Hardness vs. Durability in Wood Floors: The Janka Scale

Every homeowner who invests in a brand-new hardwood floor is concerned with one thing: selecting a product that will stand the test of time. Hardwood flooring is one of the most beautiful flooring options, but it’s important to consider the difference between hardness vs. durability in wood floors.

Our flooring specialists break it down for you so that you can get the floor you need and want.

Let’s take a closer look at the specifications you should look for when shopping for a wood floor.

The Janka Hardness Scale

Have you ever heard of the Janka scale? Most people haven’t, but it’s an important indicator of how hard your new floor will be. This scale measures the difficulty of embedding a small metal ball into the wood flooring by about 0.45 inches (half the size of the metal ball itself).

What does this measurement have to do with your hardwood?

The Janka hardness test tells you how easily your floor will dent and ding. Lower scores on the Janka scale are going to be softer woods like American Cherry and American Walnut. They tend to dent more easily with exposure to heavy force such as high heels or dropped utensils in the kitchen. Higher scores are usually reserved for more exotic species like Ipe (Brazilian Walnut).

What is the right Janka score to get the most out of your hardwood floor?

For most people, Red Oak is about as hard as they truly need and it falls somewhere in the middle of the Janka hardness rating scale. White Oak ranks slightly higher and Hickory is the hardest domestic species measured. Anything above the scores for these different wood species tends to be great for people who have small children or pets.

Is the Janka Hardness Rating for Engineered Wood or Solid Wood? 

Most of the established measurements of the Janka hardness scale refer to solid wood floors – but not all!

Keep in mind that engineered wood floors may also have a Janka hardness rating just like solid wood. This ranking is influenced not only by the species of wood on top (the visible portion of the floor) but also by the wood in the core. If the core wood is made of something soft, it might dent more easily than a floor with a core made of species like Red Oak or harder wood species.

Engineered wood can be a great option for those in the Lowcountry because it is inherently more dimensionally stable, which means it doesn’t move around as much as solid wood. However, you want to ensure that you invest in durable wood flooring which means knowing everything about the production of an engineered product to get the hardest wood you can.

Hardness vs. Durability: What’s the Difference?  

When most people are shopping for either solid hardwood or engineered hardwood flooring, they aren’t asking how much force it takes to dent the floor. Instead, they are more focused on how it will hold up to wear and tear. In other words, they want to know about the durability of the floor over its hardness.

Both are important components of selecting a durable hardwood floor that will withstand the coming years and decades of your investment.

Durability measures how strong the finish is which can apply to both solid wood or engineered hardwood. Most of the floors in our showroom are prefinished with a very durable aluminum oxide finish applied under controlled conditions in a factory setting. This means that both prefinished solid and engineered floors will have the same degree of durability, so you can take advantage of the many benefits of engineered floors in the Lowcountry environment.

We also offer sand and finish floors where we install raw wood and finish them in place in your home with oil-based polyurethane or an extra-durable water-based polyurethane. These are not as durable as prefinished options, but can still hold up well with care.

As opposed to wood hardness, this determines how likely your floor is to scratch with exposure to normal wear and tear. Any wood floor has the potential to scratch, and it should be treated with care. However, the finish determines how durable your floor will be. Look for brands that emphasize their durability and have high-quality finishes if you know that your wood floor will see lots of foot traffic.

Get Durable Hardwood Flooring at Woodboys

Are you ready to start thinking about the durability of your upcoming hardwood floor installation? Our experienced flooring specialists will help you compare the Janka rating of different wood species and educate you on the types of finishes available for added durability. Come visit our Ladson showroom with one of the south’s largest selections of hardwood floor samples today or let our mobile showroom come to you!