PROS: Pecan is a hard and dense light brown to dark reddish-brown wood. It is commonly available as strip flooring, sometimes mixed up with hickory. When mixed with hickory, it is extremely strong and durable. It has a fine but still very distinctive grain pattern. The grain is coarse and often irregular in structure. Pecan is modestly priced. It is very hard and will stand up well in high traffic areas. Similar to hickory, it is a rustic floor that is used in log cabins quite often. Also, since it is such a hard wood, it is fairly resistant to dents, scratches and gouging. Pecan is harder than oak. CONS: You may not find it in your area, it is more popular in the Deep South. Even though pecan is a fast-drying wood, it is susceptible to shrinking when it dries. The shrinkage is fairly minimal, but worth mentioning. Pecan is also susceptible to frost and decay. Also, it will sometimes dull tools when cut. Because it is incredibly hard, it doesn’t take nails that well. This is one hardwood that you may actually want to screw, rather than nail. (I know this goes against everything on my web site, but pecan is a special case!) TREE FACTS: Pecan is native to south-central North America. Pecan is a species of hickory. In the beginning of the 16th century, Europeans started to notice pecan trees and began to write about them.

PROS: Jarrah is known for its density. It has deep pink to reddish-brown to maroon tones. The color can vary quite a bit from one floorboard to the next. There are black streaks usually throughout. This wood has beautiful coloring. Its rich coloring is what makes it a highly prized wood. Like most exotic woods, the color will darken with exposure to sunlight. You will never want to stain it. You will want to leave it the way it is and just apply polyurethane. The poly finish will add luster and depth. This will make your jarrah floor almost look three-dimensional. There may also be the occasional ingrown grain. The grain structure ranges from straight to wavy to interlocking. The grain is open and its texture is slightly coarse. Jarrah is harder than red oak. It is a very strong, heavy wood. Jarrah makes a good floor covering for high foot traffic areas. It is double the density of yellow pine. Jarrah holds nails well. It is resistant to termites and fungus. CONS: Be careful when you sand this wood. The sawdust will stain fabrics and window treatments. Make sure to have your work area ready ahead of time to avoid getting jarrah sawdust on your clothing or your curtains. You will want to control the jarrah sawdust. Because the grain is often irregular, it makes its workability more challenging. For example, you may need to sand certain sections of your floor more than others to create a smooth surface. Also if you are mixing species, the pigment in jarrah can bleed into some finishes. TREE FACTS: Jarrah is the Aboriginal name for Eucalyptus marginata. Jarah is a Eucalyptus tree commonly found in the southwest of Western Australia. Jarrah is widely known for its resistance to insect attacks. Jarrah is a flowering tree. Its flowers are used to make honey. It is often used in the making of railroad tracks. Jarrah is sustainably managed by the Australian government under the Department of Conservation and Land Management. The mandate of jarrah’s sustainable yield program is to ensure that these beautiful forests are not cut down and will be enjoyed for future generations. If you are looking to get an ecologically sustainable wood floor covering, consider jarrah.

PROS: Beautifully colored. No need for stains. The wood is a dark red-brown to a lighter pink-red color. If you apply an oil based polyurethane it will naturally darken to a most wonderful tone, my absolute favorite. The wood will darken overtime to a bold russet brown. The wood grain is wavy. CONS: While more dent resistant than birch, it is softer than oak. It can be expensive and usually has to be specially ordered. It is one of the most expensive domestic hardwoods. It must be sanded extra-fine, as sanding lines will show in this fairly flat grained wood. Similar to pine and birch, American black cherry’s swirly grain pattern makes stains go on blotchy. So use a gel stain if you must darken the wood. The reason why a gel stain works is because it is not penetrating the wood. Bartley’s makes a good stain for American black cherry. It is prone to moderate splitting. It is a soft to medium density hardwood. TREE FACTS: It is the largest of the native cherry tree family. The trees that are harvested for commercial use are grown in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. It also is grown in eastern Canada. American black cherry is a flowering tree. It is one of the most popular domestic hardwoods for making furniture.

