Pros of hickory hardwood flooring
- Shock resistant-being shock resistant, hickory hardwood is also used to make furniture, golf clubs, baseball bats, and more. When it is used as flooring, it is able to withstand the daily wear and tear, weight, heat, and pressure of your household.
- Durable-it is harder than maple, pine, oak, and teak. Although it is hardwood it can develop dents and scratches if there is excessive force used, after prolonged use, and if you drop heavy objects like tools. This can be rectified by getting hardwood flooring using hand-scraped hickory flooring.
- Has a grain pattern that is extraordinary-the wood grain is very attractive but is even made more beautiful when it is used as hardwood flooring. When building new homes this is the most sought after wood for the floors. This is due to the color variations that go from dark brown to almost white. There are also attractive mineral streaks and knots.
Cons of hickory hardwood flooring
- It is difficult to install-because if the hardness and density of hickory it makes it difficult to cut into shape and sand into hardwood flooring. It can even damage sturdy hand tools with its hardness. It is not advisable for a homeowner or beginner to try to make hickory hardwood boards for the floor but have an expert do the job. They also offer pre-cut, finished hickory hardwood flooring if you want to do it yourself.
- The floorboards need to be wider than usual-because of the dense coloration the boards will need to be cut into 3 ΒΌ. 4, and 5 inch thick boards because any thinner boards will not look right. Thinner boards can overwhelm the whole look of the floor because of the varying shades and irregular and uneven wood grain. When you use wider boards, it reduces this problem.
- Resistant to staining-hickory wood is so dense that if it is stained another color or to give it a shine the stain will often not adhere or penetrate the surface and may affect the finish. The only are of the wood that might take the staining is the soft areas in the wood.
- Susceptible to warping-even though it is a hard wood, if it is not dried correctly before it is installed it could warp.