What wood species are available?

Wooden floors come in a rainbow of colours to fit any décor. You can achieve unique, one-of-a-kind looks with custom stains and finishes. And, even if your floor is old, you can achieve an entirely new look with new stains and finishes. The possibilities are endless. Today's wood floors come in more than 50 species, both domestic and exotic, spanning the spectrum of colour options, hardness and price ranges. No matter what the look you want to achieve there are a variety of species to meet your needs.

To be honest there are too many species to mention however, for a general idea around 90-95% of flooring sold is Oak then in second place would have to be Walnut with the remaining species such as Beech, Maple, Ash and the more exotic woods such as Jatoba and Merbau coming in behind. Here are a selection of popular species available to view online.

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Oak wood

Oak flooring is an attractive and fashionable wood that is native to Britain however there are hundreds of species all over the world, with approximately 25 native to Europe. Oak flooring has always been a popular choice for home owners over the centuries as it synonymous with high-quality, durability and it distinctively attractive characteristics.

Oak flooring radiates a sense of beauty with its various colour tones ranging from light brown to darker tones. Oak floors often possess straight and swirling graining patterns which can have distinctive silvery textures. Heartwood and sapwood are similar with sapwood lighter in colour. Distinctive rays and unique knotting gives oak floors that traditional and classic appearance.

Oak floors undergo a medium degree of colour change with slight ambering or goldening over time.

Oak floor links:

Oak colour change
An example of colour change over time

Walnut wood

Walnut flooring is recognised as a luxurious dark timber. With its distinctive knots, attractive burrs and unique grain patterns it can make a real design statement to any home.

Walnut floors are full of character with deep and rich colours which create a warm and inviting setting. The sapwood is creamy white but the heartwood is a light brown to deep rich chocolate brown, ocassionally with a tendency to purple. This notable difference and distinct contrast in colours between pale and very dark shades gives the flooring a special lustre and distinctive character.

Walnut flooring has both straight and irregular graining patterns that offer exciting variation to other woods.

The wood undergoes a medium to high degree of colour change with the dark brown heartwood lightening over time to a more golden brown. Walnut is 20% softer than Oak.

Walnut floor links:

Walnut colour change
An example of colour change over time


Ash wood

There are many different species of the Ash tree that grow all across the world in places as diverse as Europe, North America, North Africa and various parts of Asia.

Ash flooring has a distinctive pattern, markings and grain and is best described as a pale creamy wood.

The sapwood is almost white and the heartwood ranges from grey through light brown to light yellow with brown streaks. It has a bold, straight, moderately open grain with occasional wavy figuring. Some grades have very special figuring, which gives the floor an entirely unique and lively character. Ash undergoes a medium degree of change over time from a lighter freshly sanded tone to a straw/tan colour.

Ash flooring renowned for being incredibly strong and flexible being approximately 10% harder than Oak making it an incredibly long-lasting option.

Ash floor links:

Ash colour change
An example of colour change over time

Beech wood

Beech flooring is best described as a pale light coloured hardwood with slight undertones of pink with a softly speckled surface. These light flecks within the graining add character and diversity to the flooring without being dark enough to lessen from the overall pale design.

Beech floors undergo a medium degree of colour change with a slight muting of the orange colours and ambering over time and are usually straight grained.

Beech flooring has a classical uniform appearance that makes the room seem airy and spacious. Beech timber has about the same hardness as Oak so is a very strong and durable option for your home.

Beech floor links:

Beech colour change
An example of colour change over time

Cherry wood

There are many different species of the cherry tree that grow all across the world in places as diverse as Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia.

Cherry flooring is a beautifully versatile timber that usually comes in a dark rich red brown colouring which has a warm homely tone and individually stylish hue.

The sapwood is creamy white while the heartwood can vary from deep red to reddish brown, which together form a fine, frequently wavy but uniform texture. Cherry floors have these distinctive and unique characteristics which gives it an authentic feel making it a really warm and welcoming floor.

Cherry floors undergo an extreme degree of colour change with pronounced darkening to a dark reddish colour when fully aged. This process can occur within as little as a few weeks in direct sunlight

Cherry is a relatively hard wood which makes cherry floors an ideal choice for flooring as it ages well.

Cherry floor links:

Cherry colour change
An example of colour change over time

Jarrah wood

Jarrah is one of the few species of timber from Western Australia which has unique qualities, a beautiful warm colouring and is ideal for luxurious spaces.

Jarrah flooring is an exceptional exquisite warm hard wood that withstands the wear and tear of everyday life exceptionally well which makes it in high demand for flooring.

Jarrah floors are uniformly pinkish to dark red with rich dark mahogany tones. The floor often has a smooth surface and straight grain that continues to turn deep reddish brown and reddish purple hues with age and exposure over the years.

The sapwood of Jarrah flooring is clearly lighter in colour than heartwood so generally only the heartwood of is used for wooden flooring.

Grain pattern is medium to coarse and mostly interlocked, and can develop white sap marks.

Jarrah floor links:

Jarrah colour change
An example of colour change over time

Jatoba wood

Jatoba is a tree which grows in South America, Brazil and the Caribbean. Some refer to Jatoba as South American Cherry which is commonly used for flooring due to its beautiful rich colouring and is idea for stylish spaces.

Jatoba flooring sapwood can have broad figuring with light reddish pink and sometimes greyish tones. The heartwood ranges from salmon pink to reddish brown with dark streaks which over time deepens in colour to a rich vibrant red.

Thanks to its inherent beauty, rich colours and exceptional hardness it is one of the most popular of all exotic species.

Jatoba floor links:

Jatoba colour change
An example of colour change over time

Maple wood

There are approximately 125 different species of maple trees that grow all across the world in places as diverse as Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia.

Maple floors are generally best described as being a light or pale timber with darker soft -figuring and graining which gives it a lustre all of its own that gives the room a clean airy feel.

Maple flooring heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown and the sapwood is pale to creamy white with medium figuring and uniform texture. The thin annual rings and soft figuring make it unique flooring choice.

Maple is hard and durable and undergoes a medium degree of colour change and will go to subdued yellow tones over the years.

Maple floor links:

Maple colour change
An example of colour change over time

Merbau wood

Merbau wood is an inviting choice for wood flooring because of its rich reddish-brown colouring and durability. However Merbau is an endangered species and in many places almost extinct. flooringsupplies.co.uk works very closely with all partners to act appropriately with regards to environmental awareness and as such flooringsupplies.co.uk philosophy and mind-set is determined to promote and educate manufacturers and consumers alike on environmental issues.

Merbau flooring has warm tones providing a striking contrast to polished surfaces creating instant intimacy. The heartwood ranges from yellow to orange-brown, but darkens to reddish brown or brown. The graining varies from straight to wavy and sometimes even interlocked.

One of its special characteristics of Merbau floors is the gentle yellow flecking in the pores. The effect can sometimes be best described as the surface being speckled with gold.

The beauty of Merbau with it’s rich and vibrant colours and exceptional hardness make this a popular choice for contemporary styling ideal for modern living.

Merbau floor links:

Merbau colour change
An example of colour change over time

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