Your Floor: An Introduction to Solid-Plank Wood Floors
Get the Pros and Cons of Oak, Ash, Pine, Maple and Solid Bamboo
Wood floors are a classic addition to any home. Barring damage from fire or flood, a well-made and correctly-installed solid wood floor will add warmth, character and value to your interior as long as you’re in your house.
However, not all wood floors are equal, and the many species of wood that get made into floors have different characteristics. Understanding these characteristics will go a long way to help you choose the wood floor right for you.
Engineered wood floors and solid wood floors are very different things, and there are different situations when one would work better than the other. A future installment of this series will discuss engineered wood floors, but let’s get through solid wood first.
More flooring guides
However, not all wood floors are equal, and the many species of wood that get made into floors have different characteristics. Understanding these characteristics will go a long way to help you choose the wood floor right for you.
Engineered wood floors and solid wood floors are very different things, and there are different situations when one would work better than the other. A future installment of this series will discuss engineered wood floors, but let’s get through solid wood first.
More flooring guides
Traditional Floors
Red oak holds wood stains evenly and comes in a wide variety of stain colors. It can be light or dark, but its distinctive grain pattern is almost always obvious. If you don't like strong grain patterns, oak is not the floor for you.
Depending on the manufacturer, many plank floors are available in an unfinished state so they can be finished on-site. Factory finishes tend to be more consistent and more resilient, but you'll have more finish options if you have your floors finished on-site. Neither option is automatically better or worse; it depends on the project at hand. Know however, that factory finishes tend to cost less, and matching them at a later time is a lot less trouble.
Red oak holds wood stains evenly and comes in a wide variety of stain colors. It can be light or dark, but its distinctive grain pattern is almost always obvious. If you don't like strong grain patterns, oak is not the floor for you.
Depending on the manufacturer, many plank floors are available in an unfinished state so they can be finished on-site. Factory finishes tend to be more consistent and more resilient, but you'll have more finish options if you have your floors finished on-site. Neither option is automatically better or worse; it depends on the project at hand. Know however, that factory finishes tend to cost less, and matching them at a later time is a lot less trouble.
The quality and consistency of the grain pattern is one of the characteristics that drives the price of an oak floor. The more consistent the grain, the more expensive the floor will be.
Oak pros: Highly resistant to dents and deep scratches
Cons: Has a grain pattern that may be too attention grabbing for some
Cost: $8-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways and kitchens
Oak pros: Highly resistant to dents and deep scratches
Cons: Has a grain pattern that may be too attention grabbing for some
Cost: $8-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways and kitchens
Ash. A similar wood to oak that's even harder is ash. Baseball bats and garden tool handles are usually made from ash, just to give you a sense of how hard it is.
The sapwood of an ash tree is cream-colored to almost white, and its heartwood is tan to dark brown. The grain pattern in each type is always apparent, though not as pronounced as it is in oak.
The sapwood of an ash tree is cream-colored to almost white, and its heartwood is tan to dark brown. The grain pattern in each type is always apparent, though not as pronounced as it is in oak.
Ash solid plank floor
Ash holds stain colors well, and since light-colored ash floors made from ash sapwood are more desirable, most ash floors tend to be lightly stained. A light color and a consistent grain pattern drive the cost of this type of floor. And as is the case with all woods, it's available in a variety of grades.
Ash pros: This is an extremely hard, hardwood floor
Cons: Can be too light for some; tends to cost more than oak
Cost: $10-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways, baths and kitchens
Ash holds stain colors well, and since light-colored ash floors made from ash sapwood are more desirable, most ash floors tend to be lightly stained. A light color and a consistent grain pattern drive the cost of this type of floor. And as is the case with all woods, it's available in a variety of grades.
Ash pros: This is an extremely hard, hardwood floor
Cons: Can be too light for some; tends to cost more than oak
Cost: $10-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways, baths and kitchens
Pine. On the opposite side of the hardness scale sits pine, which is technically not a hardwood at all. Pine is a soft wood, though its hardness varies wildly with the species of pine used. If you're buying a pine floor, be sure to find out what kind of pine it is.
Pine is a character wood. It has pin holes and knots and it's popular for that reason. It's difficult to keep it looking pristine, which just adds to its character.
Pine is a character wood. It has pin holes and knots and it's popular for that reason. It's difficult to keep it looking pristine, which just adds to its character.
Traditional Floors
The heartwood of a pine tree yields the darkest and hardest wood the tree has to offer, and heart-pine floors are made from this heartwood exclusively. A heart-pine floor will resist dents and deep scratches better than a pine floor made from sapwood.
Heart-pine floors have a natural, reddish-gold tone to them. Most heart-pine floors aren't stained, they're simply treated with a clear topcoat. They don't shift in reaction to humidity levels and have a tendency to last for a very long time. With age, heart pine develops a patina such as the one on this reclaimed antique floor.
The heartwood of a pine tree yields the darkest and hardest wood the tree has to offer, and heart-pine floors are made from this heartwood exclusively. A heart-pine floor will resist dents and deep scratches better than a pine floor made from sapwood.
Heart-pine floors have a natural, reddish-gold tone to them. Most heart-pine floors aren't stained, they're simply treated with a clear topcoat. They don't shift in reaction to humidity levels and have a tendency to last for a very long time. With age, heart pine develops a patina such as the one on this reclaimed antique floor.
Eastern white pine
There's a place for other pine floors. too. This photo shows an Eastern white-pine floor with a dark stain on it. It's also significantly wider than a heart-pine plank can be. Other varieties of pine hold stain colors exceptionally well and almost always cost less than heart-pine floors.
