Timber floor hardness

looking at possibly WA blackbutt timber flooring
which has a hardness rating of 6.9 I believe
is that "hard enough" or am I asking for trouble?

That is fairly soft as far as hardwood floors go.

Ummm bec, sorry but NO it's not hard enough and YES you are asking for trouble!!!! It will dent easily and you will regret it....don't waste your money - IMO.

Here is a listing ofJanka timber hardness ratings by species (the lower the rating the softer the wood):

* Victorian Ash 4.9
* Tasmanian Oak* 5.5
* Cypress Pine 6.1
* Messmate 7.1
* Flooded/Rose Gum 7.5
* Australian Beech* 7.5
* Northern Beach 7.5
* Jarrah 8.5

* Tallowwood 8.6
* Karri 9.0
* Sydney Blue Gum 9.0
* Forest Reds* 9.1
* Blackbutt 9.1
* Brushbox 9.5
* NSW Spotted Gum 11.0
* QLD Spotted Gum 11.0

* Turpentine 12.0
* Red Mahogany 12.0
* Grey and Red Ironbark 14.0
* Grey Box 15.0


* New England Oak 6.1
* Stringybark 8.1
* New England Blackbutt 9.1
* Ribbon Gum 6.1

Hope that helps?

thanks

*drats*

Ill go back to shop tomorrow for another look at others

anyone know how is "select ES blackbutt" different from ES blackbutt?

It wouldn't necessarily 'dent' provided you use a oil-based polurethane on top. Cypress pine is one of the most widely used timber floors in Australia and has a janka of around 4.5

...

Bec, usually the word select means that there are less or no imperfections in the look of the timber, like gum veins, spirals, burls, insect trails and other natural variations eg. colour variations that give timber floors a unique character.

Select grades are always more expensive than the standard.

Phoenix where did you get those janka ratings?
I would debate some of those figures:
Aussie Beech is a mix of various Blackbutts and Stringybarks yet it lists as 7.5?
As for not using anything under a janka rating of 9, that would only perhaps apply if using tung-oil

I grabbed it from this site:

http://www.connollys.com.au/flooring-species.html

Is it not correct??

The website also states:

* These timbers are blends of several species.
The Janka rating is the average rating for the species used in that blend.

Does that make any difference?

There are more 'blends' on that list than asterisks show eg. Spotted Gum, Vic Ash and Nth Beech.
Red and Grey Ironbarks are blends but only contain Ironbark eucylpts
Spotted Gum whilst mostly contains Spotted Gum also contains Lemon-scented gum and one other Corymbia species I can't recall
Blackbutt (coastal) can even be two types of Blackbutt whilst New England Blackbutt is single species.

In reality folks, all timber floors are going to sratch, so if you want timber floors, then expect it to get scratched, to age and to take on some character over the years.
Sure - you can get softer and harder timbers, but I'd focus more on what you like, make sure it si renewable, then coat it with something that you are happy to live with, (chemical and durability wise) and just plain enjoy it.

And as required be prepared to re-coat it as and when it gets to a stage that you are not happy with.

If timber was super touhg and low maintenance - I'm sure every shopping centre would use as their main walkway surface
Steve

Are these ratings for timber flooring only or for any wooden floors, ie, laminated as well?

Fiona

No Fiona, sorry, laminates are a different story when it comes to hardness.

in what way phoenix?

My vote is for carbonised/coffee strand woven bamboo (see "bamboo flooring" thread). Hardness of 14.5-16.5 on the Janka scale.
(and it looks good too - not too dark, not too light). It is noticeably harder than Jarrah.

Sure, all floors will scratch. Even tiles will scratch.
However, a softer surface will scratch more easily, and thus, you'll need to resurface more regularly.

Chris

eimaj, laminate flooring is not an actual timber floor, it is constructed of a surface layer of two thin sheets of paper impregnated with melamine. This surface layer is a photograph of wood grain, not real wood, and is usually covered by a hard transparent layer impervious to dogs, chairs, high heels, you name it. Under the wood-grain photograph is about a half-inch of wood-chip composite.

It works well in high-traffic areas and homes with pets. It is scratch-resistant, durable and easy to clean. Most manufacturers usually offer a 10+ year warranty on their products.

Thanks P, good info
Eimaj

So, given the durability of laminated floors, why would anyone get actual timber flooring? I guess to do with having the "real thing"?

Fiona