Any experience with American cherry floors?

[HarmsWay]

My wife and I will be installing hardware flooring later this year and both of us prefer the look of A. cherry to anything else. I'm a little concerned about the relative softness of A. cherry compared to almost any other typical flooring, except woods like fir (very common in BC homes for a long time) or pine. So I guess I'd like to hear from anyone that has A. cherry floors to see if they regret it.

My only experience with wood floors is with the typical oak in a 60's home. My understanding is that the finishes have improved dramatically especially pre-finished and that scratchability is for the most part independent of the wood. The softer woods would obviously dent more easily though. Ours kids are grown up and out of the house and we have no pets.

Thanks,
Bob

[Ed62]

My understanding is that the finishes have improved dramatically especially pre-finished and that scratchability is for the most part independent of the wood.

One of my boys just put hardwood flooring in his living room about a month ago. I'm not sure what it was, but it was an imported hardwood. He has two dogs, and he told me yesterday that the dogs are scratching up the flooring already. Sorry, that's the best I can offer.

Ed

[DUD]

I installed Cherry hardwood in My Brothers office several years ago. It still looks great

after these years. Even in the traffic areas, I plan on installing it in Our kitchen

at some point in time. HTH, Bill

[HarmsWay]

Ed, No pets in my house growing up because my sisters were extremely allergic to furry or scaly animals. As a result, I would have a tough time adapting to dogs in the house period, let alone scratching the floor.

Bill, Was is solid or engineered? Do you recall the brand?

Bob

[radhak]

Bob,
I installed engineered h/w more than a year ago, and it has held up great with a couple of kids that are as good as a dozen. Check this thread for details.

I am told all pre-finished h/w floors today (engineered or not) are by-far much tougher than yester-years.

[DUD]

Mine was solid 3/4" thick and I laid it with My Dad's nailer He bought in the 50's. I then

sanded it down with My Lawyers floor sander that He bought at a Rental place auction.

I buy My Hardwood flooring from a sawmill that is in NW Arkansas and He ships it UPS.

Bill

[HarmsWay]

Nice floor radhak. All the Brazilian cherry up here is much redder for some reason, which doesn't work with our other materials that can't be changed. Denting won't be a problem with that!

If I went to a local sawmill for flooring, my options would be Douglas fir or Douglas fir and in fact a nice edge grain fir (where the whole house could be done from a fraction of a single tree) would have been very cool and was my first choice. I think it's a very classy look. I just couldn't sell my wife on that idea. My second choice was sanded-in-place American cherry, but that got nixed as well. I'd like to see pictures of that office you did Bill. Anyway, now we're at pre-finished solid or engineered cherry unless someone without a vested interest can convince me otherwise.

Bob