Within the realm of hardwood products there exists a scale that effectively measures the hardness of a wood. For the most part, it is applied to specific industries, like hardwood flooring, veneer surfaces, and smaller industries that require the inherent hardness of a wood to be accounted for. The Janka Scale represents the variability in this characteristic for many of the woods available today. Every wood used in flooring applications has a rating. Some are impressive, while some are humbled.

To fully understand the Janka Hardness Scale, perhaps it is best to first explore what is called the Janka Hardness Test. It is a process that uses applied pressure to embed a 11.28 millimeter (or 0.444 inch) steel ball into the face, side, or end of a piece of wood. The amount of pressure exerted – usually measured in PSI (Pounds/square inch) – relates effectively to the quotient of the Janka rating. For example, Santos Mahogany bears a rating of 2200 on the Janka Scale, equating to 2200 PSI to press the steel ball into the wood up to half of its diameter.

The placement of the steel ball can affect the classification of the rating. A face test of the desired wood is the usual rating. The two other types are end and side quotients. An end quotient refers to the end of a plank of wood, as implied with the title. A side rating, similarly, is the rating taking on the side of the wood. The main difference between these three is in relation to the cut of the wood, and patterns of the grain. At the end of a plank of wood, a steel ball will more easily slip into the wood because of the configuration of the grain at the end of the plank. A side rating will be closer to the face rating, but the face rating is the most accurate since the face of a plank is what is exposed to the traffic.

The Janka rating list of hardwood species ranges from about 380 (Eastern White Pine) to around 3680 (Ipe, also known as Brazilian Walnut), giving a wide range of varying hardness. Dozens of species lie in between the top and bottom contenders. Red Oak is often considered the middle point, with a rating of 1280. Brazilian Cherry, one of the more popular floorings in recent years, ranks higher at 2350.

Popularity: 54% [?]

Earnings season is upon us and investors are calling upon companies to reveal their first quarter results and to make predictions about the year to come. In April, Mohawk Industries, Inc. announced 2008 first quarter net earnings of $65 million. This was 28% below last year’s numbers. Net sales for the quarter were $1,738 million, a decrease of 6.7% from 2007. While the U.S. economy is slow, and credit has tightened, residential home sales have fallen, and thus have impacted the company.

On the bright side, spending on commercial construction has remained positive. The U.S. credit problems are even impacting Europe with its growth expected to be flat to modest overall. According to CEO and Chairman of Mohawk Industries, “performance for the first quarter exceeded our guidance for the period in a very difficult environment.” The CEO is optimistic due to the fact that the company has survived cyclical downturns in the past. In the meantime, the company is focused on improving productivity and quality, which is always a plus for consumers.

Mohawk is also investing in products and assets to enhance its future. While the company is executing carpet price increases, they should be in place by the end of the second quarter, and will hopefully stabilize. Even during these challenging times, new products are being shipped earlier than in prior years and the focus is on fashion and value engineered products. The company’s new Encycle tile with leading edge technology has benefits that make it more durable, environmentally friendly and economically advantageous. Many initiatives to reduce energy and water consumption are being implemented in Mohawk’s operations, which in the long-run should keep the company in a competitive position relative to its peers.

A new Mohawk consumer campaign is being launched that includes TV, print, and digital marketing that appeals to the design enthusiast. Mohawk is spreading the word that its offers are stylish and innovative while also being “green.” Strong growth in the commercial market is off-setting some of the weakness in the residential market thus allowing the company to advance with its research and development departments. Sales in Mexico and Canada have continued to expand as market exposure expands. Some of this success comes from the sales force being motivated and from new introductions that focus on the better performing commercial and high end remodeling segments. Cost reductions remain an issue of concern, thus initiating an overhaul of manufacturing productivity and inventory management. Although seasonal improvements will benefit the second quarter, it is expected that many of the same challenges will be present in the near-term. In spite of a difficult flooring market, Mohawk continues to modernize manufacturing facilities and create innovative products which will keep consumers coming back for more – long after the industry’s economic environment improves.

Popularity: 60% [?]

Shaw Floors has been in the news recently for a number of initiatives that the company is launching or has previously launched. For example, in April Shaw and Versatile Systems Inc. announced they will be working alongside CitiFinancial in a consumer credit financing arrangement. The plan entails a joint partnership to simplify and streamline the credit application process for flooring retailers and consumers. This will be accomplished by way of an attractive and easy-to-use in-store kiosk. This will be the first time a flooring company will offer two different models of Versatile’s kiosks. The models will include the Rockland and the Madison. The combination was demoed at the Shaw Design Center Convention which was held in April of 2008 in Palm Coast, Florida. It appears that Shaw was motivated to embark on this project in light of the current credit crunch. According to marketing manager, Scott Humphrey, “during this challenging market, it’s more important than ever to make the credit application process simple and accessible.” The company is hoping that they can swing people into making a flooring purchase with the newfound credit application ease. This move has been referred to as a “forward-thinking strategy” which Versatile is happy to assist with. Versatile is particularly experienced with providing technology solutions that drive operational efficiency while enhancing the customer experience.

As a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Shaw Floors is the world’s largest carpet manufacturer. The company is a leading floor covering provider with more than $5 billion in annual sales. With approximately 31,000 associates, the company is well positioned to meet demands as the home improvement and construction markets improve. Headquartered in Dalton, Ga., the company manufactures and distributes carpeting, rugs, hardwood, laminate and ceramic tiles making its product offerings expansive enough to meet the needs of all consumers. They tailor to both residential and commercial customers.

