You have a lot of options at your disposal, but sometimes, choice can be overwhelming. If you don't know much about wood floors, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them, let alone how it would work for your home.
Hickory has become a popular choice for homeowners looking for quality hardwood flooring. However, to determine whether or not it is the right surface for you, it is helpful to get a better understanding of what exactly makes it unique - its style and colors, and how it compares to other hardwood floors.
Below is a brief yet comprehensive guide on hickory hardwood flooring, which should make it easier to decide whether it's the right surface for your home.
Characteristics and benefits of hickory wood
As with any type of flooring, there are certain characteristics and traits that set hickory apart. Among the most distinguishable are its strength and sophisticated style.
Hickory is one of the hardest types of wood flooring available.
Incredibly durable and resistant
When it comes to choosing between different types of hardwood flooring, homeowners have many beautiful and practical options available to them, including oak, maple and pine. However, as far as hardness goes, these alternatives pale in comparison to hickory. Domestically manufactured from hickory trees grown right here in the U.S., hickory is one of the hardest and most durable surfaces sold today. The fact that it is often used in the making of baseball bats and golf clubs is a testament to its incredible strength, density and resistance to wear and tear. Because it is less prone to scratches, dings and other types of damage, it is perfect to use in particularly high-traffic areas of the home such as kitchens and living rooms.
Unique grain pattern
The grain pattern featured in hickory floor boards boast an impressive range of brown, red and tan shades. It is this texture that gives it a rustic appearance and why many homeowners choose to use it in rooms to give the space a more country or estate-type feel. Marked by mineral streaks and knots, hickory floors feature an intricate, sophisticated and slightly antique appearance that translate to an unparalleled level of authenticity and quality.
Easy to maintain
Because hickory wood is so sustainable and long-lasting, there is very little maintenance required in its upkeep. They can be mopped and cleaned with ease, adding to the reasons why so many people find hickory floors an appealing choice.
Hickory floor style options
Some surfaces are limited in their style choices - but not hickory. If you decide durability of hickory is exactly what you are looking for, know that you won't have to sacrifice quality for versatility, as this species of wood is available in a broad range of colors and varieties.
Timber Gap 6 3/8" - Crystal Cave
Color variety
Generally, hickory floors are known for their vibrant auburn and reddish shading. And while the most popular choices are copper and cinnamon tones, there are also plenty of products that showcase both lighter and darker shades of the spectrum. Gold, caramel and beige varieties can help infuse an illuminating radiance to a room that doesn't get a lot of natural light, whereas coffee, walnut and medium-brown options are ideal for rooms where the goal is to create a more modern and polished look.
Both the bright and deeper shades of brown tend to work well with a range of decor and furnishings. This is due, in large part, to their unique grain pattern, mineral streaks and knots in the boards, which create an impressive wash of complementing tones.
Style options
There are a multitude of styles to choose from with hickory flooring. However, as with any surface, the quality and appearance will depend largely on the manufacturer you work with - as well as the floor type you choose. For example, while it is available in laminate and solid versions, engineered hickory floors are often the superior and preferred choice. Engineered wood floors are easy to install and are less prone to warping, expanding and shrinking like other solid wood options. Plus, because the boards are crafted plank by plank, you can be sure that no two are exactly the same.
Hickory floors come in a variety of surface textures and finishes, including distressed, wire brushed, heavy scraped, subtle scraped and hand scraped, as well as various edge profiles, including beveled, micro beveled, scraped beveled and pillowed.
Pricing
The price of hickory floors vary depending on the grade. As Buzzle explained, the
lower gradesare less expensive; products in this category tend to have more color variation and knots. Higher grades of hickory wood are more expensive, and often have a smoother, more refined and polished looking surface. Like many types of flooring, pricing usually goes by per square foot.