What Are The Pros And Cons Of Birch Flooring?

Open up any interior design magazine, and you’ll see that birch is in. It’s mentioned in almost every new home layout spread, not to mention added to every home that is made for a remodeling show. It’s hot. Like, super hot. Though birch is trendy as can be, you still need to know the ins and outs of this wood flooring. Is it really all it’s cracked up to be?

Birch wood flooring is beautiful and can be held down to the floor with nails fairly easily. It has a striking light appearance that’s wonderfully trendy. However, it’s not the hardest of woods. This makes it scratch-prone and dent-prone. Despite this, it’s considered to be one of the most durable woods at its price point.

Choosing a new type of wood for your home’s flooring can be daunting. It can make a huge impact on how your home looks, not to mention how frequently you would need to change the flooring.

There are two primary types of birch that tend to be used in flooring projects: red and yellow birch. Red birch isn’t actually red, but tends to be more of a golden tone. Yellow birch, on the other hand, tends to have the “platinum blonde” wood look that most people associate with birch. Both are incredibly on-trend right now.

Most people find that birch offers a great look that’s both warm and neutral. As a result, homes outfitted with birch tend to look incredibly cozy compared to others of its price point. Moreover, the grain on this flooring tends to be fairly compact. This gives it a soft, almost powdery feeling underneath your feet. So, it feels as good as it looks.

Here’s something that we have to add a caveat to. Birch is a medium-toughness wood flooring. This means that it’s not as delicate as soft, but still doesn’t quite make the mark of hardwood. Though it is a medium hardness, birch is regularly cited as the most durable wood for its price point. Most others in its range are softwoods, which make them very prone to scratches and dents.

While you still have to keep a little vigilance when it comes to your flooring durability, it’s still a great wood. It’s solid enough to handle a lot of wear and tear for the price point. It also happens to be fairly resistant to rot. When you take the durability and hardness of it into consideration, it’s a great purchase for the price point.

Though most people don’t think about this aspect, it’s worth pointing out. Some hardwoods (and soft ones, on occasion) end up being hard to keep nailed down. After moisture accesses the wood, the wood warps, and nails start to get uprooted from where they once were. It’s kind of a nightmare if you’re a fan of level flooring. Thankfully, this is one issue you’ll never have to worry about with birch. It’s easy to work with.

Though red and white birch are the two most common types, this is one species that’s pretty darn varied when push comes to shove. There’s white birch, yellow birch, red birch, and even black birch. What’s amazing about this is that we just named only a handful of the different types. Each type has its own look, too.

As a result of the wide variety of different colors that this wood species offers, it’s not unusual to hear that there’s a birch for everyone. Because, if you really think about it, the statement is true. The colors run from almost white to something that looks like cherry mahogany…or darker.

While birch is durable, it’s not that durable. It’s still a medium-range wood. This means that it’s still more prone to denting and scratching. And unfortunately, most of the time, this leads to a need for regular fixes. Because it’s more prone to dents and dings, you may have to replace your flooring sooner rather than later.

With that said, it’s still a sturdy wood for most purposes. That’s why it is still used in the creation of wood framing for furniture. Manufacturers know that they can rely on it. With that said, the other main issue that people have with birch is what occasionally prevents it from being amply displayed in furniture…

If you take a look at all the places that carry birch flooring in your area, you might start to notice something. The birch planks that they have probably don’t have any stains on them. Or rather, they do not have any darker stains despite there being a ton of potential money in them. Did you ever wonder why that was?

It’s simple. Birch woods are some of the worst when it comes to accepting stains. It’s such a bad issue, even commercial wood companies have a very hard time doing it. If you want a wood stain that doesn’t look like a color that you would naturally find in birch, then you may need to try another wood type.

Though we all love birch, the truth is that it’s not very moisture stable. This means that regular exposure to water and moisture in the air can cause your flooring to warp or even shrink. This, in turn, causes gaps throughout the flooring over time. Most people don’t want to see that in their homes, simply because it’s both a liability and makes things difficult to clean.

Thankfully, there are ways to assuage this tendency through the use of the right treatments. With that said, it’s still going to be an issue as the years pass. No treatment is fully infallible.

Birch flooring is trendy because it’s relatively affordable and awesome variety of different looks. It’s a great medium-grade wood species for just about every task. Whether it’s building a nice bed or putting together a flooring setup, birch has your back. Besides, how can you hate on all the beautiful light tones that this wood species can offer.

Though birch flooring can look good and also feel good under your feet, it’s important to remember that this wood can be a bit more delicate. This can be a major drawback, especially if you are the type of person who wants flooring that lasts and looks just as polished as the day you first installed it.

At the end of the day, birch is still a solid choice for many homes out there—especially houses in dry areas. Whether or not it’s right for your home, though, is up to you to decide. Take a look at how much bamboo flooring costs.

Related Questions

Is yellow birch a good hardwood flooring option?

When compared to other birch woods, yellow birch is one of the best flooring choices that you can make. This is one of the most warming colors that you can get in large batches at a good price. It also has the added perk of being relatively moisture-resistant and hard, which means that you won’t get as gapping and warping that you would with other woods.Of course, it’s worth noting that most birch subspecies will work out well as flooring. There’s a reason it’s so popular, you know. It’s even more popular than poplar. Check out Tile vs. Wood Kitchen Flooring: Which One Is Better?

How hard is birch supposed to be?

It all depends on the type of birch. Each specific type will have its own hardness, and it can vary fairly greatly. Paper birch is the softest type of birch wood still used in making things. It has a Janka hardness rating of 910, landing it firmly in the softwood category. Most birch woods will have a Janka score of 1260, which puts it in the middle of the hardness rating.If you want to get a stronger, more noticeably firm type of birch, it’s best to opt for sweet birch. It has the highest Janka hardness score of all birches and is a solid hardwood.

Is birch going out of style?

Birch is still a fairly popular wood among people who want to keep on trend, but that doesn’t mean it’s likely to go out of style anytime soon. Unlike most other woods, there is a massive variety of different looks that can be added to a home. The colors available also tend to be more versatile too. Since there’s more variety and more versatility than many others, it’s safe to say that birch is going to be here for a very long time.