Wood Species

Red Oak
The benchmark of hardwood floors. The heartwood and sapwood are very similar in color. Baseman Floors uses only northern-grown red oak, which is harder and more uniform in grain. Janka: 1290

White Oak
Has a lighter brown heartwood with a white to cream sapwood. White oak is 5% harder than northern red oak. Janka: 1360

Rift & Quarter White Oak
A variation of white oak that has tighter grain pattern and low figuring. Quartersawn white oak has a flake pattern sometimes called tiger rays or butterflies. Janka: 1360

Maple (Hard/Sugar)
The heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown and the sapwood is pale to creamy white. Maple is 12% harder than red oak. Janka: 1450

Hickory
The heartwood is a reddish-brown with dark brown stripes. Sapwood is pale white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory is 41% harder than northern red oak. Janka: 1820

Black Walnut
Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich, dark brown to a purplish-black. Sapwood ranges from early white to tan. Black walnut is 22% softer than northern red oak. Janka: 1010

American Cherry
The heartwood is light to dark reddish-brown, and the sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pinkish tone. Cherry is 26% softer than northern red oak. Janka: 950

Birch
The heartwood is a light reddish-brown tinged with red and is specifically selected for its color. Sapwood is creamy yellow or pale white. Red birch has been a very popular floor in the past few years. Janka: 1260

Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)
Heartwood is a salmon-red to orange-brown when fresh, and becomes russet or reddish-brown when seasoned. Often, the heartwood is marked with dark streaks. The sapwood is gray-white in color. Brazilian cherry is 119% harder than oak. Janka: 2820

Santos Mahogany
A dark, reddish-brown, Santos Mahogany looks similar to the Brazilian cherry but is lighter and more uniform in color. Santos mahogany is 71% northern red oak. Janka: 2200

Brazilian Walnut (Ipe)
Brazilian walnut varies from light yellowish-tan with green overtones to an almost blackish-brown. When freshly milled, there is a large range of coloration, with darkness occurring over time to a medium or dark brown. Janka: 3680

Cumaru (Southern Chestnut/Brazilian Teak)
At first, red-brown or purple-brown in color with light yellow-brown or purple streaks. After exposure, Cumaru turns a more uniform light brown or yellow brown. Cumaru is 174% harder than northern red oak. Janka: 3540