Maple is among the harder wood species, with a 1450 rating on the Janka wood hardness chart. As one of the densest wood species, Maple is ideal for high-traffic areas. Oak is slightly less hard – White Oak has a 1360 rating and Red Oak a 1290 rating.
Which is a harder wood, maple or oak? In terms of hardness ratings, maple ranks higher than oak which makes it more scratch-resistant. Maple is ideal for high traffic areas like floors and cabinetry. That being said, both are excellent choices for different purposes due to their unique characteristics.
Sensitive to Humidity and Heat –
Like most hardwood varieties, maple is sensitive to extreme humidity and temperature changes. If summer humidity is an issue in your home, this wood isn't suitable as it can expand and contract, warp and split.
While Maple is a very hard wood, it is not completely resistant to scratches. The light colour of Maple can make scratches and dents more noticeable, especially in high-traffic areas or homes with pets and children.
Because of its consistency, maple also does not absorb stain as well as oak. Physical Characteristics: The light, natural finish makes hard maple a leading choice for contemporary spaces when it comes to furniture and hardwood flooring.
Both types of wood are extremely durable, easy to maintain, and cost about the same. However, maple is slightly more expensive, more susceptible to scratches and dents, and may not take dark stains well. Oak, on the other hand, has a lower resale value and a rough texture some homeowners may not like.
Maple is hard and dense, so the relatively large pigment particles can not penetrate the wood very well. They even highlight the sanding scratches.
The cons of maple flooring
Discolours over time – As with any solid wood, with constant exposure to light it will yellow over time.
Oak wood is not as easy to polish as fine-grain wood. It is also very heavy so it is very difficult to make a contemporary piece of furniture. Oak wood is also very difficult to cut and prone to cracking if not handled properly. If the oak wood is not completely cleaned, the furniture may shrink and turn into cracks.
Generally, some hardwoods are more resilient than others. Species like Ipe, Bamboo, Hickory, and Oak are incredibly robust and make excellent choices for flooring. In contrast, Ash, Beech, and Cherry are less resistant and more prone to scratching and denting.
So let's take a look at maple wood. The good news is that not only is maple more affordable than many other hardwoods, it's also a great option in terms of being eco-friendly.
Diseases occur on maples in the landscape as well as those growing in natural woodlots and forests. Anthracnose, fungal leaf spots (including tar spot), powdery mildew, and Verticillium wilt are diseases that are usually encountered every year whereas leaf scorch is an occasional problem.
The best water resistant wood types & species. Iroko, Oak, Western Red Cedar, Cherry, Maple and heat-treated woods are just a few examples of timber that boast excellent dimensional stability and high resistance to shrinking and warping in the face of moisture.
Maple is among the harder wood species, with a 1450 rating on the Janka wood hardness chart. As one of the densest wood species, Maple is ideal for high-traffic areas. Oak is slightly less hard – White Oak has a 1360 rating and Red Oak a 1290 rating.
Brazilian Cherry is another durable exotic species with a 2350 rating. Among domestic hardwood species, hickory tops the charts with an 1820 rating. Maple and white oak follow at 1450 and 1360. Not surprisingly, Dogwood uses hickory and white oak for the majority of its offering.
Sugar maple, 24 BTUs per cord. White oak, 24 BTUs per cord. White ash, 23.6 BTUs per cord. Yellow birch, 21.8 BTUs per cord.
Ash is a great alternative to white oak in nearly every application. Elm, similar to Ash, takes beautifully to colour thanks to its natural neutral tone.
Cons – Because of its ability to mimic pricier woods, it puts maple trees at risk from deforestation. Maple does not have much grain variation so some people think it is not a very interesting wood. Pros – It's a strong and stable wood that allows for intricate and complex carvings. The color and shading is beautiful.
In short, the aging of wood, unlike that of cheese, does not make it better. Nor does it improve its strength. It is still possible that old wood joists may in fact be significantly stronger than they were on the day they were installed, because wood does gain strength as it dries.
I recommend an acrylic finish, and you can go two routes: This has both the advantage of being colorless when dry and, due to the coalescing nature of the way it forms a film, of keeping the finish resin on the surface of the wood.
Light-colored wood, such as maple, will naturally darken due to exposure to UV light and oxygen. As the years pass, even a white maple piece will develop a honey-gold patina.
Maple Chosen for its lighter color, the yellow birch was almost a perfect look-alike for sugar maple even before staining with a highly diluted Dark Golden Oak aniline dye and finishing with lacquer.