So, when looking for the most durable hardwood floors, you should primarily look at wood from species like Brazilian Cherry, Hickory, Brazilian Walnut, Hard Maple, White Oak, Bamboo, Santos Mahogany, Red Oak, Australian Cypress, and Tigerwood.
The hardest wood used for flooring is Ipe, also known as Lapacho, but it is very rare and expensive. The hardest wood commonly used for flooring is Hickory, which has a rating of 1820 on the Janka wood hardness chart.
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. You can also select from walnut and red oak, two other durable types of hardwood flooring.
Moisture-cured urethane is one of the toughest finishes available for wood floors. Originally designed for bowling alleys, this finish is known for its extreme durability and high-gloss appearance.
As the indisputable king of durable wooden flooring, the Brazilian walnut tree, also known as ipê, reigns supreme as an excellent option for homeowners prioritising durability.
Prime grade hardwood flooring is free from any visible knots, mineral streaks, and color variations, giving it a clean, uniform look. There will also be a minimal amount of sapwood defects and filler, if any at all.
Tiles - Bathroom, Kitchen, Hallways
Ceramic and porcelain tiles will also stand the test of time, as a long lasting and hard wearing flooring option. With styles and finishes to suit most budgets, they are also great for rooms with underfloor heating.
Antique heart pine and American cherry are the most stable with respect to seasonal movement. Oak, walnut, and ash are average, but hickory and beech are the most unstable of domestic hardwood species. Don't allow wood flooring stability to affect your specie selection though, the differences are minor.
Oil-based polyurethane finishes are extremely durable and great for households with pets and/or heavy foot traffic.
Wider boards are usually used for flooring because they better reflect the design and patterns of the wood. Although hickory wood is harder than many other kinds of wood, a major drawback is that it is very prone to swelling.
As you can see in the accompanying graph, rock maple is the hardest of these four hardwoods - about 15% harder than red oak, which ranks second. Black walnut ranks third in hardness - about 20% below red oak. Cherry is another 5% or so softer than walnut.
While no hardwood floor can be completely resistant to scratches, certain choices in a hardwood flooring's composition and appearance can result in everyday wear and tear creating fewer blemishes.
Oak flooring: which is tougher? Hickory wins this category easily as it's one of the strongest domestic hardwoods available. It has an 1820 rating on the Janka Hardness scale which measures a hardwood's density. White Oak has a 1360 rating which makes them both denser than woods like Cherry, Walnut and Pine.
The best hardwood flooring depends on your needs and preferences. If you're looking for durability, Hickory, Hard Maple, and White Oak are top choices. Hickory is known for its scratch resistance and is one of the hardest domestic woods. Hard Maple is also very durable and has a fine, even grain.
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.
Wooden flooring is a type of flooring that never goes out of style. After all, the planks bring nature's beauty to the inside of your home. That being said, thousands of wood species can be used to create hardwood floors.
Aluminum oxide offers the absolute best protection and durability for hardwood floors, making it the best choice out there for heavily trafficked areas. It's quite low maintenance and available as a low-gloss or high-shine finish, depending on one's preference.
For a truly timeless hardwood floor, consider choosing an engineered hardwood option. Engineered planks are a top choice for those who want the beauty of hardwoods with long-lasting features like water resistance and dent resistance.
Ipe or Brazilian walnut is top-notch if you want the hardest and most durable flooring on the market. It boasts a Janka rating of 3,680, making it extremely hard to dent. Aside from its extreme hardness, it's good for a few other reasons as well. One reason is that it's available in many colors.
In conclusion, hybrid herringbone, NSW spotted gum, and 7mm hybrid floorboards are set to be the top trends in flooring for 2024. These options not only provide home style but also offer unique blends of modernity, elegance, practicality, and durability.
“Tile is the highest-rated flooring among the categories we test,” says Enrique de Paz, who leads flooring testing at Consumer Reports. “It doesn't wear out, scratch, or stain. Its color doesn't fade, it's waterproof, and it is surprisingly slip-resistant, even when wet.
The best hardwood floors are made with wood species that are readily available and — you guessed it — very hard. Oak flooring, maple flooring and cherry flooring are all good choices. Other species include bamboo (which is actually a grass), walnut, ash and mahogany.
Pine is a softwood and usually the cheapest flooring option. Then there is bamboo, followed by maple, hickory, red oak, white oak, cypress, and white ash. The most expensive hardwood flooring includes African blackwood, Brazilian cherry, zebrawoods, ebony, mahogany, and Brazilian walnut.
Typically, solid hardwood flooring is between 5/16 and ¾ inches thick. Those are pretty standard thicknesses that serve most needs. Engineered hardwood can come in different thicknesses but generally, it's about the same offerings as solid hardwood.