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Description: |
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N. American Maple is the world’s premier
“white” flooring wood and offers the lightest
coloration of any wood flooring. |
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Color Range & Color Change: |
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Color
Range:
N. American Maple comes in an extreme
range of color variability as the wood
varies in color from the pale cream colored
sapwood on through to the different
tan/brown tones to dark brown colors found
in the heartwood. WFI offers are
selected for white color in the upper grades
we offer in our Engineered and ThinStrip
offerings.
Color
Change:
N. American Maple
undergoes a medium degree of color change,
with slight ambering from a
cream/white to a more golden cream color
over time.
WFI's
Color
Properties Chart View
WFI's N. American Maple Photo Page for photos of the typical
color range
& change to be expected:
N.
American Maple Photo Page
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Hardness: |
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N.
American Maple is 115% as hard as red oak
(1450 on the Janka scale vs.1260 for red
oak).
For hardness comparisons
to additional species, please go to:
WFI's
Species
Hardness
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Where to Use: |
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American Maple may be used both residentially and
commercially wherever the fine grained “white”
look of maple is desired.
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Special Characteristics /
Issues Specific to this Species: |
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Stability: N.
American Maple is less stable than red oak
and care must be taken to properly equalize
solid wood flooring before installation and
for engineered floors to maintain relative humidity
between 35% and 65% once installed in order
to minimize movement. In very dry climates
Maple is prone to shrinking. See:
WFI's
Wood Properties Chart
on the WFI Downloads page.
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Finish Issues: (for site sanding/finishing only) -
none known at this time, see:
WFI's
Finish Recommendations on the WFI Downloads page
before commencing any site finishing.
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Safety/Allergic Reaction Issues:
N.
American Maple has been known to cause contact
dermatitis. Care should be taken when coming
into contact with the saw dust. - see:
WFI's
Material Safety on
the WFI Downloads page for safety issues with wood dust.
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Other Characteristics/Issues specific to this species:
none known at this time - see
Feedback
/
Maple
N. American on the WFI
Site Map to see what others have experienced with this
species.
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Technical Information: |
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Note: |
Additional Technical Information
on this species can be accessed from the links below:
U.S. Forest Products Laboratory -
N. American Maple Only
U.S.
Forest Products Laboratory
- to access all species
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