Which Hardwood Floor is the Most Durable?

Table of Contents:

1. What Makes a Parquet Durable?

2. How Do You Increase The Robustness of a Parquet?

3. Which Veneer Best Increases Durability?

4. Which Robust Types of Wood Are There?

5. Which Type of Wood is The Least Sensitive?

6. The Build of a Durable Hardwood Floor

7. The Winner of Our Analysis

8. Our Ranking for The Most Durable Hardwood Floors

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GERMAN

A high-quality hardwood floor gives every home an elegant look. However, parquet requires regular maintenance to last for a long time and remains resistant to stains, matting, damage, etc.

It's not only the amount of care you put into it that makes a difference but also the veneer (oil or lacquer) and the selected type of wood that is used for the parquet. Not surprisingly, some types of wood are more durable than others.

How robust a parquet is, always depends on how it is treated. When buying a hardwood floor, you can positively influence the expected service life and ease of maintenance by paying attention to some of the factors that we’ll describe in this article.

Which is the most durable hardwood Floor?

The most durable hardwood floor is a well-built multi-layer, engineered parquet made of Wenge (also called Wengé) which has a top layer of around 4-5 mm (3/16 inch) thickness. It must also have a high-quality plywood backing layer and have been treated with modern high-end hard wax oil.

But how do we come to this conclusion, and which woods are in second and third place?

What Makes a Parquet "Durable"?

"Durable" is the term used to describe a hardwood floor that can withstand a wide range of stresses and strains without being damaged. Durability requires:

• A high level of moisture resistance

• A hard surface

• A solid backing layer

• Good growing and shrinking properties

The hardness, elasticity, and moisture resistance determine whether a type of wood is robust or sensitive. Hardness ensures a very durable surface that is more likely to withstand stress. On the other hand, a high level of elasticity is particularly advantageous during installation, as the wood is usually easier to work with.

To find out how hard a type of wood is, it is worth taking a look at the density of the wood. The denser the wood, the more steadfast it is. The fiber density also determines the hardness.

The thickness of the hardwood flooring (or its top layer) also influences the robustness. Thick layers of wood are more robust and can be sanded down more frequently and thus “renewed” or “refreshed”. Parquets with a thick top layer are therefore more durable.

The top layer is the “heart” of a hardwood floor - the carrier layer is the backbone.

Many other factors influence the resistance and durability of hardwood flooring. For example, the right care and veneer can make a wooden floor even less sensitive.

How Do You Increase the Robustness of a Parquet?

Once the floor has been installed, it helps to ensure that it is properly cared for. You should distinguish between the maintenance of an oiled floor and a varnished (sealed/lacquered) parquet.

Oil veneer let’s wood breath and keep its natural qualities.

Contrary to popular belief, an oiled floor does not need more care than a floor that is sealed with a lacquer - but rather different care. Since oiled floors let air and moisture in and out, they are much more similar to raw wood. A sealed hardwood floor has a very impermeable veneer applied, which shields from moisture and dirt particles. Sadly, it also inhibits air exchange. This can be a good and a bad thing.

However, if moisture does get into a sealed parquet when it gets too wet, damage can sometimes be irreparable. This is one reason why nowadays, we at Ryser Böden recommend using high-quality parquet oil instead of a varnish. You can find out more about parquet oil in our german article on the topic.

Which Veneer Best Increases Durability?

Lacquered parquets have to be completely sanded down more often than oiled floors. This shortens the service life of the floor covering because, at some point, the top layer is sanded away too much. Oiled floors, especially those oiled with hard wax, can sometimes only be sanded down and refreshed locally by hand.

Since varnishes are scratched more quickly than surfaces oiled with hard wax and standing moisture can damage sealed wood floors much more, the winner in terms of durability is hard wax oil.

The best option is a parquet oil that has a high proportion of wax and is (or can be) refined with a hardener of sorts.

A high-quality hard wax oil protects wood from stains, moisture, scratches, excessive abrasion, and fiber tears. In addition, it can be refreshed and cleaned all in one step. Nowadays, this is made possible by using certain cleaning products that have added wood care components in them.

When cleaning, you should ensure that you use mild detergents and only wipe with a damp/wet cotton cloth (not a dripping wet one). This is important, so the wood retains sufficient moisture to stay “healthy” but also does not swell due to excessive moisture.

Which Robust Types of (Parquet-)Wood Are There?

The type of wood used for flooring has a lot of influence on how durable the floor is. All woods have different elasticity and hardness. Oak, Ash, or Red Beech from the northern hemisphere are among the most robust flooring woods, but so are more exotic woods such as Doussié, Teak, Ebony, and Wenge.

These woods are particularly suitable for rooms such as hallways, kitchens, or children's rooms. Due to their natural robustness, they can withstand greater stresses and strains like moving furniture, pet claws, and heavy usage. In addition, scratches and the like are usually less noticeable than on softer woods.

