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Discussion Forum

Wood flooring choice

BobRat | Posted in General Discussion on February 25, 2009 04:24am

I just had a attached garage converted to living space – size 24’x10′. In addition the old thin width oak floor on the rest of the first floor will be stripped and replaced

I have to choose flooring in the next couple of days. The builder is offering full thickness 3/4″ solid wood with 5 coat baked on powder coat.

I am planning on choosing unstained natural color wood.

The interior decorator suggested maple which matched the general style of furnishings. She said to go for second grade, that had more color and imperfections than #1

The builder said not a good idea as #2 had too many short lengths.

The guy doing the work agreed but also said that maple was too soft and will dent more easily than red oak. He suggests red oak or Brazilian cherry. Is maple that soft compared to oak?

The sample piece of cherry is too dark, not like the Canadian cherry I used years ago to build custom furniture.

The red oak is ok, but a bit too standard – I see too much oak and wanted something different – but the budget does not allow for anything too fancy

Edited 2/24/2009 8:25 pm ET by BobRat


Edited 2/24/2009 8:26 pm ET by BobRat

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  1. mguizzo | Feb 25, 2009 07:18am | #1

    Maple is harder than oak. 

     

     

    What we gain in grip, we lose in touch.  R. Kipling

     

  2. frenchy | Feb 25, 2009 11:26am | #2

    Maple is harder than red oak. 

      Harder than white oak as well. 

     As for #2

    It's personal preferance.. #1's tend to look too much like a gym floor to me.. #2's have much more character and I love character..

      You might go cheap on the wood and then have a border incorporated or do something else fancy.. You could use maple and then border it with a contrasting wood.. if your budget is tight use another basic wood such as ash or oak etc..

       if you have a few dollars go for real contrast, black walnut, or padduck, bloodwood, or purple heart etc..

  3. Piffin | Feb 25, 2009 03:16pm | #3

    Go with what looks good to you.

    There is hard maple and soft maple, but maple flooring i have used is always harder than most other flooring. just two weeks ago a customer told me he did not want Maple because it is too hard! so now I'm all confused to hear somebody say it is too soft.....LOL

     

     

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  4. MGMaxwell | Feb 25, 2009 05:35pm | #4

    Might be harder to find, but consider hickory. LOTS character and hard enough and unique when compared to oak. Also, generally has a blond background that would be "maple like."

    1. BobRat | Feb 26, 2009 07:02pm | #5

      Yes good - I just looked at it and I think that is what I would really like, However the increased cost just wont let it happen. Project already went over budget by another $5000 last week.

  5. YesMaam27577 | Feb 26, 2009 07:29pm | #6

    Soft maple is softer than hard maple or white oak.

    Soft maple and red oak are probably not good choices for flooring -- both are too soft.

    The Brzilian cherry that I've worked with was just as soft as soft maple. But Brazilian "anything" is going to be a shot in the dark. The decorators, designers, and flooring-sellers have gotten into the habit of calling almost anything Brazilian What-Not. The species seems to depend mostly on what is being clearcut in the rainforest this week.

    And here's the really bad news. The flooring industry (Cabinet industry too) almost never tells the final customer what species of wood they are buying. I've seen knotty red oak being sold as "Select White Oak Flooring", and birch being sold as "Maple".'

    Although irrelevant to your decision, my choice would be white oak.

    Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
  6. wooderson | Feb 27, 2009 02:38am | #7

    Another vote for hickory, but I would go with unfinished and then just finish the whole floor after. Unfinished hardwood floor is better looking IMO because there is no bevels between the boards and when it is installed tight and finished properly it is completely smooth, which looks great and is easier to clean.

    I just bought 1200 sf of 4 inch rustic grade hickory and it is beautiful. I am just waiting a couple of weeks for it to acclimate. I cant wait to put it down.

  7. billybatts | Feb 27, 2009 07:36am | #8

    Ash

    1. frenchy | Feb 27, 2009 05:05pm | #9

      Amen to ash!

       

       it's hard, durable, cheap, and very stable.

      1. BobRat | Mar 01, 2009 07:51pm | #10

        Resolved#1 The project was being done fixed price and the contractor had only agreed to put in solid hardwood wide flooring - not exotic wood but the wood species was unspecified. I think he was pushing for oak because he would make more profit than on maple. He could not really refuse maple, since he never said it had to be oak. He refused hickory as being substantislly more expensive.#2 In the end he managed to find Canadisn Quebec Maple that is not totally cleat and uniform, but had some color and variations. I'm happy with the way it looks (though Hickory wouel have been nicer), its being installed as I type. [Ash would have been nice also]#3 I need 2 or 3 steps going down to the floor - they are going to be built on site. He still insists that they should not be maple as step edges on maple will wear out too fast and is suggesting white oak. In this case its not cost, as I have planks of 4/4 Maple in my shed that I can give him.

        1. frenchy | Mar 01, 2009 09:33pm | #11

          Since maple is harder than white oak (plus more dense)  it should wear slower..  steps included..

           However from a safety standpoint the transition might prove to be a visual clue as to where the edge of the step is.. (sometimes peole with poor vision appreciate such things)..

           

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