Exotic hardwood flooring and hand scraped hardwood flooring are two popular new flooring choices for homeowners. Durability and color range make the newly-available woods of the rain forests and mountain regions of South America increasingly attractive among homeowners. The well-worn appearance of hand-scraping combined with today’s tough, urethane finishes offer another option.
Exotic woods top the Janka Hardness Scale, the standard used by the flooring industry to determine the strength of each variety of wood. Brazilian walnut, a deep, dark brown colored wood with exceptionally fine graining, carries a Janka rating of 3,680 compared to American Black Walnut at 1,010. That rating makes Brazilian Walnut a perfect choice for homeowners who require extreme durability.
Brazilian cherry, prized for its dramatic color change from a tan or salmon direct to a rich, reddish-brown when exposed to sunlight, carries a Janka rating of 2,350. The high rating places Brazilian Cherry above American cherry, which similarly changes color but has a Janka rating of only 950. Another popular photosensitive hardwood, Bolivian Rosewood appears lightly pink on installation and warms to a rich, rose color after approximately three months.
Attractive wood grains and patterns are another appealing feature of these exotic hardwoods. Tigerwood, or Brazilian Koa, is boldly striped. Tiete Chestnut, with a tan to dark brown color, features a unique interlocking grain pattern. Sapele, a reddish to medium brown wood, exhibits interlocking patterns with frequent directional changes.
Homeowners who love hardwood flooring with a lot of character markings can choose hand scraped hardwood flooring. Also called hand sculptured, these floors have the look of an old reclaimed floor but offer extreme durability when treated with tough new finishes now available. Made by hand with wood scraping tools, woodworkers create streaks and blemishes that enhance the surface of the wood. Since each individual plank is hand-made, no two planks are ever the same, ensuring that no two floors are ever the same.
Together, exotic hardwood flooring and hand scraped wood flooring offer a new generation of choices to homeowners searching for that unique look for their homes.