Wood Flooring: What Kind Is Best for High Traffic?

If you have a home or office with a high traffic carpeted area, you probably are spending a lot on carpet cleaning or carpet replacement. You have most likely considered having wood flooring installed but don’t know what kind of wood flooring is best for high traffic floors. It is important to consider before choosing the type of wood flooring to be installed. Fortunately, we understand what kind of wood flooring holds up best for a high traffic floor.

What Level Of Stress Does Your Flooring Have To Withstand?

In order to make an informed decision on what type of wood flooring to choose for your high traffic areas, you need to understand the chief distinction between the sorts of damage your floors have to combat. Common scuffs, wear, and minute scratches are all kinds of finish damage that don’t cause any permanent alterations to your flooring. Conversely, dents, nicks, and harsh impacts will generate extensive damage that permanently changes the surface of the wood. Withstanding finish damage is the primary job of your floor’s finish layer. Holding up against severe damage depends on the hardness of the wood flooring.

For flooring to survive under high traffic conditions, it has to excel in both finish damage resistance and hardness. A weak finish will have to be replaced sooner than later if it can’t endure high traffic. If your wood flooring is too soft, it will warp from constant traffic.

You may be thinking that Engineered woods have an advantage over natural hardwoods, but that assumption would be wrong. Hardwood can be sanded down to remove serious damage where engineered wood flooring cannot.

Choosing The Right Species Of Wood

For a floor to stand up to the rigors of foot and other traffic, your wood flooring needs to meet a certain level of hardness on the Janka hardness rating. The Janka scale is an impact test, and the higher the score, the more your wood flooring will resist damage from traffic. While the Janka scale is not a scuff or scratch test, you can count on the higher the Janka score; the more resistant your wood flooring will be to traffic. Here are some popular types of wood flooring that rank high on the Janka Scale.

Species and Janka Score:

Brazilian Walnut, 3680

Brazilian Cherry, 2350

Santos Mahogany, 2200

Hickory, 1820

If you choose any of the above species for your hardwood flooring, you can count on their longevity and durability.

Let Troendle Hardwood Company Install Your Hardwood Wood Flooring

We are the clear experts on which hardwood flooring is best for your home or office. If you are going to have hardwood flooring installed in your home, call us today or fill out our simple online contact form. Once you get in touch, one of our knowledgeable staff will be in contact to discuss installing high traffic resistant hardwood flooring in your home. Get durable, great looking, and long-lasting hardwood flooring today!