Shaw is also positioned to capitalize on the environmental stewardship movement. Shaw has implemented hundreds of sustainability initiatives and more information about such initiatives can be found by visiting www.shawfloors.com. In January of 2008, Shaw received the first ever Vendor Green Steps Award, which was presented by Sherwin-Williams. According to the president of marketing at Sherwin-Williams, “Shaw’s admirable and aggressive green efforts have set an industry standard for sustainability.” The award was presented to Shaw’s national accounts team and environmental team in recognition of its recycling post-consumer carpet, development of sustainable products and continuous improvements in energy conservation.

Popularity: 82% [?]

Historically, tile has been facilitated as roofing, wall decorum, floor coverings, and walking path steps for thousands of years. Its origins are shrouded in millennia of casual use, making the exact birthplace of tile a difficult location to track down. Regardless, tile has persevered throughout the ages because of its unanimously useful and popular qualities. Durability, resistance to moisture, and charming visual features have kept tiling on the forefront of decorating homes the world over. Tile flooring has many different materials that are currently being used, ranging from ceramic floor tiles, to porcelain, and even to stone and glass tiles. The most common are ceramic and porcelain tiles, each having made its way to the high-traffic, water-prone areas like the kitchen and bathroom. Because of the unique manufacturing process for tiles, the available colors and styles are virtually limitless. Colors can range from lime green to black, to orange and reds to classic terra cotta, or simple, accommodating white. Indoors, floor tiles have a reputation of cleanliness that is unmatched by any other flooring product. The hypo-allergenic nature of ceramic tile and Porcelain tile make maintenance an easy process and allow for healthy, hygienic living conditions, as well as marvelous and presentable countertops and floors. Spilled some of the kids’ juice on the counter? Maybe the dog made a mess out of his water dish. Cleaning up what could be a big problem on other floors is as simple as a quick mop and bucket run over tile. Easy. Outdoor tiles are much less seen, although they have a popular use as walkways through gardens. It is popular to see odd-shaped flag- or cobble-stone steps made of natural stone tile to lead to the side gate of a home or through the garden to the front door.
In any situation, tile can accentuate the area with brilliant features that only tile flooring can offer.

Popularity: 59% [?]

There exists flooring that owns two names known and associated with rustic beauty, a floor that stands out against other domestic hardwood flooring and accentuates any home with homely patterns or rich, decorative atmosphere. This flooring is known both as hickory and as pecan flooring. In truth, Pecan is the more specific name, classifying into the category of hickory. Neither name is technically false, only that one is more accurate, botanically, than the other. Hickory flooring is known for its unique characteristics. No other flooring has such a variation in natural colors. The sapwood is a white to light cream color, often times with a slight pink variation. In contrast, heartwood has a rich, reddish brown coloration. The two colors are often placed directly next to each other; working together to give a very natural feel to the room it is laid in. Colors can change from plank to plank, but also from section to section. Hickory and Pecan’s natural coloring varies so widely than one piece of wood can darken dramatically from one inch to the next. This sense of amorphism emphasizes the natural colors of the wood, and is the popular factor in deciding on this type of floor. With an outstanding hardness rating of 1820, hickory and pecan flooring excels above many types of flooring, competing with exotic hardwood flooring for durability. Hickory is also a flexible wood, used in many applications where durability is valued. Walking canes, golf clubs, tool handles, even drumsticks are all often composed of hickory wood, and much for the same reason as flooring is: superior longevity. The abuse a drumstick or baseball bat takes is nothing for solid, hard hickory and this reflects superbly into this wood’s flooring applications.

Popularity: 64% [?]

In recent years, exotic hardwood flooring has become quite prosperous, in part due to the prevalent reviews it receives for quality, durability, and beauty. Popular species include Tigerwood, Jatoba, Ipe, and a species that can at times be overlooked – Amendoim. Like many South American hardwoods, Amendoim flooring has a plethora of names, ranging from common tongue names to botanical recognitions – this species is known as Pterogyne Nitens, a name that refers to the “winged ovary” appearance of the seeds – such as viraro, ibiraro, and pau fava. More commonly, Brazilian Oak is used to reference this species, although it can at times be confusing as Tauari is sometimes referred to as Brazilian Oak as well. How or where this connotation comes from is a nuance yet discovered within the flooring industry – although speculations are abound.

The Amendoim tree grows most successfully in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, and can grow to an average height of 25 meters (about 75 – 80 feet), although individual specimen have been recorded in excess of 100 feet tall. The tree itself is usually about 90 centimeters in diameter (about 35 inches) but have been known to grow as wide as 120 CM thick (almost 50 inches).

In addition to uses as a flooring product, Amendoim shows a fine workability feature for cabinetry and furniture as well. The wood itself sands and finishes exceptionally well, making it a good choice for practical uses, as well as for home-finishing products. Because of the receptive quality of Amendoim to common finishes, installers and customers interested in finishing the flooring will find a relative ease compared to more difficult products. Amendoim sands well, making it less problematic to sand and refinish five or ten years into the lifespan of the floor.

The Janka rating system offers a numerical value to the specific hardness of hardwood flooring that can be comparatively used in different species of wood. More often, exotic species boast higher Janka ratings, and Amendoim is no exception. With nearly 50% more rating than Red Oak, Amendoim is a natural choice for a hard floor. Amendoim’s tentative value is 1912, putting it above even hard maple.

The color variation that Amendoim offers ranges from a yellowish brown to a reddish brown depending on the wood used. Heartwood is the darker, bearing an often red streak to it, while the more yellow-tan colorations denote the sapwood. Like most floors, Amendoim will darken with exposure to sunlight and oxygen, however the change in color is often less sharp than some of its other Brazilian cousins.

So you can see that while Amendoim may not get the center spotlight in the Brazilian Exotic flooring category, it is certainly a well-deserved supporting role.

Popularity: 71% [?]