African Rosewood / Bubinga
Hardness: 8.5 Stability: Average
African Rosewood is a very uniform wood in color and graining. A pinkish rose color when freshly milled, Bubinga as it is otherwise known, turns to a rich burgundy when fully aged. Known for its tight ribbon grain, it also exhibits a flame figuring, which truly turns this flooring into a piece of furniture
Bloodwood
Hardness: 8.5 Stability: Good
As the name suggests Bloodwood is deep rich blood red color with a subtle grain pattern. This vibrant wood is another of natures gems, it is very hard and durable with solid stability characteristics. With such a vivid color, a bloodwood floor is a bold statement that will define any house.
Brazilian Walnut / Ipe
Hardness: 10 Stability: Average/Poor
Brazilian Walnut is also known as Ipe or Ironwood. Often used for exterior decking because of its hardness and resilience to moisture, Brazilian Walnut makes an incredibly durable wood floor. Brazilian Walnut is about as hard as wood gets, so it really will take pretty much all you can throw at it. When first milled it tends to have many colors, from mid brown to yellow and even a hint of green. All of these quickly mute down, and after time will reach a rich mid brown.
Brazillian Cherry
Hardness: 10 Stability: Average/Poor
One of more popular exotic woods being used for wood flooring. Reddish brown with some yellow, Brazilian cherry is a color variant wood. So expect a lot of different colors in your floor. The variation however is what makes it a very pretty floor when clear finished. Brazilian cherry is also a very, very hard wood, unfortunately it isn’t the most stable wood, so more attention must be paid to acclimation or you must expect more than average seasonal board separation.
Brazilian Teak / Cumaru
Hardness: 10 Stability: Average
Another South American wood which is very hard, Brazilian Teak is almost 3 times as hard as oak. This wood bears an uncanny resemblance to that of ‘true’ or Burmese Teak at a fraction of the cost. A rich reddish brown with highlights of gold, this very fine grained wood is a real up and comer in the flooring world.
Hickory
Hardness: 7.8 Stability: Average
If you are looking for a really hard wood, look no further than Hickory. The hardest of the domestic flooring woods, harder even than oaks, Hickory is an extremely durable floor that is also very pretty to look at. It is basically a light colored wood that has dark and light streaks running through it, so don’t expect it to be all one color. Actually the color variance is what gives Hickory its unique look. Not a wood that takes stain very well, but why stain it? For a farmhouse or cabin look Hickory is a must see.
Naturals & Country Cuts
Hardness: Various Stability: Various
Naturals, like rustics, are a character grade containing the same kind of blemishes. The only difference is these cuts will just have less of these natural growing marks. Natural Ash for example has no knots like Rustic Ash, but will contain a higher degree of color variation than White Ash. For many people this grade is more attractive than a clear grade, but of course the price is generally that much less. For specific information on these grades please check with a sales person.
Quarter Sawn
Hardness: Various Stability: Very Good
Many woods are available Quarter Sawn, like Oak, Ash, Cherry and more. The logs are cut in a totally different way, parallel to the rays radiating like the spokes of a wheel from the center of the tree. The grain pattern achieved is very attractive and when used to make flooring it can all but remove the problem of board shrinkage and expansion. The only draw back is that this method is much more wasteful, therefore more expensive.
Rustics
Hardness: Various Stability: Various
The Rustic versions of these woods simply contain knots, open knots, checks, cracks, and natural growing marks. All other characteristics are identical. For some this is exactly what they are looking for, the so-called blemishes are as nature intended and only serve to enhance the style of the floor. The prices are also very attractive. Rustics can produce a floor of unique quality and unrivaled character, and for some the rougher the better.
Santos Mahogany
Hardness: 9.5 Stability: Very Good
Possibly the finest flooring wood available on the market today. It is without doubt one of the hardest woods used for hardwood flooring. It’s certainly one of the most stable. It is very even colored, stains well and finishes well. It’s rich red brown with yellow highlights are absolutely stunning to look at, and although not the cheapest flooring material it is by no means the most expensive. Put simply, a truly great hardwood floor.
