Identifying Hardwood Floors

How to find out what type of wood floor you have.
Identifying hardwood floors. Oak is generally less expensive since it is more abundant and it is usually the hardwood that you find in most homes so if you are looking to match what you already have chances are it is oak. The most predictable baseline to use when identifying wood is in a freshly sanded state. Knowing how to clean repair and otherwise prep the new found wood for your home depends. This eliminates the chances of a stain or natural aging skewing the color diagnosis of the wood.
You often can tell what kind of wood your floor is made from just by looking at it. List of types ages of wood floors used in buildings warnings to wood floor restorers. Identifying an existing floor finish. Wideboard shiplap edged floors in an 1860 s house we restored in wappingers falls ny had been coated with a paint made of oxblood and milk.
Many species such as oak pine and fir are easily recognizable. There are many types of hardwoods for building but only a few wood species are typically used to cover wood floors. I ve heard that it s important to tailor cleaning methods to the type of finish on the floor but i have no idea what finish was applied by the previous owner. Observe the wood grain.
The properties of wood as well as its coatings change over time. Oak is the most common type of hardwood in the united states especially in westchester county. Many older houses with solid hardwood floors have commonly used either red oak or. This makes identifying the hardwood easier but even professional installers can be stumped when it comes to hardwood floor identification.
For instance in the united states. By peter gedrys issue 238 oct nov 2013.