you have guests who wear certain types of high heels in the dining room where you just installed it. (It was 20 years ago, but I am over it now...)

Hang a well-used Cat 'o Nine Tails near the offending dents...boom...message sent...

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schnewj

· #14 · May 17, 2017

Nickp said:

Hang a well-used Cat 'o Nine Tails near the offending dents...boom...message sent...

Click to expand...

Careful there, buddy! Your proclivities are starting to show. What have we discussed about airing these feeling in public? >

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CharleyL

· #15 · May 18, 2017

Kempas has a reddish brown color and is extremely hard, but it only grows in Malaysia. I have a Kempas floor in my main hallway that I installed 12 years ago (6'6" X 54'). It gets a lot of traffic and still looks new. I wanted to do the dining and living rooms with it a few years later, but could no longer find a source for it.

Charley

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emmaemily

Discussion Starter · #16 · May 22, 2017

schnewj said:
I agree with Stick on the Hickory. Good durability and aesthetics.

Maple is a good choice, also, but can lack that "popping" appearance (think basketball court or bowling alley lane bland appearance).

Although, Oak has and still is a good choice it has some problems (like denting from high heels).

Modern finishes and top coats have come a long way in the past several years. Many of the past problems have been minimized or eliminated. However, nothing is perfect.

Ask yourself the questions; how long do I want it too last before I have to refurbish the finish, what effect am I looking for, and how much maintenance am I willing to do on a regular basis? The choice all boils down to you!

Those were really good questions mate, thinking of them can ourselves make a good decision.

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Which Material is Perfect for Hard Wood Flooring

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