Hickory Hardwood Floors - Are Hickory Floors Good For All Situations?

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Hickory Hardwood Floors - Are Hickory Floors Good
For All Situations?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Hickory lumber is quite tough and fibrous in
fact it doesn't really like to cut cleanly
especially with a semi-dull 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.
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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.
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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
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Other Features of Hickory Hardwood Flooring
Grades
Stability
Finishing
Workability
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Bella Cera Hardwood Floors 400 Oyster Point
Blvd, Suite 115So. San Francisco, CA
94080Tel.[phone]Fax.[phone]
www.bellacerafloors.com/hardwood-flooring/Hickory-
hardwood-flooring.aspx
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