[whatitis]

I've read quite a bit about different hardness of different floors, but not much on explain what is suitable. We're a young family with young kids, and no pets. I don't expect any especially intense usage, but want to be safe as we know 1290 is the benchmark.
We're drawn to Natural Cherry (950) and Teak (1150) from an esthetic viewpoint. Are these ratings acceptable for "normal" use or will they inevitably get damaged?
Please advise and if you have suggestion of other similar woods please let me know.
thanks

 

[deman480]

floor hardness

To hopefully help your situation I will suggest staying away from cherry,it swells and stains easy.I have 1200sqft of it and if I could afford I would rip it all out. Looks nice,yes, but does not stand up. We had ours redone this year and with kids and dog it looked 10 years old 2 months later(which some of it could be the finish).I personally have installed cherry,birch and bamboo in other homes and loved the bamboo the best, plus easier on the budget.(be sure to use 18 gauge, not 16 gauge nails if using bamboo). The birch looked great too and I would do it for myself in the future,looks modern and tougher than cherry. By the sounds of it you researched about Janka ratings and know what it's about so it really is a personal choice.But as far as your 1290 ideal rating,birch or natural bamboo fits the bill,Carbonized/steamed bamboo is a little softer. Happy hunting.

 

[cbeingessner]

bamboo hardness

I put in 800 sq. feet of natural bamboo -- easy to install, and nice looking. It supposedly has a hardness rating of 1550, but I find it very soft. There are nicks here and there, and we've had it in for just 6 months. That said, it is a wood floor, and dents are normal! However, some advice -- buy the best quality floor you can afford. You can find $3.00 birch, but the finish won't last. The wood can be as hard as cement, but if the finish is cheap, it will scratch nonetheless. I would look at a composite bamboo as opposed to the vertical or horizontal (how the bamboo is lain) - to do it again, I would have paid the extra $1.00 a square foot. Oh, and stay away from Home Depot! Their bamboo is shoddy -- look at the ends of the boards and you'll see gaps and inconsistencies in the wood. Cheap. And soft. Hope this helps!

Chris

 

[Wood Floor Guy]

Janka Hardness

Good answers by all! Amercian Cherry is very soft, and it will dent very easily, not to mention darken significantly with age. Bamboo is inconsistent...some runs are relatively dense, some aren't. Anything in the 1200-1300 range and above is pretty good, hardness isn't the only factor.

Maple is pretty hard, but the wood is so "grainless" that it shows every ding/dent. Most exotics are great.

Have you considered using a prefinsihed , handscraped oak? If you like the look, that's about the best floor to both resist and to hide dents/damage.

Hope the info helps!

Wood Floor Guy:laughing:

 

[Floorwizard]

I put in 800 sq. feet of natural bamboo -- easy to install, and nice looking. It supposedly has a hardness rating of 1550,

Bamboo as a whole does not have a hardness rating. There are different Bamboo's available.
that's like saying Hardwood has a hardness rating of 1250.
Moso Bamboo is a good choice for high hardness.

Brazillian cherry will get you a good hardness 3 times more effective than Oak.
but it will still dent and scratch.

 

[cbeingessner]

The rating I got was from the bamboo company themselves - Silkroad Bamboo. Nadurra is the Canadian distributor...

http://www.silkroadflooring.com/home.htm

From what I read, horizontally laid bamboo is softer than vertically laid...But it all depends on how old the bamboo is when harvested -- if it is young, it will be soft! That's why cheap stuff is so soft -- you can sell it for less if you get a crop every 3 years instead of 5...

Chris
http://handymansdream.blogspot.com -- follow along as the "Handyman's Dream" rises from the ashes!

 

[Floorwizard]

From what I read, horizontally laid bamboo is softer than vertically laid...But it all depends on how old the bamboo is when harvested -- if it is young, it will be soft! That's why cheap stuff is so soft -- you can sell it for less if you get a crop every 3 years instead of 5...

Plus if you use the entire stalk it gets cheap too.
But not the whole stalk should be used.