Wood Species

Wood floors are one of the rare building products that inherently showcase the natural beauty of the material itself, which is one of the primary reasons that wood had been used as flooring materials for centuries. Wood is durable, long lasting, can enhance any architectural style or design scheme, can add value to any home or building, and is oftentimes capable of being refinished, essentially resulting in a brand new floor.

One of the keys to ensuring a wood floor's timeless beauty is having a fundemental understanding of the species itself, As a wood flooring professional, knowing about general wood properties, as well as properties of individuall wood species, is an important component of a successful installation.

A combination of qualities should be considered when selecting a species for flooring: appearance-related attributes such as texture, grain and color, as well as performance atributes such as dimensional stability, hardness, and installation and finishing properties.

It is estimated that there are more than 73.000 tree species on Earth, including about 9,200 species yet to be discovered. Of the 73,000 known species, fewer thatn 400 are available for commercial use. Many of the species are used exclusively in their country of origin, and are not exported. 

Stay tuned to upcoming Blogs for more discussion on individual wood species and their properties.

"Wood Species" National Wood Flooring Association Technical Publication No. A200 Revised 2023