Is Ash good for hardwood Floors?

Putting hardwood in throughout the house, was leaning towards red oak but was told by flooring guy the it often buckles after a few years, trying to steer us towards Ash... anyone have experience with Ash floors? any good or bad points? Please let me know.

Is Ash good for hardwood Floors?
I would look into use Ipe (Brazilian Walnut) it's many times harder than domestic hardwoods.
Reply:If you spill anything on ash and it happens on a bare spot, that spot'll be there forever.


I'd go with white oak.
Reply:Ash is a very hard, stable wood, with a fairly open grain. It is one of the woods traditionally used for baseball bats. I can't imagine any reason it would not make a good floor. It is lighter in and more neutral in color than red oak, which might be a decorating advantage.





On the other hand, the white oak floors in my house are over 100 years old with no sign of buckling.
Reply:i think ash is very overated. if you look at a Janka hardness scale it shows that Ash is only 30 points above red oak (Ash is 1320 ans ROak is 1290) which is not very much of a difference. where I am ROak is the most popular but it also handles the climate where I am better. Check out http://www.hardwooddirect.com/hardwood_f... to see the woods hardness rating.





Ash also has a slight yellowish tint to it which is not going to get any better especially if you get it finished with an oil based finish. The oil tends to yellow more and quicker, so be careful in color choice so that you dont end up eventually with a very yellow floor.
Reply:your good with ash its a very hard wood with very little flaws



skin tone