What is the Most Durable Engineered Hardwood?

Engineered hardwood is a durable and stable flooring solution.

Engineered hardwood offers many advantages over traditional solid hardwood or laminate flooring. This type of wood flooring is made up of hardwood veneer sandwiched around a hardwood or high density fiberboard core.

Janka Hardness Rating

The durability of a hardwood is indicated by its Janka hardness rating. Janka hardness ratings are established by impact testing the wood and woods with high Janka ratings are most durable.

Brazilian Cherry

Engineered flooring with a Brazilian Cherry top layer is one of the most durable flooring solutions available. Brazilian Cherry has a Janka rating of 2350 and is a very durable and attractive flooring option.

Mesquite

Mesquite wood is extremely durable and moisture resistant.

One of the most attractive woods for use in engineered flooring is Mesquite. Long considered a nuisance species by ranchers and farmers, the mesquite has a Janka rating of 2345. According to Purdue University, Mesquite is also an extremely stable wood that experiences very little expansion or contraction in response to atmospheric humidity.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a durable and sustainable material for engineered flooring.

Hardwood like cherry and oak can take up to 60 years to reach harvest size and worldwide demand is growing. This makes the use of sustainable, fast-growing wood products like bamboo an attractive alternative. Bamboo engineered flooring has a Janka rating of up to 1640, comparable to red oak in hardness.

References

• Purdue University: Commercializing Mesquite, Leucaena, and Cactus in Texas
• Building and Construction Authority: Engineered Hardwood Floor
• California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery: Bamboo Flooring

Resources

• Mother Nature Network: Sustainable Building Materials