Is Maple Hardwood softer or harder than Birch?

Question

I am wanting to put down some hardwood, and like the colors of the maple and birch, but want a better wood to lay down. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Take a look at http://www.ifloor.com/guide/hardness.html.
It describes the Janka hardness test which measures the amount of force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball's diameter. The result is expressed in pounds-force (lbf).

If you’re installing a floor in a high traffic area or you have large pets, you’ll want to look at a floor with a higher Janka hardness rating because a higher hardness rating means that the floor will be more resistant to scratches, dents, and other types of damage.

Here are a few Janka ratings - it shows Maple to be harder than birch:
1450 Maple
1450 North American Maple
1410 Natural Bamboo
1360 White Oak
1360 Red Oak
1360 Oak
1320 Ash
1320 White Ash
1300 Beech
1260 Yellow Birch
1260 Birch

Answer 2

the definition of "hardwood" is any wood that comes from a tree that has leaves and not needles. so although poplar is soft it is still considered a hardwood. Fir is a softwood but it was one of the first woods used for flooring and it is still used for flooring today. The grain in birch, maple or rock maple does not stand out particularly. unless the stain is buffed in and a clear top coat or coats are used. Time brings out the grain if a clear coat is used without a stain. Veneers are found in many types of wood, hard or soft, oak is a common veneer and that is a hard wood. veneers are used because the cost of solid wood or the availability of a particular grain is scarce such as birds eye which also comes in a variety of different woods. mahogany can be extremely hard. or very soft depending on where it has grown. It all comes down to your personal preference. Color, heavy or light grain etc. there is no wood out there that will stand up to stiletto heals or an errant nail or screw dragged across it. for durability use laminate flooring.

Answer 3

Birch; Most often used as a veneer, primarily for the LOOK of it's fine grain, hardly would be suitable for any heavy duty flooring use.
Maple is a hardwood, and has degrees of that, as one answer states.
Your details, which do state you want if for flooring, should offer you some insight however into actually shopping a company local to you for hardwood flooring, unless you want the laminate kind.
Actually Bamboo is probably the most durable, and recycleable of all the woods currently used in flooring, but there are others, such as Oak and Cherry. Mahogany, Walnut. Certainly there are also exotices like Teak or Rosewood.

Steven Wolf

Answer 4

Is Birch A Hardwood

Answer 5

Harder! Ever heard the term Hard Rock Maple?

Answer 6

Yes it is consider a hardwood. I play drums and the hard woods are maple and birch.

Answer 7

Depends on the kind of Maple, but typically it is harder than birch. Softest: pine.
Hardest: hickory

Answer 8

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Truth is, I've been a carpenter for almost 36 years, and I haven't found anything like this for less than 10's of thousands of dollars.

Answer 9

there is a soft maple that's used in woodworking.. for floors I'd say either they should both be about equal

Answer 10

harder