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Walnut (American Black Walnut)
Grades & Properties of Wood Flooring —
Domestic Species
Scientific Name:
Juglans nigra
Other Common Names and Related Species:
- American Walnut
- Black Walnut
- Burbank Walnut
- Eastern Black Walnut
- Gunwood
- North American Walnut
- Virginia Walnut
Popular Grades of Walnut Wood Flooring:
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Origin:
The Eastern United States to the Midwest.
Janka Hardness: 1010
Walnut is 22% softer than Red Oak, which is the benchmark of the Janka scale.
Grades of Walnut Flooring Available:
Flooring is normally made from one grade lower of lumber. Thus, #1 Common lumber will make Select and Better flooring and so on. Lumber is graded worst side, while flooring is graded best side of the board. The lumber is defected to yield a higher grade of flooring.
Select and Better Walnut flooring is color-sorted to remove white sapwood, knots, and surface defects such as cracks. More color variation will be present than in the Premium grade, but it will have mostly consistent color. Select and Better Walnut is also referred to as Premium Walnut.
#1 Common Walnut flooring is lightly color-sorted to remove the worst white sapwood. Small dime-sized knots are allowed, as well as mineral streaks. Some white sapwood is allowed in this grade.
#2 Common Walnut flooring includes all the character found in the wood. Large knots, white sapwood, worm holes, and other surface defects are included in this grade. Other common names are Rustic Walnut, Mill Run Walnut, and Tavern and Cabin Grade Walnut.
Quarter-sawn Walnut flooring is made from special lumber that is cut perpendicularly to the tree’s growth rings. Quarter-sawn flooring is more expensive than Plain-sawn but is more stable. The vertical grain produced is much different in appearance from the other grades (which are all Plain-sawn).
