How hard is hard enough for a hardwood floor?

**Robd** · 1st December 2011, 03:53 PM

Over the last few weeks and months I have been speaking to different mills about the various timber species available for flooring. So far I am stuck between choosing Blackbutt and Grey box.

Speaking to some of the sales men I have been told that both will wear well and I will see very little difference with regard to scratchs and dents.In their mind the more critical element is the selant used. Others tell me that greybox is as hard as hell and will be much more hard wearing than blackbutt. So the questions is, where does the truth lie?

Do I need to get above some critical threshold of Janka rating to have a hardwearing floor or is this in fact an inapporiate measure?

I don't want to be the sort of person to tell people they can't wear stilletos in the house so hard hard is hard enough and what rating system should I use?

Thanks in advance for your help.

**timboz** · 2nd December 2011, 08:03 PM

Rob,
A typical polyurethane coating will improve the hardness (read dent resistance) of say a pine floor but for Janka ratings of say 9 or above the timber itself will determine the hardness and the type of coating the level of scratch/scuff resistance. I have had a Blackbut floor and they will dent from very hard knocks but you could pretty well hit an Ironbark or Grey Box floor with a hammer and not dent it. In fact why don't you take a hammer and ask for some offcut material to test. Hope this helps.

Regards Tim

**rustynail** · 5th December 2011, 10:52 AM

I'd go grey box. They would still have to leave the stilletos outside as the floor might be too hard on them.

**glock40sw** · 13th December 2011, 09:15 AM

Grey box is harder than Blackbutt.

Grey box is also harder to get as it only grows in a small area in northern NSW.

Grey Box is a bland looking timber with little figure to the wood.

Floor finish does little to "harden" a floor.
A hard finish will resist scratching but do nothing to the hardness of the flooring timber.

**buckscreek** · 19th December 2011, 10:55 AM

which species are you referring to when you say "grey box"? Euc microcarpa, Euc piiligaensis, Euc moluccana or another?

**glock40sw** · 19th December 2011, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by buckscreek

which species are you referring to when you say "grey box"? Euc microcarpa, Euc piiligaensis, Euc moluccana or another?

E. Microcarpa and E.Rummeryi

**Robd** · 30th January 2012, 04:32 PM

Thank you all for your help...now for the fun game of sourcing GRey Box in Melbourne.

Cheers

Rob

**Kidbee** · 30th January 2012, 06:37 PM

According to Keith Bootle "Wood in Australia" Grey Box can be E. Microcarpa or E. Moluccana with a Janka hardness of 11 green and 15 dry. Whereas E. Rummeryi is referred to as Steel Box and has a Janka hardness of 9.2 to 17 dry. Grey Box, Coast E. Bosistoana with a reading of 10 green and 13 dry.

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