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What is Stability and Hardness?
When purchasing your hardwood floors, you have to know more than the specific type of wood; you also have to understand about the differences in the durability. When speaking about durability and hardwood flooring, this is often defined by the stability and hardness of the surface of the wood. Hardness will affect how well the hardwood flooring stands up to foot traffic and impacts (something heavy dropped). Stability:
Stability refers to the woods ability to resist swelling and contracting when exposed to changes in temperature and in humidity. To some, this may not be an issue, if you live in a stable climate or keep your home set at a constant temperature, however if you are like so many others and like to have your windows open, this can be a very big issue. The unit of measure for comparing stability is often the Northern Red Oak, which is given a 0%. If a hardwood receives a percentage higher, than its stability is that much higher than Northern Red Oak and is less reactive to moisture changes within the environment. Woods that are more stable than Northern Red Oak are: American Cherry, American Walnut, Ash, Birch, Hickory, Northern Hard Maple, White Oak, and Reclaimed Pine, Australian Cypress, Rosewood, Teak, and Mahogany to name only a few. Hardness: When we speak about hardness, this reflects the woods durability. When speaking of wood hardness, this refers to the woods ability to withstand indentations. Once again, Northern Red Oak is often used as the hardwood to which this comparison is made, with Northern Red Oak given a 0%. American Cherry and American Walnut have lesser hardness rating than Northern Red Oak, but reclaimed pine has a much higher hardness rating. Reclaimed pine is wood that has been taken from old homes, distillers, and even factories from around the country. Many times this wood is over 100 years old. What makes this wood harder and more stable than oak or other hardwoods is because the pinesap has dried and hardened making the wood extremely hard.
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