Choose Hard Wood For Your Home

By: Leroy Calstard
Learning about hard wood lumber can help you know which is the best selection of hard wood when you want to put down a new floor anywhere in your home. Hard wood is a beautiful addition to your home and it will add value and elegance, no matter what your individual style. Different hardwood lumber has different unique properties. Learn about them to make your home more beautiful.

Hardwood comes from trees that grow nuts. These trees have broad leaves and commonly hickory, walnut, maple, cherry, or oak is used in the US and Canada. This is because the weather is perfect for growing this selection of trees. Since the wood that is made from these trees is very durable, they get the nick name "hard wood."

Some hard wood is different from others. The industry is working on making classifications for quality and consistency so you know which is stronger and of higher quality. This can help you to know which type of wood is right for the job you have at hand.

Hard wood is classified by how many pounds of pressure it would take to damage the floor. So the lightest weight of the hard wood, Aspen, takes about 350 pounds of weight on the surface to cause damages. On the other end of the spectrum there is pecan and hickory which takes about 1,800 pounds of pressure before damage is caused. Maple and oak are mid-range in strength, cherry is mid-range, but slightly less than these other two. The harder woods are great for building flooring, while something lighter weight might be perfect for creating furniture.

Hard wood will react to the environment depending on the humidity in the air and the relative temperature. It can expand or contract and this can change the floor. If the wood goes into a kiln to be dried this can minimize the process and help keep the wood closer to its original form.

Many companies will note how the wood may change and adapt this to what it will be used for and how the design will unfold. Some wood is used as sub-flooring and others are used as wall paneling. Different brands do different things with their wood. If you look online you can get an idea of what sort of hard wood floor selection you can find.

Make sure you take into account many different things when you are purchasing your wood. You will want choose based on strength, price, and type of wood. You can choose also based on the style that you want and the color as well. You should pick what suits your home and your personal style. If you go with hardwood flooring, you will not be disappointed.

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About The Author
Leroy Calstard wrote essentially for www.insidewoodworking.com , an internet site on lumber prices and lumber types. You might discover his work on hardwood lumber over at www.insidewoodworking.com.