Everyone dreams of a house that is not just visually appealing but also sturdy and long-lasting. When working on your home project, you think of different aspects – furniture, paint, flooring, etc. You can paint the walls every season, but the floor is something you would want to invest in.
Sturdy flooring is required! After all, your kids will play, crawl, and dance on it. Let’s not forget the long nights near the fireplace! In this article, we will focus on flooring.
You must have read about Janka while browsing online about hardwood flooring. The salesman must have talked about it while explaining the qualities of flooring material at the store.
Well, don’t let the name make you feel it’s rocket science. Janka’s rating is an estimate of the hardness of the wood. Almost all wooden floorings nowadays undergo the Janka test before coming to the market as finished products. Having a clear picture of what Janka is, how people do it, and why it is necessary can help you choose the material of your wooden flooring more wisely.
The question is – What is Janka rating? Here’s an article that explains it all.
What is Janka rating?
It is the amount of force needed to create a 200 sq mm dent on the surface of the wood. It is done on two sides of every plank to verify the hardness. Gabriel Janka devised it while finding a scientific method to measure the wood hardness in the United States.
In case you want sturdy and good-quality flooring, look for a 2000 to 3000 Janka rating.
How is it done?
- Place a solid plank with moisture of about 12% on a level surface and keep an 11.28 mm steel ball on top of it.
- Apply measured force on top of the ball.
- Increase the force until the ball dents the wood up to 200 sq mm.
- Test every plank in the lot.
- Take the average of all the results.
You can do the process on any wood species. Since the process is standardized now, you can do them if you have all the necessary settings. So, if a new wood species enter the flooring market, you can test them easily using the Janka test.
How to identify a good Janka rating?
The higher the pressure resistance, the greater is the rating of the wood. A wood species suitable for flooring should have a rating of at least 1000. Teak, Oak, Padauk, Cypress, etc., has a high Janka rating while Mahogany, Birch, Red Maple, etc., has a rating lower than 1000. A lower rating indicates that the wood is soft and can get easily damaged. A high-rated wood can withstand wear and tear and is more durable.
However, please keep in mind that the manufacturers conduct the Janka test in the initial stage. But, by the time you use it on the floor, the wood has several protective layers over it, and these layers can change the hardness of the wood. For engineered hardwood, the actual wood is under one or two layers of other materials. So actual wood hardness and the lab-tested Janka hardness will be different.
Besides, Janka hardness test is the only testing for the hardness of the wood. There are several other factors to look out for before selecting the flooring. You need to factor in all these considerations before fixing the perfect flooring for your home. Knowing about Janka’s rating comes in handy when looking for flooring materials since it is a bit technical, and knowing common wood and their Janka rating is helpful. Now that you know all about Janka, you can confidently talk to the salesman or browse online without the worry of choosing a wood with poor hardness.