Getting new floors, especially hardwood floors, is a great way to upgrade your experience at home as well as the value of your home when you eventually go to sell. But you’ve got many flooring options and what you want to go with depends largely on what you’re hoping to get out of your new floors. You could be aiming for durability, cost effectiveness, or maybe aesthetic. You need to take this into consideration as you shop for new floors.

Two of the most popular hardwood flooring options are hickory and oak.

But there are some important distinctions between the two options to consider before you commit to one. Hickory uses wider planks while red oak is most common for the aesthetic appeal. What you’re looking to get out of your floor will help you determine where to focus.

We’ve put together some important points about oak and hickory floors to help you make your decision.

Cost

If you want to pay attention first and foremost to your budget, then oak is the more cost-effective choice over hickory. This is partially why it’s the most common. You can expect oak to be around at least 75cents cheaper than hickory in most board sizes though it can differ. It doesn’t seem like much, but at almost a dollar it’ll add up very fast as your pricing up your new floor.

Aesthetic

Oak also wins this battle. It’s an extremely popular choice because it comes, naturally, in a variety of shades and colors. It offers dozens of options for homeowners without even having to look at engineered wood. Amongst the many shades, red oak is the most popular for US homeowners and, as mentioned above, conveniently the most affordable option.

Durability

Perhaps you’re not looking at what looks the best or you have a bigger budget and need something that can handle high traffic for your large family or maybe pets. The best option here is hickory, which can handle traffic with a lot more longevity and durability than oak and other common wood options. It’s the first choice for those looking for a floor that they can depend on, above everything else. It has a janka rating of 1820, making it an extremely hard wood.

Related Questions

What is the Most Difficult to Install?

There is a bit of a double-edged sword to hickory’s durability. It’s extreme hardness also makes it very difficult to install. The density of the wood becomes a problem as the installation happens, even if it holds up afterwards. This will require some extra professional help, so it’s something to keep in mind.

What Value Does Hardwood Floors Increase?

One of the big reasons to go for a hardwood floor is to up the value of your home. On average, you can expect to see around a 2.5% increase in home value with substantial hardwood floors. Though this is dependent on some other factors, you’ll see a couple percentages of increase, no matter what.

So, what’s your verdict? Only you can decide that. But now you’ve got an idea about what to expect from different hardwood floor options. Happy renovating!

Hardwood floors are out passion at Cameron the Sandman. That is why we provide all the hardwood flooring services you need to install, repair, refinish and maintain the beauty and value of your floors. Beautifying your home with hardwood floors can be an overwhelming task. That’s why we manage each flooring project from start to finish handling all of the details so that it makes the process as easy as it can be for our customer.

Hardwood floors are beautiful, durable and can last a lifetime with our impeccable refinishing and restoration flooring services. Call today to learn more!