However, the exact value of your floor depends on the type of wood it consists of. Furthermore, you need to know what kind of wood species is in your home so that you can make the best decisions in regard to cleaning, refinishing, and staining your floors.
In some cases, you can identify the species of your wood floors simply by looking at them—if you know what to look for, that is. That said, stains, finishes, and other factors can trick the eye and make it difficult to accurately identify your wood. Check out this guide to identifying and making the most of your wood flooring. The major indicators of hardwood species include natural color variations, grain types, and the hardness of the wood. When you try to identify a stained wood floor, find an inconspicuous area where you can scrape off a small portion of the finish.
In fact, one of the most important tips for how to identify your hardwood floor is to refer to the professionals when you need to. Oak is a remarkably popular option for wood floors due to its abundance, affordability, and stability.
Technically speaking, there are two oak species you might find in your home: red oak and white oak. Red oak is a softer wood that boasts warm tones that range from pink to red to rich shades of brown. This warm color makes red oak a versatile option that can fit nearly any home design.
Red oak also has a rough and open grain texture, making it particularly appealing for rustic homes. Its heavy grain pattern also helps obscure dents and other imperfections, meaning your red oak floors will continue to look new for years to come. However, this open grain means that red oak is more susceptible to shrinking or warping due to water problems. On the other hand, the porous texture of red oak makes it easy to stain.
White oak carries cooler tones of gray or light brown. It has a fine grain pattern to match, creating smooth, crisp lines that work well for classy and elegant home designs. If the wood is unfinished, then look at the texture of the grain.
Ask yourself these questions: Does the wood have an open, porous texture? Can you tell if the wood is quartersawn or plainsawn? The strong, tight curl seen in this wood sample is very characteristic of Maple Acer spp. Consider the weight and hardness of the wood. When examining the wood in question, compare it to other known wood species, and ask yourself these questions: Is the wood dry? A piece of Lignum Vitae is weighed on a small digital scale.
How hard is the wood? Consider its history. Some common-sense questions to ask yourself when trying to identify a piece of wood: Where did it come from? How old is it? How large is the piece of wood?
Find the X-Factor. Odor Believe it or not, freshly machined wood can have a very identifiable scent. Fluorescence While certain woods can appear basically identical to one another under normal lighting conditions, when exposed to certain wavelengths—such as those found in blacklights—the wood will absorb and emit light in a different visible wavelength.
Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia glows a bright yellow-green when placed under a blacklight. Chemical Testing There are only a small number of chemical tests regularly used on wood, most of which are very specialized and were developed to help distinguish easily confused species with one another. Heartwood Extractives Leachability Sometimes a wood species will have heartwood extractives that will be readily leachable in water and capable of conspicuously tinting a solution of water a specific color.
Look at the endgrain. There are three components necessary to reap the full benefits contained in the endgrain: I. A prepared surface. The right magnifier. A trained eye. The third element that constitutes a proper endgrain examination is simply knowing what to look for. In analyzing the patterns, colors, shapes, and spacing of the various anatomical features, there is a veritable storehouse of information within the endgrain—all waiting to be unlocked.
Yet, if these elements have not been pointed out and learned, the array of features will simply seem like an unintelligible jumble. The discipline of recognizing anatomical endgrain features is not easily summed up in a few sentences or even a few paragraphs, but it is nonetheless critical to the identification process.
To this end, an in-depth look should be given to the various categories, divisions, and elements that constitute endgrain wood identification on the macroscopic level. In this regard, macroscopic denotes what can be seen with a low-powered, 10x hand lens—without the aid of a microscope—rather than simply what can be seen with the naked eye. Because the anatomy between softwoods and hardwoods is so divergent, each will be considered and examined separately: Hardwood Endgrain Anatomy Softwood Endgrain Anatomy Still stumped?
Alden Identification Service You can mail your physical wood samples even small sections taken from antiques to Alden Identification Service.
Pros: Professional wood identification Faster turnaround times ranging from a few days to a week or two Cons: Paid service See their ordering page for more info. Ask for help online If the wood ID is merely a curiosity, or non-critical, you can post pictures of the wood in question. Pros: Free No need to send physical samples Cons: Greatly limited by the quality of the pictures provided Extra work usually required to get adequate clarity in photos See article of Common US Hardwoods to help find the most commonly used woods.
Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide. It contains many of the most popular articles found on this website, as well as hundreds of wood profiles—laid out with the same clarity and convenience of the website—packaged in a shop-friendly hardcover book. Notify of. Wood weight About how heavy is the wood? Very light like balsa. Fairly light like pine. Fairly heavy like oak. Extremely heavy sinks in water.
I don't know. Distinct wood odor? Does the raw wood have a distinct odor when being worked? Inline Feedbacks. Arlece Larae. Wood weight. So, look for the wood grains or growth rings. They should be large and quite scattered. If they are reoccurring, then you might have a composite floor featuring a wood-like veneer.
This veneer is usually shaved from wood and glued to man-made material. It gives the impression of wood and could trick even the most eagled-eyed. Nevertheless, common hardwoods have an open pore structure, so the grains are easily visible, and they look natural.
Close curly grains are common in types of hardwood like maple. Birch usually features less pronounced grains and larger spacing between curls. If you want to be really thorough in your examination, scrape some of that finish off. This will allow you to identify wood flooring more accurately. So, push a fingernail into the finish a bit harder. Maple and birch look quite similar when finished with dark paint or stain.
So, you need to strip that stain a bit and make the proper identification. Nevertheless, let us explain ourselves a little better. There are certain online databases where you will find all the known wood species and how to identify wood flooring. For example, The Wood Database is a useful resource for this purpose.
There are comprehensive lists of woods categorized by grain direction, grain closeness, colour, hardness and other useful facts. Scrape a little area of your wooden floor from underneath a cabinet or something and then compare it with pictures from the Wood Database.
So, new woods retain their natural odor. Some types of hardwoods even keep it for decades. Now that you know the score on floors, you can begin to choose your species, based on color tones, wood grain patterns, and overall durability.
The higher the rating number, the harder the wood—and the more durable your floor. Disclosure: BobVila. You agree that BobVila. All rights reserved. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY.
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