Wood is making a comeback in architectural projects all over the world, and careful planning in the choice of wood will be your key to success. 

If you are planning to install a decking or flooring in a property, be it your home or any commercial project, the first question that comes to mind is “what wood should I choose”? 

The choice will be influenced by many factors, including the amount of traffic, the localization, and so on. 

Hardwood or Softwood?

The first thing to look at is whether  hardwood is better than softwood?

This would of course require a whole article, but it could also be summarized easily with the answer “it depends on your flooring or decking budget”. Indeed, because softwood comes from fast growing trees and that its texture makes it easier to work with; It is also the cheapest solution. However, these advantages become disadvantages when  it comes to the resistance to harsh environments and high-traffic. To sum up, softwood for both decking and flooring is more of a short-term solution.

On the other hand, solid wood decking will, thanks to its higher density, be more resistant to everything, be it humidity, termites, or running children. 

Because hardwood comes from slow-growth trees and that it is harder to process, it often comes more expensive. However, its exceptional durability and lower maintenance will compensate for the initial higher cost.

Now that we have established that hardwood is the best solution for decking installation, what species should you choose for your flooring or outdoor patio?

• Hickory: a wonderful wood for whoever can afford this solution. Very popular in North America, where 15 of the 18 Hickory are found, it is the best choice for high traffic areas. However, Hickory is the most difficult to install. 

• Ironwood: very strong, extremely resistant to harsh environment and termites, it is a famous option but victim of its success, this tropical hardwood is endangered so it is highly recommended to use recycled wood. Not only will it avoid new wood to be logged, but it adds a lot of character to your decking installation.

• White Oak: oak is a great choice for architects for both decking and flooring who would like to avoid tropical hardwood. While Oak isn’t the most durable among hardwoods, but because it remains in reasonably good supply.it is usually less expensive than other species. 

• Bangkirai wood: also known as Yellow Balau, is a beautiful wood with a classy texture and a smooth surface. It is a hard, heavy and strong timber, and a great choice for decking because of its even texture.

• IPE: a favourite of many for outdoor installations with great sunny exposure because it darkens over time.Very tough wood resistant to infection and fungus, it won’t disappoint.  

• Teak: this is one of the most famous wood for deck boards. Indeed, its natural oils make it very resistant to rot and decay. Teak is an extremely stable wood which has an exceptional resistance to moisture.Teak also has the unusual properties of being both an excellent structural timber for framing, planking, etc., while at the same time being easily worked. Contact us and we will put you in touch with our partner for teak inquiries!

A few other options in this great article we stumbled into, and if you have questions about flooring, we cover “10 questions to ask when buying wood flooring” on our website.

We love to talk wood with you, so do not hesitate to ask us any questions at info@kaltimber.com