Hickory Hardwood Floors - Are Hickory Floors Good For All Situations?
Hickory hardwood floors are pretty visually exciting. Many of the grades, particularly the lower ones have a huge variety of colour from almost white to the rich dark brown tones of the heart wood giving very dramatic looking hardwood flooring.
Hickory, as a commercial species, is often a group of trees within one biological family that includes both the 'true hickories' and the 'pecan hickories.‘ Each member within this family has a different spectrum of colours.
True Hickories
HICKORIES
It is not just a question of whether the wood is sap wood or heart wood, but also a question of exactly what wood species you are buying. Together they can produce a quite vibrant and variable looking floor.
Interesting enough some wholesalers are coining the phrase 'calico' hickory to refer to this dramatic variation of colour. They guarantee that every piece of wood will have both the light and dark shades of wood on every face, not that that really matters if we are talking about flooring as only one face shows, but may be more relevant if we are making hickory kitchen cabinets.
‘Calico' Hickory
Now aside from colour, hickory can be a great wood for durability. It is the second hardest domestic wood species commonly made into hardwood flooring in North America.
Only mesquite wood flooring is harder according to the standard Janka ranking system. This feature comes at a price though.
Hickory lumber is quite tough and fibrous; in fact it doesn't really like to cut cleanly especially with a semidull chisel. Sanding is a challenge, thus we highly recommend that you only purchase pre-finished hardwood flooring. Hickory tends to raise a bur and requires additional attention to preparation if you are to obtain a quality finish.
Features Of Hickory Hardwood Flooring It comes in a variety of colors such as white and creamy. You can also stain it in your favorite color.
Hickory has a hardness rating of 1820 thus making it one of the strongest hardwood flooring materials that you can install in your home. The grain of the material is closed and tighter together; therefore, if you like the look of grainy wood, but you don't like the look of too grainy materials such as oak, you should go for hickory.
In addition to these features, other features of hickory include:
Other Features of Hickory Hardwood Flooring Grades:
Stability: Finishing: Workability:
Grades: The flooring comes in different grades where the higher grades are the most expensive. The lower grades are least expensive as they have more knots, defects and burls. These flaws in the lower grade flooring give it a rustic look.
Stability: Since it has the tendency to move, swell, and contract, hickory is less stable than other hardwoods. The cool thing is that you can combat this issue by allowing the flooring enough time to acclimate itself to the climatic conditions of the room.
Finishing: It's usually a challenge to sand hickory hardwood flooring as the sanding marks are easily seen on it. The flooring also doesn't hold stain as its sealed grain doesn't hold stain. The good thing is that you can make the grain to hold stain by wiping it with a damp cloth. This process is known as "water popping" and it aids in opening the wood grain allowing it to accept stain.
Workability: As you know, the flooring is very hard and dense. These features make it a challenge to saw the flooring using normal saw blades and hand tools. For ideal results you should use Carbide-tipped saw blades. When nailing the flooring you should be cautious and use the right angle to prevent the wood from splitting.
Conclusion
These are the features of hickory hardwood flooring. As you have seen you need to be cautious in order to install the material correctly. As rule of thumb you should ensure that the installation is done by a professional.
Bella Cera Hardwood Floors 400 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 115 So. San Francisco, CA 94080 Tel.866.599.7999 Fax.650.873.4316 www.bellacerafloors.com/hardwood-flooring/Hickory -hardwood-flooring.aspx