Choosing the Right Hardwood for Your Flooring Renovation

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• Wood Species

Most of us consider hardwood flooring a must-have for today’s homes. As Canadians, we have a strong appreciation for natural materials and the significance of bringing the outdoors inside.

I had my wood education practically from birth, as my father was a forester with the Ontario government so it was imperative that all of his children could identify wood from its grain pattern even before we could ride a bicycle.

Today, tongue-and-groove hardwood planks are the hot and trendy must-haves for stylish new homes.

Our job as homeowners and renovators is to carefully select the coveted hardwood flooring from a wide variety of multi-tonal stains, thicknesses, plank widths, finish levels and species.

Wood Species

The flooring supplier will first ask you if there is a particular species of wood that you are considering.

The most popular hardwood floorings come from deciduous trees such as:

• Cherry
• Oak
• Maple
• Hickory
• Walnut

These particular trees produce a very hard wood due to the fact that they lose their leaves during the winter months, giving the trunk of the tree a chance to harden.

To make your decision about what hardwood flooring you want in your home, be sure to look at multiple planks laid side by side so you can inspect the total range of grain patterns and subtle shades common to each tree.

With respect to graining:

• Cherry-wood grain is perhaps the most consistent with minimal colour variations.
• Maple is usually clear and free of noticeable grain patterns and colour shifts.

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