Are Maples Hardwood

Prefinished maple hardwood comes in a wide range of hues.

Are maples hardwood.

Harder woods can be susceptible to decay while softer wood resists it. If you are looking for affordable pricing and durability maple hardwood flooring is a strong option. Unlike most other hardwoods the sapwood of hard maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood sapwood color ranges from nearly white to an off white cream color sometimes with a reddish or golden hue. Hard and soft hardwood maples are used to produce everything from the syrup on a stack of pancakes to the table the plate is sitting on.

The texture and density of the wood a tree produces puts it in either the hardwood or softwood category. Softwood comes from a conifer cone bearing or evergreen trees such as pine or spruce. The wood of soft maple is not as heavy or as strong as that of hard maple. Bigleaf maple is moderately hard.

Maple is harder than oak but hardness doesn t always translate into durability. Prefinished maple hardwood has the longevity to withstand high traffic. Maples are distinguished by opposite leaf arrangement. Silver maple red maple and boxelder are soft maples.

Taking the hardness data within context of other hardwoods soft maple may be used as a valid substitute for hard maple in most situations where a hardwood of moderate density is called for. The leaves in most species are palmate veined and lobed with 3 to 9 rarely to 13 veins each leading to a lobe one of which is central or apical. Maple cannot absorb stain as well as oak mainly due to its consistency. A small number of species differ in having palmate compound pinnate compound pinnate veined or unlobed leaves.

The heartwood tends to be a darker reddish brown. Homeowners attempting to match new portions of maple hardwood with older sections often find the task challenging. Also note that black maple not pictured isn t quite as hard as its close relative hard maple and ranks in the mid range with a hardness of 1 180 lb f. Several species including acer griseum paperbark maple acer mandshuricum.

Janka ratings for maple range from 700 for silver maple to 1 180 for black maple. Where you use the hardwood is more important than its density and hardness. Maple timber is less porous than oak making it more resistant to dents and scratching. That would depend on the type of hardwood but generally the name comes from the tree type.

Hard hardwoods have strong and sturdy wood while the wood of soft hardwoods is more pliable. If you lean to a more contemporary look for your home maple is frequently chosen for a consistent contemporary look. Most hardwood trees are deciduous trees which lose their leaves annually like elm or maple.