Timber – Hard, Harder, Hardest

Our Carpet Call teams are often asked “which is the hardest timber flooring?”  We can easily answer that question as Carpet Call uses the Janka test to assess the harness of timber used in our hardwood flooring

The Janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in timber and the ability of different wood species to withstand denting. Naturally it will assesses how hard or easy a hardwood timber species is to saw or nail

Here a couple of common Carpet Call Hardwood Janka test results

·         Brazilian Walnut 3680

·         Brazilian Cherry 2820

·         Hickory 1820

·         Maple 1450

·         Ash 1320

·         Beech 1300

·         Birch 1260

·         White Oak 1210

Now for some controversy. Carpet Call believes that buying the hardest timber will not always guarantee a long lasting timber floor. A properly finished White Oak professionally installed by Carpet Call will perform better than a DIY installed, poorly finished Brazilian Cherry.

In short, our Carpet Call timber specialists always insist that the performance of your timber flooring rides on a couple of factors

·         Did a Carpet Call professional install it?

·         Was your sub-floor prepared to provide a completely flat surface?

·         Did you use a Carpet Call approved underlay for acoustics?

·         Did you use a Carpet Call approved moisture barrier?

·         Have you maintained a room climate of between 30-60% humidity

·         Are you operating heating and evaporative coolers correctly?

In short, don’t make timber species hardness the only single factor when buying timber floors at Carpet Call. Pick a species and colour that you like first and then have it professionally installed by Carpet Call.