You have chosen to have hardwood flooring in your home but you are unsure about which type of wood to choose. Each of the different types of wood that are available for hardwood flooring each have their advantages and disadvantages which you must weigh up as well as taking in the advice of the hardwood flooring specialist who will be laying your new hardwood flooring for you.

The traditional types of wood that you are used for hardwood flooring consist of oak, ash, birch and maple. You may think that oak is the hardest wood of this selection but this is not true. In fact, maple and ash are harder than oak and therefore more durable.

The hardness and durability of each wood will need to be weighed up with how much traffic is going to be coming and out of the particular room that it is to be laid in.

In addition, each wood is a different shade of brown with some wood such as oak and merbau being a darker shade of wood, whereas birch and ash are very light in colour. Some woods may get darker over time, with some getting lighter in appearance. You will need to discuss this colour change with your hardwood flooring specialist.