Last Updated on December 2, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford
There are several types of flooring in the market. Each class has distinct features making it challenging to settle for one. But then, if you’re choosing a type of flooring, you have to go for the best. Your choice should also fit your budget needs, easy to install, and durable.
Choosing hickory flooring, which is a type of hardwood, is the best decision you can ever make. Having hickory on your floors is a great pick since it has outstanding characteristics.
Read along to know more about hickory flooring to have a deep insight into what it entails.
What Is Hickory?
Hickory is a hardwood flooring with dense grain patterns. It’s capable of giving your floors an attractive look. It has color variations ranging from light cream to dark amber. It has a Janka rating of 1820 with resistance wear of 0 to 4000. If you’re looking for the toughest, stiff and robust flooring, pick on hickory hardwood.
The grain texture of hickory is rough. Sanding hickory is impossible since the patches will be visible owing to its light color. Installing hickory flooring is not easy since it can split, so you need an expert to fix it for you. But you can opt for prefinished hickory. Prefinished hickory comes while dry, so you won’t have any shrinking complications.
You can install hickory flooring in any room since it’s durable and shock-resistant. It also has an appealing look. Blending décor with hickory flooring is also easy because it has a rustic feel that fits any decoration.
Hickory is also suitable for business premises with heavy objects that you need to pull on the floor. Consider installing hickory flooring since its firm and not prone to fast wear. But ensure you take good care and maintain it well for it to serve you better.
Types of Hickory Flooring
Like any other flooring, hickory also gives you options to choose from, with each type having outstanding features. Read along to know the types of hickory and their characteristics.
Solid Hickory Flooring
Solid hickory flooring has a thickness of 19mm, and the boards are having a width of between 3 to 5 inches. You will find solid hickory in hand scraped finishing. The hand-scraped hickory is wire brushed and has medium gentleness. Solid hickory will give your house a unique natural look that’s attractive.
Engineered Hickory Flooring
Engineered flooring consists of planks of different material layers. The various layers stick together to make a stronger core. Its thickness ranges between 3/8 to ½ inch while its width is 5 inches. But all these depend on the manufacturer. The first layer of engineered flooring is the veneer. The second layer comprises the fiberboards.
With engineered flooring, you won’t experience challenges brought by humidity moisture like swelling. The best place to install engineered hickory flooring is in the basement or bedroom.
Laminate Hickory Flooring
Laminate hickory has a photographic picture of hickory wood glued on top of composite lumber. The laminate hickory boards have a thickness of between 8-12mm, with widths ranging between 3 inches to 8 inches. Laminate hickory will give your floor an appealing look with a great shine that will last for a long time.
Read also: Laminate vs Hardwood | Vinyl vs Laminate flooring
Hickory Flooring Pros
Hickory flooring has some outstanding features that make it the best choice for your floor. Here are some of the pros of installing hickory flooring.
It’s Cheap
comparing the prices of hickory to the other hardwood flooring, you’ll realize it’s cheaper. So, if you’re looking for a natural hardwood look but not costly, go for hickory flooring. Its prices also don’t include import charges as with other floorings. So, if you buy hickory flooring, you’ll be saving on costs and at the same time getting a quality product.
Strong and Durable
If you install hickory flooring in your home, you won’t worry about its tear and wear. Hickory flooring takes years before it spoils. It’s also one of the strongest hardwood floorings and shock-resistant.
Don’t forget the high Janka rating of hickory, which is 1820 proving how tough it is, meaning it’s durable. The durability means you can install it in any room without damaging it.
Low Maintenance Cost
Most homeowners opt for flooring that doesn’t need them to repair after scratches or tears. With hickory, which is durable and strong, you will spend less money maintaining it. You can refinish your hickory flooring once every five years. Remember cleaning hickory flooring will also give you an easy time.
Has A Variety of Choice?
Suppose you want cheap flooring that has a variety to choose from, go for hickory. If you like the perfect look of hand-scraped finishing, go for solid hickory. You can also pick on engineered hickory flooring because of its excellent finishes. Don’t forget you can have laminate hickory. With a variety to choose from, you will not settle for the wrong choice.
Offers Great Color and Style
Suppose you are looking for flooring with great colors; go for hickory hardwood. You can have any style you wish for according to your preference. You can also hire a staining professional to get you the great colors you desire. Having great colors and techniques on the floors will give you easy work as you play along with decorations.
Resistant to Water and Molds
With hickory flooring, you won’t worry about over-mold infestations since it’s mold resistant. It’s also capable of repelling water, meaning you can fix it in any room. Ensure you pick on the right type of hickory to get the best results, like use solid hickory for above grade fixing.