Oak parquet is one of today's favorites, partly due to its diversity in appearance and high value for money.

Less durable types of wood are, for example, spruce, fir, or larch. These are more suitable for bedrooms or living rooms.

Which Type of Wood is The Least Sensitive?

Contrary to popular belief, the most durable wood for interior hardwood flooring isn't Brazilian Walnut (Ipé) but rather another tropical wood: Wenge.

Wenge is the most insensitive wood that is used for the interior. This is mainly due to its density. The density is very high, making the wood extremely hard and heavy (similar to Brazilian Walnut).

Wenge is dark and absolutely beautiful. | Source: 3ab

But, Wenge shrinks and grows less under the influence of temperature and moisture compared to Brazilian Walnut. This makes it much more resistant to seasonality, daily temperature changes, and suboptimal care, making it much more durable in the long run.

Wenge is also much easier to apply veneer to since it reacts slightly better to it.

However, Wenge is rather expensive, which makes perfect sense when you look at a Wenge floor. In a modern home, a wenge parquet can give any room a seriously classy look. The wood is almost black and always looks elegant.

Unfortunately, it is a tropical wood, which (in the northern hemisphere) is not ideal from an ecological perspective. The installation of Wenge into homes should, therefore, only be carried out with certified wood.

The tropical wood Doussié also has a similar density but is not quite as hard and durable as wenge. Like Wenge, Doussié is usually of very high quality, albeit less expensive on average.

An even less expensive alternative for flooring purposes is Oak. Although it is not as hard as Wenge or Doussié, it still convinces with its above-average robustness. In addition, Oak can easily be designed in different ways - in other words: it can take on many shapes, colors, and styles.

Oak wood can be modified to fit any style and preference.

The Build of a Durable Hardwood Floor

As we've already described in a few of our articles, parquet is of higher quality if it has a solid, well-glued backing layer.

In addition to being easy and uncomplicated to lay, this makes it particularly resistant to fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Thus, a high-quality engineered multi-layer wood floor has much less swelling and shrinking properties than, for example, a solid wood floor. This is due to the plywood backing layer of an engineered parquet.

The in turn reduced movement between the boards increases the durability and service life of the floor.

The top layer should be at least 3-4 millimeters (3/16 inch) thick with a high-quality hardwood floor. For more expensive types of wood, we even recommend opting for thicker top layer variants (4-6 mm).

In short: the thicker and stronger said layer, the more durable the parquet. However, at a certain point, a multi-layer parquet with a top layer that is too thick resembles solid parquet too strongly. And, as we already know, this has its disadvantages.

The Winner of Our Analysis

In short, Wenge is the most robust wood for a parquet floor. The tropical wood is hefty and hard and is better protected against stains from moisture and pigmented substances. The very above-average hardness also ensures increased damage resistance.

The wood's ideal shrinking and growing properties make it very resistant to fluctuations in temperature and moisture, making a Wenge floor as carefree as wooden floors can get.

The right surface treatment - we recommend a strong hard wax oil - gives a Wenge parquet even more durability. Ideally cared for and regularly cleaned, such a floor covering will surely last for three generations.

Wenge just looks classy and sophisticated. | Source: Schubert Stone

Such an investment is particularly worthwhile in family properties; for example: Towards the end of the lifespan of a Wenge parquet (> 50 years), the floor already has the status of antique wood, which in turn even increases its value.

Wenge is a very dark type of wood, so you can quickly spot dust and similar light particles. This is simply a part of having dark floors, and because of this, you may have to vacuum the floor more often than, for example, a Doussié floor, which is lighter.

In our eyes, Doussié is the second most durable wooden floor. A parquet made from Doussié is almost as robust as Wenge but has the advantage of a lighter look, which is why it is less easy to see dust, dirt, and scratches. It even has better shrinking and growing properties than Wenge.

The third-place alternative for us, and much more ecological, is the popular Oak. Although it is not quite as robust as the tropical woods we mentioned, it is very hardy compared to other native species.

The environmental footprint of oak is undoubtedly better than that of tropical woods, as it is grown locally in Europe and the US. The transport routes are significantly shorter, and sustainable reforestation is more likely to be secured.

However, if you prefer dark and elegant floor coverings, value maximum durability and ease of use, and can afford it financially, you should have Wenge installed.

It is essential to pay attention to certifications for sustainable cultivation, though. We cannot approve of anything else.

For more environmentally conscious people, we recommend an oak floor. The options for hardwood floors made of oak are almost limitless.

Our Ranking for the Most Durable Hardwood Floors:

1. Wenge (Wengé)

2. Doussié (Afzelia)

3. Oak

In all cases, the most durable wooden floor is an engineered parquet with a hard wax oil veneer. The top layer should be around 4 to 5 millimeters thick, and the build should be of high quality.

We usually recommend opting for oak parquet, though. With oak, the value for money is usually best, and the sustainability of production is most likely to be ensured.