Engineered Floor Hardness Rating

In short a higher number rating on the janka scale equates to a harder wood species.

Engineered floor hardness rating.

The lower the number the softer. Most people are looking for a timber parquetry or floating floor that is hard wearing and durable. Vanier hard maple brazilian cherry and hand scraped oak red oak and black stained white oak are all excellent engineered floors for high traffic areas. Janka rating floor durability.

The janka hardness test measures the force needed to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in a piece of wood. Engineered flooring is mainly available prefinished for ease of installation but if you look hard enough you can find a handful of companies that offer unfinished engineered flooring as well. Often the subject of timber hardness and ongoing durability of a timber floor is misunderstood. Below you ll find the hardness ratings for common species of wood.

While the complete janka hardness listings will reveal that there are some fairly hard softwoods and some relatively soft hardwoods in the species most commonly used in flooring the identifiers hold true. Some are harder and more durable than others. Relative hardness of wood flooring species. Although this is one of the best methods to measure the ability of wood species to withstand indentations it should be used only as a general guide when comparing various species of wood flooring.

Engineered flooring may have a janka rating based on the vaneer hardness. The most widely used wood hardness scale is known as the janka scale developed in 1906 by gabriel janka an austrian wood researcher. Due to the construction of engineered hardwood it does not have a janka rating. The janka hardness rating of the hardwood used for the veneer on your engineered flooring will guide you to the best choice for your intended flooring use.

There is much more to consider than just how hard your timber is. Hardwoods are harder than softwoods. As for those finishes aluminum oxide is the best from a durability standpoint and found on flooring in the budget and premium classes. A janka rating provides a great barometer for determining how well a particular floor may withstand denting and wear.

These ratings were done using the janka hardness test. The higher the number the harder the wood. The janka rating is not all you need to know about. So to sum up home flooring pros recommends that you choose the solid wood that you want to live with rather than the hardest wood but bear in mind that the hardness of different wood species vary.

The janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. In 1927 it was standardized by the american society for testing and materials astm. Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. Wood hardness the janka scale aren t all hardwood floors hard.

Hardwoods are better than softwoods. Understanding how the janka hardness scale works is simple. Only solid hardwood floors can be tested.