Explore Our Grand Selection of Quality Hardwoods at Nissly Professional Hardwood Flooring

At Nissly Professional Hardwood Flooring, our hardwood flooring products add warmth, beauty, and elegance to any setting. Here are some benefits of choosing hardwood floors:

• Hardwood floors (or refinishing existing hardwood floors) instantly boost your home's value, a significant advantage in today's competitive housing market.
• They are more cost-effective over time compared to other flooring types.
• With proper maintenance, hardwood floors can last a lifetime.
• Hardwood floors are more hygienic than other flooring options.
• They are hypo-allergenic, trapping fewer allergens, bacteria, and dust mites than other flooring choices.
• Hardwood floors contribute to better air quality.
• They are easier to maintain than many other types of flooring.
• There is a wide variety of wood species, colors, grain patterns, and stains to match your style.
• Hardwood floors can be repaired if damaged.
• Refinishing is always an option to renew your floor's appearance.

Janka Hardness Chart

The Janka Hardness Test evaluates a wood's resistance to pressure by determining the force needed to embed an 11.28 millimeter (0.444 inches) diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. This process creates a circular indentation with an area of 100 square millimeters. The results, expressed in pounds-force (lbf), reflect the side hardness of the wood, meaning the test is conducted on the surface of a plank with the force applied perpendicular to the grain.

This chart can be used as a guide for the hardness of woods. It is helpful in determining how hard it will be to either nail, staple, or saw the particular species of wood. It can also be used to estimate how easily a wood floor will withstand pressure causing dents and wear. The higher the rating, the harder, or more durable, the wood will be.

Hardwood Floor Grading

The grade of hardwood depends on the desired look and project budget. Each grade has its own unique characteristics:

Clear

• Virtually free of defects, primarily composed of heartwood.
• Exhibits the most uniform color with minimal small character marks.
• This grade is more expensive than others.

Select or 1st Grade

• Nearly clear, but with more natural characteristics such as knots and color variations.
• Contains unlimited sound sapwood (lighter in color).

#1 Common or 2nd Grade

• Features more markings than clear or select grades.
• Displays a mix of light and dark colors, knots, and other character marks, including sticker stains, giving it a variegated appearance.
• Often chosen for its natural, rustic look.

#2 Common or 3rd Grade

• Contains the most knots, imperfections, and color variations.
• Offers a natural, more affordable option full of character, ideal for those desiring many character markings.

Plainsawn

• The most common and least expensive method of cutting wood flooring.
• Shows more variation due to the prominent grain patterns from the growth rings.
• This method is economical as it produces the widest boards with the least waste.
• The flooring tends to expand and contract more across the width of the boards.

Quartersawn

• Produces fewer board feet per log than plainsawing, making it more expensive.
• The log is cut into quarters and then sawn perpendicular to the growth rings.
• Quartersawn flooring expands and contracts vertically rather than horizontally, offering greater stability in changing climates and humidity.

Domestic Wood Species

Following are the many domestic wood species we feature at Nissly Wood Floors:

Ash White or Scientific Name: Fraxinus Americana

Properties: White ash is elastic and hard, and it has excellent shock-resistance. The wood remains smooth under friction. Janka Hardness: 1320

This chart can be used as a guide for the hardness of woods. It is helpful in determining how hard it will be to either nail, staple, or saw the particular species of wood. It can also be used to estimate how easily a wood floor will withstand pressure causing dents and wear. The higher the rating, the harder, or more durable, the wood will be.

Beech or Scientific Name: Fagus grandifolia

Properties: Beech is frequently used in factory floors and other high-traffic areas, since it wears well and stays smooth when subjected to repeated friction. The wood is hard and elastic, with excellent shock-resistance. Janka Hardness: 1300

Cherry (Black) or Scientific Name: Prunus serotina

Properties: A strong but moderately hard wood with excellent shock resistance, black cherry is generally considered too soft for an entire floor; mainly it is found in borders and accents. Janka Hardness: 950

Douglas Fir or Scientific Name: Pseudotsuga menziesii

Properties: Douglas Fir has little natural resistance to termites or decay, and as such should be treated as a preventative measure. The wood remains smooth under friction and is reported to have no odor. Douglas Fir dries rapidly with little degrade resulting from the process. Janka Hardness: 710

Hickory-Pecan or Scientific Name: Carya spp.

Properties: Prized for their resiliency, both hickory and pecan wood are exceedingly high in shock resistance, and they rank as the hardest of all North American hardwoods. Their combination of stiffness, toughness, hardness, and durability can be found in no other commercial wood, which is why they are used when an extremely hard and durable wood floor is desired. Janka Hardness: 1820

Maple Sugar-Hard or Scientific Name: Acer saccharum

Properties: Like black maple (B. nigrum), sugar maple is classified as a hardwood (other species of maple are considered soft). And like teak and white oak, it has a high crushing strength. It is stiff, strong, dense, and extremely tough, with excellent shock resistance. It is notably resistant to abrasive wear; and for this reason, it is the hardwood flooring of choice for such high-traffic/hard-use locations as bowling alleys, basketball courts, and other sports facilities. Janka Hardness: 1450

Mesquite or Scientific Name: Prosopis spp

Properties: In addition to its warm reddish tint, this moderately lustrous wood is notable for its hardness and durability Mesquite is extremely dense wood and very strong. Janka Hardness: 2345

Red Oak or Scientific Name: Quercus rubra

Properties: White oak is slightly harder than red oak, and also more durable. However, both types are notably stiff and dense, have high shock resistance, and resist wear. Because of the high concentration of tannic acid in white oak, it is particularly resistant to fungi and insects. Janka Hardness: 1290

Pine Antique-Heart or Scientific Name: Carpinus betulus

Properties: Pine species do not usually have a high resistance to decay, but they do have a propensity to absorb preservatives rather well. The wood commonly has no odor. Most pine species are not difficult or time consuming to dry properly. Janka Hardness: 1225

Pine Southern-Yellow or Scientific Name: Pinus taeda

Properties: Pine species do not usually have a high resistance to decay, but they do have a propensity to absorb preservatives rather well. The wood commonly has no odor. Most pine species are not difficult or time consuming to dry properly. Janka Hardness: 870

Walnut American Black or Scientific Name: Juglans nigra

Properties: This is one of the most prized of North American hardwoods. Although American black walnut is somewhat softer than northern red oak, the wood is heavy, hard, and stiff and has excellent dimensional stability. It is moderatly dense, but very strong, with good shock resistance. Walnut is one of the most durable of the domestic commercial woods, even under conditions favorable to decay. Janka Hardness: 1010

Exotic Wood Species 

Following is our selection of exotic wood species:

Brazilian Cherry (also known as Jatoba) is one of the hardest of the hard woods. There are different grades that determine color variation, but the tones are red and brown with long straighter grain patterns. Some manufacturers apply a wash to provide a more consistent color with less color changing. Jatoba changes in color significantly from straight out of the box as a light color to a deep rich color, most of the change happens in the first year.

Merbau is an exotic wood with a unique straight grain pattern, with deep reddish and brown tones.

Tigerwood is an exotic and dramatic. It is rich in color, with contrasting grain lines.