PROS: Hickory is extremely hard. Probably the toughest wood floor you can get. That’s why it is commonly used for making axe handles! It has a lovely light tan to brown coloration and a bold, often wavy grain pattern. For commercial high use areas you can have the toughness of maple with the bold graining of oak and the warm pecan-like tones, just by applying a simple clear coating. Hickory makes a rustic floor covering. Because it is so incredibly hard, it won’t dent easily. It is terrific for both residential and commercial buildings. It clearly can stand up to high foot traffic. A hickory floor is unique and will call attention to itself. Instead of accenting a room with other things, the focus will be on the hickory floor. CONS: It is hard to find hickory in stock. It must be special ordered, or milled up on a custom basis. It is very difficult to sand and care must be taken to eliminate all coarse sanding marks. Hickory is moderately expensive. TREE FACTS: Hickory is native to the United States and Mexico. It is a flowering tree. Hickory is often used for fuel because it burns long and slow. It is considered to be one of the better fuel woods.

PROS: If you want a piece of the Hawaiian Islands here it is. It’s close to walnut in appearance, and once finished it has some interesting figuring due to silicone impregnation. It has the similar weight of walnut. It is known as the Hawaiian mahogany. In other words, it is a highly regarded wood. It has beautiful brown to black streaking on a lighter brown background. Sometimes this wood can be an orangy-brown with black streaking. The streaks can sometimes be very thin or very bold. It is a unique and unusual wood floor. Once this floor is finished, it has some very striking figuring. It resists cupping and warping more than many other finished woods. CONS: Outside the Islands it will be difficult and very expensive to obtain. It’s a bit softer than oak or walnut so treat it with care. Like other exotic woods, koa is photosensitive meaning that it will darken overtime when it is exposed to light. TREE FACTS: Koa is a flowering tree in the pea family. It is the second most common tree species in the Hawaiian Islands and one of the region’s tallest. It only grows in Hawaii. You can’t find this tree anywhere else on Earth! The diameter of a koa can reach over 10 feet and they are salt water resistant. These characteristics make these terrific for canoe building and surfboards, two common products that Hawaiians make out of it. Because the koa tree is highly prized in Hawaii, it is actually illegal to harvest any wood from a live koa tree. Only dead trees are permitted to be taken for woodwork. The koa tree is protected and this makes it hard to obtain.

PROS: Ebony’s color ranges from dark reddish-brown to gray to black brown. Sometimes it can be pure black throughout but you will pay big bucks for it. It is amongst the darkest woods. The grain pattern varies from straight to slightly interlocked to a little curly. The texture of the grain is extremely fine. The wood has a lustrous, almost metallic look. It is a hard, durable wood that is resistant to termites. It is stronger than maple and santos mahogany. Ebony finishes beautifully. Usually it has the appearance of a dark, polished floor. Ebony finishes beautifully with little effort. CONS: Because it is such a hard wood, ebony is difficult to machine. Ebony will dull your hand tools. It requires that nails be pre-drilled. The sawdust, if exposed to it for long enough, will cause dermatitis. Please wear a proper mask. If you are concerned about working with the sawdust, you may want to go with the prefinished ebony. Ebony is fairly rare tree and therefore its wood is hard to obtain and expensive. TREE FACTS: Ebony is native to West Africa but grows in the Asian, Indian and African continent. It is often used in the making of piano keys and other musical instruments. Ebony is also used in commercial pool cue turners. Ebony literally means the “fruit of the gods” in Greek. The ancient Greeks used this wood to make wine goblets because ebony was believed to be an antidote for poison and it was used to ward off the enemy’s evil intent. The reason some people today think ebony is endowed with magical powers is probably related to the ancient Greek beliefs. These trees are quite small. An ebony that is 100 years old will be 50″ in height and 1 1/2″ in diameter. Today, it is hard to find completely black ebony so new drying methods are being employed to darken the wood and make its color consistent. Also, synthetic pigments are sometimes added to the wood to blacken it.

PROS: It has the most stunning figuring that I’ve ever seen. It is a medium hard wood. It is very stable under average moisture conditions. The wood has a fairly high resistance to decay. It can appear golden brown or light pink and would make for an interesting boarder. The wood is very lustrous and sometimes it is almost iridescent. The grain is small and flaky. The grain can appear as a multitude of “eyes” or decorative flecks. Lacewood’s unique patterning makes it very suitable as an accent because it can provide a very interesting contrast. Lacewood flooring takes nails very well. It also accepts finishes well. It is a durable wood that works well for heavy foot traffic. The wood is fairly light in weight and holds stains well. Lacewood makes a beautiful floor because of its attractive and figurative grain patterns. Brazilian lacewood is darker and heavier than Austarlian lacewood. CONS: It is extremely expensive often costing over 14 dollars per square foot. The cost is high because of the shipping. It is really only suitable for borders and accents. You have to be very careful when you work with Australian lacewood. The sawdust may cause skin irritations and respiratory problems. It is better to buy this wood as prefinished flooring to avoid working with the sawdust. TREE FACTS: There are two varieties of lacewood. One is native to Brazil and grown in Central and South America. The other is grown in Australia. Lacewood is part of the oak family. 