There's a place for other pine floors. too. This photo shows an Eastern white-pine floor with a dark stain on it. It's also significantly wider than a heart-pine plank can be. Other varieties of pine hold stain colors exceptionally well and almost always cost less than heart-pine floors.
Historically, pine was an inexpensive flooring material, and the world is full of old factories and barns with pine floors. These antique, reclaimed pine floors are abundant, available for use in homes and not as expensive as you might think.
Pine pros: The original character floor
Cons: Tends to be relatively soft when compared to other woods, tends to dent under heavy furniture.
Cost: $5-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways and kitchens
Pine pros: The original character floor
Cons: Tends to be relatively soft when compared to other woods, tends to dent under heavy furniture.
Cost: $5-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways and kitchens
Solid bamboo
Bamboo. Bamboo floors have been available around the world for about the last 20 years. In those 20 years, they've become so widely adopted that their use is no longer unique.
Bamboo floors are made by soaking individual strands of bamboo in a binder and then pressing everything together under high pressure. The resulting plank is for all intents and purposes a solid piece of bamboo every bit as hard as oak.
Bamboo has usually been stained in lighter stains to allow its fibrous grain pattern to show.
Bamboo. Bamboo floors have been available around the world for about the last 20 years. In those 20 years, they've become so widely adopted that their use is no longer unique.
Bamboo floors are made by soaking individual strands of bamboo in a binder and then pressing everything together under high pressure. The resulting plank is for all intents and purposes a solid piece of bamboo every bit as hard as oak.
Bamboo has usually been stained in lighter stains to allow its fibrous grain pattern to show.
Bamboo is an extremely stable material and it will last as long and wear as well as any wood floor.
It lends itself well to modern surroundings, mostly because it's a modern material.
It lends itself well to modern surroundings, mostly because it's a modern material.
Solid bamboo
In recent years, bamboo flooring manufacturers have been taking some liberties with the bamboo we’ve come to know. In the floor shown here, this bamboo plank has been stained dark and hand scraped, a treatment that used to be reserved for wood floors exclusively.
Some of the new bamboo floors aren’t immediately recognizable as bamboo at all and can be used as stand-ins for less-sturdy woods in areas such as baths.
As a manufactured product, bamboo floors are always factory finished. The quality of the topcoat and the binders are what drive its price. Inexpensive bamboo floors can scratch easily; the combination of a cheap bamboo floor and a big dog is a recipe for a ruined floor.
Bamboo pros: Sustainable and long-lasting
Cons: Lends a modern air that may not be intentional
Cost: $8-$15 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways, bath and kitchens
Some of the new bamboo floors aren’t immediately recognizable as bamboo at all and can be used as stand-ins for less-sturdy woods in areas such as baths.
As a manufactured product, bamboo floors are always factory finished. The quality of the topcoat and the binders are what drive its price. Inexpensive bamboo floors can scratch easily; the combination of a cheap bamboo floor and a big dog is a recipe for a ruined floor.
Bamboo pros: Sustainable and long-lasting
Cons: Lends a modern air that may not be intentional
Cost: $8-$15 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways, bath and kitchens
Maple. If you're looking for a hard, light-colored floor, consider maple. It's a close-grain hardwood, meaning that its grain pattern is more subtle than a lot of other woods can be.
Maple is extremely hard and dent-resistant, and as a naturally light wood, it tends to show up as a light floor. There's another reason for those light finishes, however.
Maple is extremely hard and dent-resistant, and as a naturally light wood, it tends to show up as a light floor. There's another reason for those light finishes, however.
Maple is a nearly non-porous wood and it can’t absorb dark stains very easily. Dark-stained maple tends to look blotchy — it’s a characteristic of the wood, not the stain.
All woods change color with time, and maple tends to grow more yellow with age. That’s another characteristic to be aware of.
The clearer the maple, the more expensive it tends to be. Natural flaws such as mineral streaks and pin knots tend to lower the grade and the price of a maple floor.
Maple pros: Hard and dent resistent
Cons: Doesn’t hold dark stains well
Cost: $7-$16 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways and kitchens
Find a solid wood flooring pro in your area
More:
An Introduction to Solid Plank Wood Floors
When to Use Engineered Wood Floors
Laminate Floors: Get the Look of Wood (and More) for Less
Zebra, Tiger and Teak Wood, Oh, My!
5 Innovative Wood Floors
20 Great Examples of Transitions in Flooring
More flooring guides
All woods change color with time, and maple tends to grow more yellow with age. That’s another characteristic to be aware of.
The clearer the maple, the more expensive it tends to be. Natural flaws such as mineral streaks and pin knots tend to lower the grade and the price of a maple floor.
Maple pros: Hard and dent resistent
Cons: Doesn’t hold dark stains well
Cost: $7-$16 per square foot
Suggested uses: Living areas, hallways, entryways and kitchens
Find a solid wood flooring pro in your area
More:
An Introduction to Solid Plank Wood Floors
When to Use Engineered Wood Floors
Laminate Floors: Get the Look of Wood (and More) for Less
Zebra, Tiger and Teak Wood, Oh, My!
5 Innovative Wood Floors
20 Great Examples of Transitions in Flooring
More flooring guides
Oak. The most common wood floor used in North America is oak, specifically red oak. Red oak is the name of the tree, not the color of the wood. What ever the reason for its name, a red oak floor is a surface that will hold up to wear and use. Due to its hardness, red oak resists dents, an important consideration if you're not planning to use area rugs.