Atlanta Hardwood Flooring Styles

HARDWOOD STYLES

The appearance of a hardwood floor depends on the species of tree from which it is made. Each species has its own identifying grain pattern, like a fingerprint. Oak’s pronounced grain, for example, is distinctly different from the subtler grain of Maple.

Determining the right species of hardwood floor depends on what you are looking for in terms of color, style, grain and overall fashion.

Traditional Hardwoods

Traditional hardwoods include oak, maple and hickory. Each has a unique grain and coloring, creating a different look and feel.

* Oak has prominent grain lines and a traditional look that makes it the most popular hardwood floor, accounting for almost 90% of the market.
* Maple has lighter grain lines, tends to be more whitish in color and doesn’t take stain as well as oak (so it looks good with a clear coat or light stain).
* Hickory features tighter grains which look better with darker stains.

Exotic Hardwoods

Exotic refers to hardwoods that come from countries other than the US, such as Brazilian Cherry and South America Mahogany.

The name “Exotic” comes from the fact that the wood has a “foreign” look, with unusual eye-catching colors and grains.

Rustic Hardwoods

This refers to hardwoods that are “distressed” during the manufacturing process to give them an aged, antiqued or hand-milled look.

Hardwoods can be distressed with metal chains or a wire brush to give it the look of old, reclaimed wood that has been walked on for centuries. Or it can be hand scraped to create the look of old fashioned, hand milled wood.

These woods have the same performance characteristics as traditional hardwood floor: but they are put through a time consuming, labor intensive process to give them the distinctive look of aged, reclaimed wood. Not surprisingly, they are relatively expensive.