Hard Maple is widely distributed, even popular in far away places like Sweden and Japan, where culture dictates an appreciation for clean lines and a subtle grain, but this is like a white shirt it shows all! So be forewarned.

Also note that not all flooring is HARD Maple.. an indication that it was made out of ONLY the wood from sugar maple (maple syrup) trees. Much of the flooring coming from Russia is maple flooring, but SOFT maple, a much less expensive and softer wood on par with the characteristics of birch. It is quite a bit softer and much less colour consistent which is why it is typically used for “stained” floors.

Hard Maple is difficult to stain, so if you are installing railings and maple stair treads as part of your renovation project, keep that in mind.

Dimensional Stability: Average, less stable then red oak thus only purchase from a supplier that can guarantee accurate drying and storage before and after manufacturing.

Durability: Stiff & Dense, resists wear, the hardest North American wood that is typically used for hardwood flooring.

Janka Hardness Scale: 1450 (the higher the number the more dense the wood is)

Colour Variation: There are about 150 species of maple, only the sugar maple is classified as a “hard” maple and the balance of species are referred to as “soft” maples.

Hard maple in the higher grades of flooring is very white.. the lightest of woods. The heart stock, common in the lower grade can have significant gray and black streaking, creating quite a dramatic pattern. Today they produce many maple floors in a “character grade” that includes filled knots and mineral streaks. Thus be sure to understand the extremes of colour and figure common in maple if this is a grade of floor that you are considering.

Colour change: Maple can show significant yellowing on exposure to strong lighting, thus most manufacturers use a UV protectant in their finishes to slow down the colour change process. Darker stains will disguise this tendency.

Denting: As suggested earlier dents and scratches are more visible on Maple flooring, especially on the higher grades with consistent white appearance and limited grain pattern to disguise any imperfections. Having said that, today many maple floors now have an artificial “texture” added to the mix to add to the visual interest and this certainly goes a long way to hide lifes small scratches etc.

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• Give us a call for more great info: 705-522-5728 Lacasse Fine Wood Products

NOTE: we can only sell Mirage flooring into the Sudbury District as a condition of our distribution agreement.