Characteristics Of Hard Wood

If you want to build furniture or place wood flooring in your home, the main question for both will be which hardwood lumber is the best choice for your project. Once you learn a little about the different characteristics of hardwoods, this is not a difficult question to answer. Each hard wood lumber has certain characteristics that give them their unique qualities.

Hardwood is defined as wood originating from board leaf trees or trees that produce nuts. The hickory, oak, walnut, maple and cherry trees are the most popular hard wood trees in North America. The climate is perfect for large production of these species of trees. The lumber made from these trees is what is referred to as "hardwood." But, not all hardwood is the same. Groups in the hard wood lumber industry have made great progress in standardizing wood by its strength and grade. This helps consumers know which woods are the hardest and the most appropriate for their project. For example, the hickory and pecan are the hardest of the hardwoods. The hardness of a wood is measured by the number of pounds of pressure required to mar the wood. For the hickory and pecan woods, it takes approximately 1,820 pounds of pressure before the wood becomes marred. On the contrary, the Aspen is considered a hardwood but requires only 350 pounds of pressure before the wood is marred. Woods between these two extremes include the hard maple requiring 1,450 pounds of pressure and the white oak requiring 1,360 pounds. This comparison provides a good way to evaluate which wood is best for flooring and which is better for building furniture. The harder woods are best for flooring. For instance, cherry is a common wood for furniture and is in the middle of the hardness scale requiring 950 pounds of pressure for the wood to mar.

Hardwood can change depending on certain conditions. Specifically, it contracts and expands depending on the temperature and moisture and does this because it tries to adapt to the environment. The wood was once a living thing and maintains a life to some degree. To minimize the degree of change to the wood, it is kiln dried to remove much of the moisture and stabilize it. This helps keep the finished product closer to its true size and shape as it was the time it was manufactured.

Careful consideration of the right hard wood lumber for your project is very important, and equally as important as the finished look of the floor. Many hardwoods vary only slightly in their durability and strength. As a consumer, you will also need to decide on if you want the grainy appearance of the white oak or the smooth finish of the maple. Keep in mind, though, that any hard wood lumber can be stained and finished to the color that you want so consider the grain more than the color at this point.