Hardwood flooring is always a statement of charm, style, and performance. Loved for its lasting durability and natural allure, Hardwood creates a luxurious feel on your home. On top of that, cleanup is easy that’s why these floors are ideal for households with kids and pets.

Durability That Lasts

Mohawk hardwood floors are known for their durability that lasts. Not only that, they’re beautiful and can suit in most rooms in your house. As these hardwood floors age, they obtain this certain “character” that exudes richness.

Mohawk wood floors are so durable that they can withstand any amount of abuse. The traditional solid wood is the most expensive option among wood floor choices but it also offers the highest resale value for a house. With options ranging from walnut, hickory, and cherry, the choices for color and pattern exceed those of most other flooring alternatives.

Solid hardwood flooring can be sanded and repaired constantly, making it one of the most durable flooring options out there. That reparable feature makes Solid Hardwood flooring suitable for people who have pets and children.

Explore Wood Floor Species

Hardwood floor durability may depend on the wood species. Oak, cherry, and maple are known to be the hardest hardwood species. See how our famous hardwoods perform.

Cherry:

This strong wood has a unique look with its fine grain and smooth texture. It’s more affordable than walnut but more workable than maple and oak. With rich colors and a classy air, cherry hardwood floors can add elegance to any room.

The color of cherry hardwood can vary from reddish brown to rich, pinkish white. Its red and pink hues match well to stains and become darker with age and exposure to sunlight. Unstained, and it exhibits a rich, beautiful color.

Color is the only portion of the wood that changes. Cherry is relatively unaffected by any environmental change due to its very tiny, diffuse pores and even grains. Although it won’t resist scratches or dents, it will last for generations, growing deeper in color each year.

Walnut:

The rich, dark brown color of walnut exhibits a unique, antique charm. The swirling grain adds strength and luster to your space. It’s strong, yet lightweight and it has high resistance to sunlight.

Walnut may be more expensive than maple and oak, but it’s still more affordable than important wood. Certain walnut boards, like those with superbly even grain and heavy figure, can be more pricey than standard grade walnut. Although the figured grain found in walnut may not be as expressive as those found in maple, it can still add a bit of aesthetic interest to your floor.

Oak:

This open-grained hardwood has a natural warmth. Its color may range from pinkish light wheat to a rich, golden tone. Its neutral color suits well to stains. To highlight the grain, you can give a clear finish to the wood.

Oak is very durable and its visible wavy grain makes it look very distinctive. If you must stain this wood, make sure that you don’t go overboard because it overly darkens and amplifies the grain. Just a few coats to fill the grain and make the surface smooth.

Maple:

The light color and even texture of maple make it a popular choice when it comes to flooring. Its sapwood varies from creamy white to golden tan. This wood takes well to stains and is best known for its shock resistance. To achieve the reflective grain of the wood, sand before applying several coats of finish.

Maple hardwood is often stained to look like an expensive wood (e.g. cherry, mahogany, etc.). It’s very durable because it can take a beating and still look good for years. Best of all, it’s very affordable.

Hickory:

Hickory is one of the hardest and strongest domestic hardwood. The color of hickory may be light blonder, reddish brown, or dark brown. Its color variation makes its natural beauty more appealing.

This strong hardwood can provide lasting durability and a massive character. This can look either rustic or modern. When used in wider planks, you can enjoy its grain complexity.

Hardwood Type?

Hardwood flooring can either be made of solid hardwood or engineered hardwood. Find out which hardwood floor is perfect for your project.

Solid Hardwood

The longevity of solid hardwood put it almost at the top of the list for durability. Every plank is made of a solid piece of wood from domestic and exotic hardwoods. They come in several widths. Planks are usually 3/4-inch thick allowing it to be sanded and refinished a lot of times.

Solid hardwood is known to add overall structural strength to the home in which it’s installed. The degree of strength may depend upon the species. The uniformity of solid hardwood may vary depending on grade.

Solid hardwood construction lasts long for many years. Its durability may depend on the wood species. Harder woods, like oak and hickory, are more resistant to dent. As expected, they sound and feel solid when you walk on them.

Best For

Floors you’d like to refinish; rooms with without varying humidity and temperature.

Install On

First and second floors to improve living spaces, such as living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms; above grade and only over wooden subfloors.

Mohawk hardwood installation uses nails to secure the solid hardwood to the floor. A gap may be left between the wall and floor because to solve contraction and expansion issues.

Engineered Hardwood

If your problems are about humidity, temperature, and moisture, engineered hardwood is your solution. This type of hardwood features multiple layers of Mohawk engineered wood.

The top and bottom layers are made of wood. The middle part, on the other hand, is made from five to seven layers of plywood that intersects in different directions. Its layered structure offers stability against environmental changes.

