Skip to main content

American Walnut



American Walnut is a prized hardwood used for furniture, flooring, rifle gun stocks and even coffins. The heartwood of the walnut tree is dark brown to purple in color, while the sapwood is a white to creamy brown color. Some manufacturers will steam the sapwood to help make the color more uniform and consistent. The walnut grain is one of the most beautiful of all hardwoods, which is very close in structure to American Cherry.

Walnut Flooring is one of the most expensive hardwoods available, along with American Cherry. Many furniture manufactures get the biggest walnut logs and rotary peel them for furniture. This is why wide width long length walnut is so expensive. Flooring manufacturers are short on supply of large walnut logs, hence the higher price. Before you get a quote for walnut, make sure you know which grade of lumber you are buying. Straight grained (quarter sawn) is the most expensive; select is a little less expensive and character walnut being the least expensive.

Walnut when used for flooring is easily milled and takes nails and staples well. It is fairly durable and finishes well. On the Janka scale walnut is rated at 1010. If you have an active home with small children and or dogs and are concerned by denting, walnut should not be your first choice. A good alternative to American Walnut is Brazilian walnut. Brazilian walnut is much harder, more resistant to denting and is similar in color. The key to purchasing any type of hardwood flooring is to know its grading and inherent value, as well as its characteristics. Flooring samples do not always show all of the true colors you can expect within a given species. If you cannot make a decision based off a flooring sample, I recommend buying a box of material to inspect the grading and color before final purchase.
Thanks,
The Floor Man

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Solid Vs. Engineered Hardwood. Which is better?

In this article I will cover the difference between engineered and solid wood flooring. I often get asked; is engineered hardwood actually real wood? The answer to that question is: Yes! There are some who think that engineered wood is inferior to its solid counterpart. Solid wood has its benefits, however it is not necessarily better than engineered. Actually, the opposite just may be true. Engineered hardwood has a cross-plywood construction, with a solid wood veneer laminated to the top. Solid hardwood is just that, solid. Both styles range in thickness from 5/16 to 3/4 inch. Both types of floors come prefinished or unfinished and come in a variety of widths and styles. There are several benefits to engineered hardwood. Here are just a few. Engineered hardwood is more dimensionally stable than solid wood flooring. Engineered floors can be glued down directly to concrete, floated or stapled. They can be installed above, on, or below grade. Engineered floors are less prone to cupping...
34 comments
Read more

Urethane vs. Acrylic adhesives

If you are about to install engineered hardwood using the glue down method, I recommend that you read this article. One of the most important factors when installing engineered hardwood is the adhesive. Using the proper adhesive is critical to a successful installation. In this article I will briefly cover the differences between Acrylic and Urethane based adhesives. Let me start with acrylic adhesives. Acrylic adhesives are resin based and contain a certain percentage of water in them. The main problem with resin based adhesives, is the lack of tensile strength. In order for Acrylic adhesives to perform at their optimal level, the sub-floor needs to be well prepared and extremely flat. If the sub-floor is not level and flat and you choose to use an acrylic adhesive, I guarantee you will have hollow spots once the job is complete. Hollow spots are areas in which the wood floor is not adhered properly to the substrate. This problem is common and can be recognized by a popping or hollow ...
3 comments
Read more

Hardwax Oil vs. Urethane Finishes

In the early to mid 1980's,  a new type of urethane fini sh entered the market; water-base urethane was the new craze. With the entrance of water-base into the market-place, contractors quickly began to realize its value. The new water-base finishes added extra durability, dried much faster than its counterpart, and reduced the amount of labor hours. Prior to urethane finishes, hardwood floors were often sealed with multiple layers of shellac (lacquer was also popular); contractors would apply a coat of hot wax, which acted as a protective barrier. Finally, contractors would then polish the floor; finishing it up. Now, almost after a half of a century, the new craze is here; "Hardwax Oil".  Made from waxes and oils, such as carnauba and parrafin wax, and natural oils, such as sunflower and linseed. Hardwax Oil is quickly gaining favor in the hardwood finish industry. So, the question is, which is better. Urethane or Hardwax Oil?...
10 comments
Read more