Hardwood Floor Maple Vs Oak
Maple hardwood can be broadly placed into two types hard maple and soft maple.
Hardwood floor maple vs oak. Oak has been used for centuries and will continue to be in demand for generations. White oak hardwood flooring has underlying hues that are golden brown to slightly gray. Oak wins over maple when you want a dark or dramatic but for neutral tones or to lighten up a space oak is less popular.
It has light graining patterns with wavy curly and straight lines. So maple should be the just slightly harder wood flooring. Initially it seems that maple is more costly than the other most popular choice in hardwood flooring oak but that is not necessarily the case.
The hard grain takes stain evenly limiting color blotchiness. By the time the same quality of materi8al is purchased in an oak floor the cost is pretty close to that of maple. According to the janka scale hard maple is rated 1450 whereas white oak is rated 1360 and red oak 1290.
Hardwood harvested from the outer wood of the trunk or sapwood is usually a light creamy white color while hardwood harvested from the center of the tree or heartwood is a deeper shade of brown with a slight reddish hue. Maple is also extremely strong and durable. Perhaps the biggest drawback to maple is the fact that due to it s grain pattern maple tends to be less durable than oak where the grain is tighter.
It too can last for generations. Maple has a lighter and creamier complexion than oak. Rosy undertones differentiate it from white oak maple and hickory.
Oak hickory and maple hardwood flooring all boast their own style and beauty. Maple wood is harder than oak but not as stable. Red oak is america s 1 hardwood flooring choice.