About Ash Wood Flooring

Looking for a beautiful hardwood floor that's durable enough to withstand a home filled with active children or rambunctious pets? Ash hardwood may be your answer, particularly if you're drawn to the modern character that comes from light, cool tones, and subtle grain patterns. 

What Is Ash Hardwood Flooring? 

Ash flooring is usually composed of either white ash or black ash, which are mainly grown in the eastern United States. Because this hardwood is extremely durable and shock resistant, it's used to construct everything from furniture and cabinetry to guitars, boats, and sports equipment. Chances are you have a baseball bat or tools with handles made of ash somewhere around your home. 

Appearance

Today's contemporary designs often incorporate ash flooring, which adds warmth and character with its cool tones and light color. The grain pattern featured in ash wood flooring is similar to oak but with a color variation all its own. 

Like other solid woods, ash hardwood comes from two areas of the tree: 

• Heartwood from the inner part of the trunk 
• Sapwood from the softer outer layers 

Depending on how it's cut, the wood hue of white ash flooring can range from a creamy light brown to a pale yellow streaked with medium brown to a gentle beige that's almost white. 

Durability and Maintenance

Ash hardwood flooring offers a ruggedness that's especially ideal for kitchens, hallways, and utility zones. The wood's hardness fends off minor scratches, dents, and dings, and its shock-absorbing elasticity helps it wear well. You don’t have to worry about ash splintering or feeling rough to the touch after a lot of use. 

You can keep ash flooring in good condition for years to come by regularly sweeping or vacuuming on a hardwood setting and immediately cleaning up any liquid that finds its way to your floor. Check the manufacturer's guide for cleaning instructions specific to the ash wood flooring you choose.

Lifespan

White ash flooring can last several decades in your home under the right conditions. These include:

• Using high-quality materials
• Preparing and installing the flooring properly 
• Amount of foot traffic the floor receives 
• Following the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and maintenance

Talk to your flooring retailer about a warranty. At Carpet One Floor & Home, we offer warranty protection that ensures you'll enjoy your beautiful hardwood flooring for years to come. 

Installation

Ash flooring offers the same installation options as other hardwood floors: nail-down, staple-down, or glue-down. Which one you choose will largely depend on the room's subfloor and the necessary underlayment. Also, let the planks acclimate to the conditions of the room for at least 3 days before installing. The moisture content of the wood needs to adjust to prevent buckling or warping. 

We always recommend hiring a professional since hardwood installation can be tricky. Expert installers can ensure you get the best appearance, durability, and lifespan from your new ash flooring, as well as a comprehensive warranty for full peace of mind. 

Advantages of Ash Wood Flooring

• Toughness

Ash wood hardness ranks higher than oak, heart pine, and beech. White ash flooring can handle the everyday foot traffic of a full house, plus it withstands unexpected dents and scratches that come with pets and kids.

• Light, bright, and contemporary

Because ash flooring lands on the lighter side of the hardwood flooring color spectrum, it delivers a modern look without special stains or sanding. It's a great option for emphasizing airy spaces like lofts and open floor plans or brightening rooms that get minimal natural light.

• Shock absorbing

This wood type has a unique elasticity that absorbs shock better than many of its counterparts — meaning less worry for you if you lose your grip on the couch on move-in day. 

Disadvantages of White Ash Floors

• Higher maintenance

Though cleaning ash wood flooring is like cleaning any other solid wood floor, this type of flooring may require regular pest treatments, particularly if you live in an insect-heavy area. Ash wood is less termite and moth-proof than other exotic woods, plus there's always the threat of wood-boring powderpost beetles with genuine wood floors. 

• Not waterproof

Ash hardwood is more water resistant than softwoods, so if you accidentally spill your seltzer in the kitchen, it won't destroy your ash wood flooring if it's quickly wiped up. But the moisture found in bathrooms, basements, and below-grade locations is another story, which is why we recommend considering engineered ash flooring for those rooms. 

• Fewer long or wide planks

Since 2002, an invasive beetle called the emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees across the US. To avoid this destruction, ash wood is often harvested early, well before the trees reach the height and diameter necessary to create long and wide planks. For a modern wide plank look, you can always opt for engineered wood flooring in ash.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ash a good hardwood floor?

Yes! Ash wood flooring does great in most rooms, including living and dining rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. It's durable enough to put up with kids running in and out and resilient enough to withstand the minor dents and dings that come its way. Plus, ash is water-resistant enough for small spills, as long as you clean them up right away.  Since ash is a solid hardwood, though, it's not a good choice for bathrooms, basements, and other high-moisture spaces. 

Is ash wood a hardwood?

The ash species is considered a hardwood, and it's harder than oak, heart pine, and beech. 

Is solid ash wood durable?

Yes! Ash hardwood has a dense cellular structure that makes it durable for use in hardwood flooring. It's also more resistant to scratches and dents than softwoods. 

Is ash harder than white oak?

White oak is harder than ash, with a Janka rating of 1360 compared to ash's rating of 1320. But both types of wood flooring can work well in your busy home. White oak resists more moisture while ash hardwood offers more shock-absorbing elasticity.