Basswood Hardwood Flooring
Scientific Name: Tilia americana
Other Names and Species: Limetree, Linden, Linn
Origin: United States, Canada
Appearance: The sapwood of basswood is smooth white to pale brown, while
the heartwood is a smooth white to more of a pale pink-brown in color.
The species has a straight and fine grain. The wood is of a fine and
uniform texture.
Properties: With basswood, finishing of some sort is reccommended as
this species is not known to have a good resistance to attack from
organisms. The wood remains smooth under friction and is reported to
have a slight odor when freshly milled. Basswood dries easily and
degrades very little in the process.
Janka Hardness: 410 | As a flooring option, basswood is a very soft
wood. It's hardness is under one half that of southern yellow pine, one
third that of red oak, one quarter of wenge, and is only approximately
one sixth of santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Workability: Basswood is a soft wood and thus responds very easily to
machining. Basswood nails easily but its holding properties are only
fair due to its softness. Staining is fair due to basswood's soft
texture. Varnishes and enamel-based paints hold much better on this
species. Care must be taken to avoid denting and marring due to its
significant lack of hardness.
Principal Uses: Basswood's uses include hard wood flooring, guitar
bodies, cabinetry, trunks, and boxing & crating.
About our Hardwood Floors - Designed For You
Our products are designed and manufactured in California for the Southwestern USA market, which has specific requirements with regard to the moisture content of the floor when compared to other countries. This is due to the drier climate of California and most areas in the Southwestern, USA that creates very distinct seasons with low average levels of humidity. This differs from many of the products sold within the Southwest, which are made to more a general specification for moist climates within the global market and cannot perform well in most drier Southwestern conditions.