Properties & Characteristics

Yes, all hardwood floors will slightly change color over periods of time, especially if they are in contact with direct sunlight. The most noticeable color change will happen in the first few months after being installed.

All of these color changes are normal and to be expected. Wood is a natural product and changes in color will occur due to the wood’s reaction to the environment. A dark wood such as walnut will lighten and a lighter wood species like oak, will darken. We recommend not using area rugs, or moving them around periodically in the first two years. This allows the flooring to mature in color evenly throughout the entire space.

EXTREME STABILITY
Due to Mesquite's extreme dimensional stability, plank flooring can be glued down directly to the slab in solid form. Mesquite has been successfully glued to concrete slabs in sizes ranging from ½" x 3" to ¾" x 8", and in extreme climates - from Arizona to Florida - with a 0% failure rate since 1985, the year we started manufacturing mesquite flooring.

APPEARANCE
COLOR: Light brown to dark reddish brown.
GRAIN: High in character, with ingrown bark and mineral streaks. Most commonly used in flooring and end-grain block, which has small irregular cracks radiating across the grain.

PROPERTIES
HARDNESS (JANKA): 2345 (82% harder than Northern Red Oak).
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (3.2; over 250% more stable than Northern Red Oak).

WORKABILITY
SAWING/MACHINING: Very good machining qualities.
NAILING: Proper nailing schedule required
SANDING: Plain-sawn can be sanded to a smooth surface. End-grain requires a coarser abrasive to flatten; it is recommended that it be flattened by sanding at a 45-degree angle to the grain.

SUGGESTED SEQUENCE
FIRST CUT: 40 or 50 at a 7-15 degree angle with the grain
SECOND CUT: 60 or 80 straight with the grain
THIRD CUT: 80 or 100
HARD PLATE: 100
FIRST SCREEN: 80 or 100
SECOND SCREEN: 120
FINISHING: No known problems.
COMMENTS: End-grain block usage results in a hard, high-wear surface. Produces only shorter-length boards.

ORIGIN
North America, Central America, South America

AVAILABILITY
Limited availability.

Relative Stability of selected wood flooring species

(Ranked by percentage of tangential shrinkage from green to oven dry moisture content)

RELATIVE Hardness OF SELECTED WOOD FLOORING SPECIES

(Ranked by Janka hardness rating)