Hardwood Floors Durability

Hardwood is a naturally occurring and thus is inherent with naturally occurring properties. Hardwood is naturally a soft material due to the fact that it is porous. Porous is a property that refers to holes and air pockets within the structure of the hardwood. The porous properties result in a weakened structure as well as making the product more absorptive. For this reason, hardwood floors are easily dented and stained. Certain hardwoods are less porous in nature compared to others, making them harder. The standard gauge used to test and express the hardness of different species of wood is called the Brunell rating.

Hardwood floors are given numerous surface treatments and impregnated with various chemicals in order to make them harder and more durable. Acrylic impregnated floors are probably the hardest and most durable floors available, they are also more expensive. This type of flooring is used mostly for commercial applications.

Most hardwood flooring used in residential applications is treated with a chemical called Aluminum Oxide, the same chemical used to make sandpaper. It is incredibly strong and adds dent resistance and durability to the floor. It also makes the floor more scratch resistant, which is a primary concern for most consumers.

With all these inherent weaknesses, why should you install hardwood floors over other more durable flooring products? Well for one thing, the look and feel of hardwood cannot be matched. Hardwood gains character with age, whereas other floor coverings just get worn out over time and have to be replaced. The scratches, dents and change in shade variation that occur over time adds to the character of the floor. This is probably why people now pay a premium for hand scraped and antiqued floors. These floors are factory designed to have the appearance of an old worn in floor, and have become very popular.

Contrary to popular belief, solid hardwood floors are not more or less durable than engineered floors. What makes one floor more durable than another is the species of wood and the particular chemical treatment applied? The advancement in chemical technology has resulted in floors that most likely never have to be sanded and refinished. Hardwood floors are definitely a lifetime option, and will outlast most other floor coverings available. Maintained properly, hardwood floors should never have to be replaced.