PROS: Ipe is one of the strongest and densest woods available for flooring applications. It is a great floor for heavy foot traffic. Ipe will hardly develop wear marks. If you have large dogs or children, ipe is a good wood floor choice. Even with a light finish, most spills will not penetrate the wood and will just sit on the surface. Ipe has a fairly straight grain. Sometimes this wood can also look very similar to teak. It resists decay and termite attack. It is a very fire resistant wood. The wood varies from a light golden brown with olive green accents to reddish brown to darker brown streaks. CONS: You will not achieve color uniformity with this wood. I personally think it looks great but some people prefer a consistent-looking floor. Because it is such a dense wood, you will need to use carbide tools to machine ipe successfully. You will probably want to have an extra blade for your miter saw. Ipe will dull your tools. You will have to predrill all of your holes first. Your holes should be drilled pretty close to the size of the finishing nails. Otherwise your wood will split. You should experiment with ipe first to be on the safe side. You may want to get a few extra ipe boards. The sawdust from ipe can cause respiratory and dermatitis reactions. If you decide to go with the unfinished flooring (which I do not recommend), you should be wearing a very good respiratory mask. Ipe is not a good choice for dry climates. It has a tendency to split and crack easily in low humidity conditions (under 35% relative humidity). It is very difficult for manufacturers to take ipe, a wood that grows in a rainforest where tropical rainfall is high, and effectively kiln dry it for conditions like northern Ontario where it is extremely dry in the winter. It is next to impossible to acclimate ipe to match the conditions of a home that has humidity swings. If you live in an area that has cold and dry winters, you don’t want to get ipe flooring. It has some finishing issues. Ipe has a unique chemical makeup that interferes a lot with the drying, adhesion and absorption of wood stains and topcoats. Because of its denseness, most stains usually do not penetrate below the surface of ipe. To be successful at finishing ipe, you need to be an experienced finisher. It is best to buy this wood as prefinished flooring for this reason. TREE FACTS: Ipe refers to a cluster of trees from the Bignoniaceae family. These trees have similar physical properties. Ipe grows from Brazil to continental tropical America as well as some areas in Lesser Antilles. A lot of people are not familiar with ipe. Some North American manufacturers will refer to ipe as Brazilian walnut because it has similar properties even though it is different. Because it is such a dense wood, it has been used for industrial applications like railway ties and heavy truck bedding.

PROS: Douglas fir is fairly tough for a softwood. It has an interesting grain pattern especially in the riftsawn or vertical grain grades. It takes a pigmented stain quite easily and evenly, but clear finishing this amber-red toned wood brings out the true beauty of this flooring material. CONS: Like most softwoods this wood will dent and gouge easily. It is somewhat chip prone on the edges, so be careful when installing new or restoring old douglas fir floors. They undergo radical color changes when they are exposed to sunlight. It is not best suited for high traffic areas. Because it is a softwood, be careful not to over-sand a douglas fir floor. TREE FACTS: Douglas fir is named after David Douglas who was a Scottish botanist. In 1826, he introduced the first douglas firs into cultivation. There are five different species of douglas fir. Two of these species come from western North America, two of them come from eastern Asia, and one comes from Mexico. These trees are often used as Christmas trees. The majority of the douglas fir that is used for flooring comes from the United States and in southern and central British Columbia, Canada.

PROS: The color and grain pattern will vary in a mixed cherry floor. This will make for a very interesting, unusual floor with a lot of depth to it. You won’t need to stain it. The color is stunning. CONS: It will be pretty durable. The Brazilian cherry is extremely strong and the American variety is weaker. It would obviously be a much stronger floor if you went with a completely Brazilian cherry floor. TREE FACTS: Mixed cherry hardwood flooring is a mixture of American black cherry and Brazilian cherry. See the Cherry, American Black and the Jatoba, Brazilian Cherry sections in this “Doc’s Total Wood Species Guide“.