Choosing a Hardwood Species for Your Boise Home

Choosing a hardwood floor isn't just about picking a stain color off a sample board. The species of wood underneath the stain affects how the floor looks, how it wears over the years, and how it responds to the humidity swings that come with an Idaho winter and summer. Idaho Hardwood Flooring installs six species: walnut, maple, oak, hickory, pine and birch. Each one brings something different to a room, and knowing the general differences between them makes it a lot easier to have a useful conversation with an installer.

Why species matters before you pick a color

Two floors stained the exact same shade of brown can look completely different depending on the wood underneath, because grain pattern and natural color vary a lot by species. Oak has a pronounced, visible grain that takes stain unevenly in a way many homeowners like because it looks natural rather than uniform. Maple has a much tighter, subtler grain that reads smoother and more contemporary. That's a general point about hardwood species, not specific to any one installer, but it's worth understanding before you start comparing sample boards, because the same stain color can look like two different floors on two different species.

Oak: the familiar standard

Oak is the wood most people picture when they think of a hardwood floor, and for good reason. It's widely available, it takes stain well because of its open grain, and it has a long track record in American homes. Idaho Hardwood Flooring's own gallery includes oak floors refinished to a high gloss and oak used in new installations, so it's a species they work with regularly. If you want a floor that looks classic and won't feel dated in ten years, oak is usually the well-understood choice.

Maple and birch: tighter grain, harder wearing

Maple and birch both have a finer, more subtle grain than oak, which gives them a cleaner, more modern look. Maple in particular is a denser wood, generally regarded in the trade as one of the harder domestic hardwood species, which is part of why it tends to hold up well in busy parts of a home over many years. One of Idaho Hardwood Flooring's customers had 20-plus year old maple floors refinished and was glad she did, which speaks to how that species ages. Birch offers a similar tight grain with its own lighter, more uniform tone.

Walnut, hickory and pine: warmer, darker, more rustic

Walnut is a naturally dark wood, so if you want a deep, rich brown look without relying entirely on stain to get there, walnut gets you closer to it naturally. It's also a softer wood than oak or maple, worth knowing if the room in question gets heavy foot traffic or rolling furniture. Hickory has one of the more dramatic grain patterns of the species Idaho Hardwood Flooring installs, with strong color variation from board to board that gives a room a rustic, lived-in warmth right away. Pine sits at the other end of the spectrum: a softer, lighter wood, often chosen for a farmhouse or cottage look, and it tends to show dents and wear marks more readily than oak or maple simply because it's a softer wood.

• Oak: visible open grain, classic look, widely available
• Maple: tight grain, generally harder wearing, contemporary feel
• Birch: similar tight grain to maple, lighter and more uniform tone
• Walnut: naturally dark and softer wood, rich look without heavy staining
• Hickory: dramatic grain and strong color variation, rustic warmth
• Pine: soft and light, farmhouse feel, shows wear more readily

Established locally, not just another installer

Idaho Hardwood Flooring has been in business since 2009 and describes itself as locally and family owned, working across Boise and the Treasure Valley, with a listed service area that also includes McCall, Caldwell, Twin Falls, Payette, Sun Valley, Nampa, Homedale and Marsing. They're a National Wood Floors Association member and a BBB-accredited business, and they publish a One-Year Labor Warranty on their installations. Whichever species you're leaning toward, it's the same team and the same backing behind the installation.

Idaho Hardwood Flooring installs any of these six species in a new home or an existing one, and offers a free consultation to walk through which species fits the room you're working with. Call (208) 547-5571 if you want to talk through options before deciding.