Exotic hardwoods come from many lands and can be spectacular with a range in colors from blond with a pink pastel hue to bold black striping accents on reddish brown planks. They often have distinctive colors or natural characteristics that make them beautiful and unique.

But this individualism is more than patina deep. Exotic hardwoods also vary widely in hardness and photosensitivity. When choosing the proper floor covering for your home you must look at more than aesthetics. Your lifestyle affects your need for durability, stain resistance, ease of maintenance, etc. The same is true when considering exotic hardwood. Choosing the right species involves more than deciding which color or markings appeal to you; you also need to take your lifestyle into account.

Factors to consider include: time spent on daily maintenance, number and age of children, pets, daily traffic, number of area rugs and entry mats, number of windows or amount of unfiltered UV radiation the floor is exposed to, likelihood of water damage, and environmental systems in the home. If you have heavy traffic on your floors for example, a harder floor might fit better with your lifestyle.

Similarly, if you have many undraped windows and don’t like moving furniture or area rugs on a regular basis, a floor with a low photosensitivity rating would probably be a better choice. Photosensitivity is a rating of how much the hardwood changes color when exposed to sunlight. This is usually a desired feature for hardwood flooring and creates the patina, glow or mellow look that the planks acquire with age. Not all wood changes color in the same way or at the same rate of speed. For instance, Brazilian Cherry changes from blond to mahogany while Walnut lightens with age. The first 3 months are usually the most critical for color change. Rugs should not be on the floor during this time and large furniture should be moved regularly. All wood will change to some extent as will the finish or sealant on top of the wood when exposed to UV.

When looking at photosensitivity ratings for wood consider the following points:

“Mostly unaffected” means that unless the
wood is exposed to strong constant sun
exposure (undraped S.W. facing widow for
instance) it should change moderately over the
course of the first year and more slowly after
that. Rugs should still moved every 3-6 months
depending on UV exposure.

Note on repairs: Most hardwood
repairs take time to blend into the original
flooring. The longer the floor has been
down the more extreme the contrast in the
repaired area. With highly photosensitive
wood the difference can be immediate
and extreme. Repairs may also take
longer to blend.