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Walnut Flooring: Factors for Appearance and Installation
What attracts people to walnut flooring? Is it the dark brown or purplish-black color of the heartwood? The stark contrast between the heartwood and tan or white sapwood? Or, that it's hardwood with a distinct appearance that can be installed with few to no problems? No matter the reason, if you are considering either solid or engineered walnut hardwood for your space, keep a few factors in mind.
While walnut flooring is generally known for its sharp contrast, this is not always the case, especially for higher grades. Clear and Select grade hardwoods, in general, are characterized by an even appearance, and to achieve this with walnut, the lumber is steamed, which causes the dark color of the heartwood to bleed into the sapwood. However, lower grades, such as #1 and #2 common, may not be steamed, and the color contrast is far more distinct. #3 common, or character, grade flooring has the greatest contrast between the heartwood and sapwood, although this type of hardwood is also characterized by mineral streaks and knots.
With a Janka scale rating of 1010, walnut is one of the more durable domestic hardwood species. Moderately dense, the hardwood also has good shock resistance and, as a result, is ideal for areas with a high amount of foot traffic. Because of this, walnut flooring is excellent for machining and sanding.
But, what about finishing? Walnut hardwood's grain has a pore arrangement similar to hickory's but smaller; unlike hickory, however, walnut poses no finishing problems. With finishing walnut, however, a key factor is preserving the appearance, highlighting the overall dark shade or keeping the color distinction noticeable. Darker stains can obscure both of these. While nearly all brands offer prefinished walnut flooring, unfinished hardwood allows you to find the right stain. To do this, various stains can be tested on the unfinished sanded surface, until you see the right match.
Even with all of the color choices for staining hardwood, going with a clear finish is often the best bet for preserving the dark and light contrast of the heartwood and sapwood. To give a clear finish to walnut flooring, several coats of polyurethane varnish, sanded between each, can be applied.
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