Everything You Need to Know about Maple Hardwood Flooring

Maple hardwood flooring may be either solid hardwood or it can be an engineered wood that is crafted from the wood of a maple tree. 

Everything You Need to Know about Maple Hardwood Flooring
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What Kind of Wood is Maple

Maple is considered to be a quick-to-grow type of hardwood tree. They are found in the United States and Canada. 

Colours and Variations:

The colouration of the wood extracted from this particular tree makes it very attractive. Typically, the grain of the wood is almost unseen, and the colour is usually a creamy white.

You will find the pieces sometimes coloured a light brown. There are no sharp contrasts of colour where the grains are and the boards have a smooth look to them because of this.

What Wood Floors Do for You

Laminate floor coverings, carpet, and linoleum are often cheaper to install than solid wood, so why choose maple hardwood flooring over ceramic and less expensive alternatives?

• If you install real wood floors the value of your home increases

• These floor coverings are easier to keep clean than many of the cheaper alternatives

• They last a lot longer than carpeting, vinyl, laminate, or other options

• They do not trap dust like carpet can so you have cleaner air to breath

• If they get scratched or scuffed they can be refinished instead of replaced

• They help to reduce the hollow sounds and the vibrations you often hear in a room.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Maple Hardwood Flooring

Advantages:

• This type of wood is very resistant to damage. It is often used to create flooring in gymnasiums and commercial establishments like bowling alleys.

• It is competitively priced 

• it is beautiful

• suitable for high traffic areas

Disadvantages:

• It is hard to stain

• It scratches easily

• It does not have a wide range of colour variations

• It is highly responsive to humidity and other environmental changes like temperature.

Maple Flooring vs. Oak Flooring

Maple Advantages:

• It is stronger than oak. 

• Popularity is fairly equal

Oak Advantages:

• Has a wider range of colours

• Takes stain better

• Durability is fairly equal

• Cost is slightly less

• Heavy and should be professionally installed for the best results

Maple vs. Cherry for Floor Covers

Maple Advantages:

• The grain is less porous

Cherry Advantages:

• Easier to stain

Hickory or Maple for Floors

Hickory Advantages:

• Very dense

• Accepts stain better

• Grains of the wood are distinctive

Maple Advantages:

• Less pronounced grains

• Works well with more decorating styles

Installation: DIY or Hire a Pro?

When you decide to install real wood flooring in your home you have to decide whether you are going to do the work for yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.

DIY Advantages:

• You save money

• You can do one room at a time

• You do not have to leave the home while the floor is being installed

• You get the pride of a job well done

Professional Installation:

• Generally, uses less material

• Results are guaranteed to be flawless

• This method is faster

• Professionals know how to properly reinforce your subfloor before beginning the installation

• Professionals know which underlayment will work best in your home

• You do not have to buy tools that you are only going to use once

Cost Considerations between DIY Installation and Professional Installation

If you break down the cost of doing a project like this yourself, or hire a professional to do the work, you quickly see which method fits best into your budget.

Flooring installation by a professional including the price of the materials will cost you about $14.70 to $18.00 per square foot. A 100-square-foot room would cost about $1,470 to $1,800 dollars to complete.

On the other hand, if you do the work for yourself you can expect the project to cost between $11.20 to $13.70 per square foot. That means a 100-square-foot room would have cost between $1,120 and $1,370.

If you do the job instead of hiring a professional you may also need such items as a floor stapler, a mitre saw, and an air compressor. You can normally rent these tools by the day or week and that is cheaper than buying them outright.

Tools you may need:

• Moisture meter

• Table saw

• Jigsaw

• Long level

• Pry bar

• Tapping block

• Drill and appropriate bits

• Mallet

• Spacers

• Chalk reel

Before you decide whether to do your own installation or hire a pro to think about the time you need to devote to the project, the cost of the tools you do not own and compare the inconveniences against the money you will save.

Did you Know?

• Maple is not one of the four most durable hardwood flooring types. The four most durable are Brazilian Ebony, Cherry Wood, Live Oak, and Bamboo.

• Both maple and hickory woods create hardwood planks that have the best value rating.

• If you are looking for scratch resistance in your floorboards choose Ebony or Cherry.

• Wood floors cannot be waterproof but ebony and bamboo come as close as you can get.

• Maple is considered one of the best woods to use on living room floors, hallways, and bedrooms.

• Before installing wooden floors, you need to let the wood acclimate to the temperature of the structure it is going into. The cases should be opened and the boards should be laid out and allowed to acclimate for three to five days.

• Flooring contractors make more money going into homes where the homeowner tried to install their own floor, and fix the problems the homeowner created than they do on installing the new floors.

• Of you have pets you want to consider buying boards made from the tougher woods found in Brazil than in the more exotic or cheaper items from the United States or Canada.

Final Thoughts

Maple Wood flooring boards are timeless and classic, and they will make your home beautiful and easier to keep clean. Floors made from this type of wood are stronger, more durable, and more user-friendly than floors made from most other alternative materials.