Engineered construction makes a highly stable core that’s less likely to expand or warp when exposed to moisture and humidity. It can be sanded and refinished several times, especially if it has a thicker top layer.

Compared to solid hardwood, engineered hardwood is slightly thinner, around 3/8” to 1/2”. Sometimes it can sound more hollow when you walk but this can be resolved by stapling down the planks. Premium engineered

Best for:

Floors you’d like to install on any home level; rooms that are susceptible to moisture (like basements and bathrooms); rooms that are in need of a firm product with numerous installation options.

Install on:

Any level, over an array of subfloor types; over concrete slabs and radiant heating systems. You can install engineered hardwood using several options: glue, staple, or float.

Performance Factors

The performance of Mohawk hardwood flooring may depend on two factors: construction and class. See how these two factors help you understand and evaluate the performance aspects of Mohawk hardwood flooring.

Construction:

Knowing how hardwood floors are made can be good for you. It allows you to understand the materials right from the start. Keep in mind that you’ll be living with these materials in your home.

Understanding the various hardwood options and the methods of floor construction also helps you evaluate their performance aspects. It also makes you a smarter shopper because you can identify hardwood value and keep you within your budget.

Here is the construction of the two types of hardwood flooring.

Solid Hardwood

Generally, the standard thickness of solid hardwood is 3/4” thick while the thin profile is 5/16”. The planks are sawn-cut in one of three ways, which impacts the hardwood’s stability and price.

Flat Sawn: This is by far the most commonly utilized cut. It features more contrasts than the other.

Quarter Sawn: A log is cut into quarters then into strips of woods to create hardwood flooring boards.

Rift Sawn: A log is cut at an angle then cuts into hardwood flooring. The angle will be different than the quarter sawn. This is more stable than other methods but is more expensive.

Solid hardwood floor plants are constructed with a tongue and groove sides. This forms a locking method making it easy to join the plants together. The advantage of having a thick wood floor is its ability to be sanded and refinished several times. If taken care properly, this type of flooring can last for generations.

However, you should be aware that they’re weak against moisture, temperature, and humidity. It’s not recommended that you install them below ground level or over a concrete slab.

Solid wood flooring tends to expand and contract with changes in humidity. For this reason, installers leave an expansion gap between the wall and the floor. You can hide the gap with a base molding.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood is created by sticking a real hardwood veneer to a core board made of either high-density fiberboard or plywood. This cross-ply construction makes engineered hardwood more stable in nature. It won’t expand nor contract even with the change in moisture, temperature, or humidity.

Another advantage is its versatility. You can install the engineered hardwood over concrete slabs and over radiant heat. It’s also more affordable than solid hardwood.

There may be around two to 10 plies used to make the plywood core. The higher the number of plies, the more stable it is and more expensive. A plywood core may be less stable than a high-density fiberboard.

There are three methods to cut the veneer for the engineered flooring.

Dry solid-sawn: The wood is dried out slowly to keep the interior moisture of wood cells intact. This may be the most expensive form of engineered flooring because it appears more like solid hardwood.

Rotary-peel: The log is boiled for a particular amount of time at a specific temperature. It is then scraped with a blade and pressed flat. This type of engineered flooring may have a plywood-like grain and can have warping problems.

Sliced-peel: The wood will be prepared by boiling the log. It will then be sliced from the end and pressed to make a veneer.

The thickness of the veneer may vary from 0.6mm to 6mm. The thicker the veneer, the higher the price. Be aware that this type of flooring can only be sanded and refinished for a limited time.

Engineered floor planks are constructed with either a tongue-groove side locking method or with a click-clock edge method. The latter requires no glue and enables the planks to snap together snugly into place. Most engineered floor plants can be stapled down, nailed down, or floated over a wide assortment of subfloors.

Class

Among the many features that affect the appearance of any specific hardwood flooring is the class of the wood. This focuses more on the appearance or the lack of certain characteristic marks. Here are the classes of Mohawk hardwood flooring:

Refined Class: This is the top grade in hardwood flooring. It has the most even color and longer board lengths. Its face is nearly free from blemishes or knots. Knots are those dense, round spots that appear in wood.

Traditional Class: A quality grade that begins to exhibit a more natural character. It can include darker or lighter boards. There might be some mineral marks and infrequent knots.

Vintage Class: This hardwood class exhibits more natural differences in lighter and darker boards as well as larger knots. Compared to the traditional class, the vintage class has more frequent character marks.

Character Class: This has the highest degree of variation. It has the most color contrast, roughly distinct knots, and larger filled knots. This is the class with the most mineral marks.

You must have your hardwood flooring option in mind by now. If you want to know the available Mohawk solid and engineered hardwood products, visit any Mohawk hardwood stores. You can also check their hardwood flooring products online.