Diverse Installation Methods
Hickory flooring will not limit you to one method since It has various installation methods. But all these vary according to the product you buy and its manufacturer. Fixing of hickory can be through nailing, sticking, and floating. So, you can use the one that is favorable and easy to do.
Beautiful Look
One of the outstanding features of hickory flooring is its beautiful natural look. It will give you an easy time playing around with décor since its colors are neutral with great grain designs. The flooring will brighten your house since it can reflect natural light. It will also give your room a warm glow after it’s waxed.
Hickory Flooring Cons
You don’t expect hickory to be all perfect since nothing lacks blemish. The cons will make you ready to face the challenges that come with hickory flooring.
The High Cost of Installation and Buying
One disadvantage of hickory flooring is it’s expensive. However, it’s not as expensive as other hardwood floorings. But remember its features like toughness can force you to buy the prefinished types.
The prefinished hickory cost is not cheap, more so if you’re on a tight budget. Another thing that makes hickory expensive is its installation cost. And this is because it requires a professional to fix because of the toughness.
Prone to Bend
Hickory flooring tends to bend faster, which is not suitable for the floors. Bending comes about if the installation process was quick and in a hurry. Meaning the flooring got no room to adapt to the new environment. With a bent floor, it means you’ll most likely get accidents from it. Water will also pass through it, damaging the flooring.
Doesn’t Favor Self-Installation
Although some people try installing hickory for themselves, it’s a tiring job. In the long run, they’ll opt for an expert to help them fix it out. And this is because it’s tough giving a hard time cutting It into smaller pieces.
The installation process also entails sanding and staining. Doing this can consume your time since you have to pop water and apply the conditioner. Who wants to involve work that’s time-consuming when you can hire personnel?
Hickory Flooring Cost
Like any other type of flooring, hickory has its price ranges. The prices vary with the kind you buy and the place of sale. The cost of installation also varies from one professional to the other.
For solid hickory flooring, prepare around $3 to$9 for each square foot you intend to buy. If you want an engineered flooring budget with $2 up to $7 per square foot, but the prices are prone to change with time.
Remember, you can also opt for laminate hickory, which will cost you about $$1 to $5 per square foot. To install hickory flooring, it would help if you worked with an estimate. It should fall between $2 to $3 for each square foot.
Best Hickory Flooring Brands, Prices, And Reviews
Most people prefer working with well-established brands that offer the best quality floorings. In that line, hickory flooring has some of the best hardwood brands. The brands will provide you with high-quality stuff.
You should know that each brand has its unique features. Their products have different prices that vary from each retailer. Let’s take a look at each brand and some of their reviews.
Each type of hickory flooring has a leading brand that sells more and with great features. The solid hickory brands include Bruce, Armstrong mohawk jasper, and home legend.
The engineered hickory brands are Heritage Mill, Millstead Shaw floors, and Mohawk. If you want the best laminate flooring brands, choose TrafficMaster. Laminate other options include Lamton Pergo or Bruce.
Bruce
Bruce solid hickory is the best choice for most homeowners in America. The brand offers floorings with a great shine and perfect finishing. The finishing comprises aluminum oxide and urethane. You can spend the largest at $23.5 to buy a square foot of bruce brands.
TrafficMaster
If you’re looking for an affordable laminate hickory brand, pick on trafficMaster. It costs between $0.68 to $1.99 for each square foot. However, the TrafficMaster brand is available in specific shops. So, it would be best if you searched for the outlet beforehand.
The brand has several textures and smooth styles, with each type having a different cost. The three different categories include the standard laminate, hand-scraped, and embossed.
Mohawk
Mohawk brand will give your floors a natural hardwood look. And it includes various color combinations but with narrow boards. It’s resistant to stains and water making it capable of lasting longer. Its cost per square foot is $18.25 but varies according to the place of sale.
Armstrong
Armstrong is a popular brand among homeowners and even commercial users. It has various types of hickory collection, which you can choose from with less struggle. The brand’s products also have excellent features. Its features include its assorted color, grain pattern, and perfect finishing.
The Armstrong brand has been in the industry for years. And this is because they understand the customers’ needs. Armstrong is also delivering as per your expectations.
Conclusion
Choosing the best flooring for your floors is never easy. But if you have a more in-depth insight, it will be like a walk in the park. If you choose hickory flooring, you will not regret it since it has excellent features. The most outstanding quality is that it gives a natural wood-like look at a cheaper cost.
You will also realize that it has more advantages over its cons, making it the right choice. Remember to work with the best hickory brands to get the best quality products at their outlets.
