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Reader Questions: Hickory Hardwood Floors

by | Jan 13, 2015 | Decorating Inspiration, my house, Reader Questions

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Reader Questions: Hickory Hardwood Floors

I receive a lot of questions about our Hickory hardwood floors and how they are holding up after a few years with our dogs and family. So I thought today I would just pop in and answer a few FAQ! If you have additional questions, feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll answer questions or add them to the post!

1. What kind of flooring do you have?

My floors are Mohawk Natural Hickory Hardwood Flooring. These floors are the exact ones we have from Mohawk.

2. Did you mix light and dark stains to get that beautiful mix of wood?

No, we didn’t stain them. That’s just the gorgeous natural Hickory wood grain and each board is unique!

3. Is it finished on site or prefinished?

Our floors were prefinished so it was a lot less hassle and mess to install than flooring that has to be sanded and finished on site.

4. Are your floors hard to keep clean?

Not at all, the natural Hickory is SO easy! Of course, they still have to be swept and cleaned like any other flooring (I don’t think there is any magic floor that cleans itself!), but the dust bunnies don’t glare at you as much as with other flooring I’ve had. You can see a few of my hardwood cleaning tips here.

I can say for sure that we have to dust and sweep them FAR less than we used to with the really dark hardwood floors. Yet, the Hickory looks pretty clean most of the time so even though we clean less, they look better. Score. The grain is amazing for disguising the daily dust and dirt so you have a little more time in between cleaning where they will still look great!

4. Do your wood floors scratch?

One thing I LOVE how the Hickory is it is so forgiving of scratches, dirt, and dust! Like any wood flooring, they will get scratched on the surface over time, mostly from our dogs running around. But Hickory is such a hard wood that in our experience they have held up amazing well to the day to day abuse of an active family. The variation in the wood grain is what really hides the scratches so well.

5. Are your stairs Hickory, too?

Yes, you can see the post with the stair makeover here! I love the staircase.

6. Do you have any regrets in installing your hardwoods?

No, none at all. After living with them for a few years, I can say I would definitely install them again! In fact, this summer we installed Hickory floors in my office, and I’m hoping to replace the last of our original carpet in two upstairs bedrooms with Hickory at some point too.

Reader Questions: Hickory Hardwood Floors

What’s your experience with hardwood floors?

22 Comments

  1. Cathy B.

    My husband and I installed a dark (distressed) hickory hardwood floor in our kitchen about five years, and we love it! Is is easy to clean (we have a dog and two cats). The distressed nature of our floor makes any scratches or dents less noticeable, if they do occur. I would actually love to have this throughout our house!

    Reply
    • Rebecca

      Hi Cathy,

      I’d love to see a picture of your hickory floors if you happen to have one. We have a goldendoodle and our house already had red birch floors. They’re pretty but it’s a soft wood and they look terrible. Once we have the funds we’re going to do something more durable.

      Reply
  2. Deanna

    I think they look great!

    When we bought our house 13 years ago, it was a mess and we had to yank out carpet and linoleum, it was so bad. We found a local mill that did pine flooring for a fraction of what it would have cost us to put hardwood/carpet/linoleum in. It was the best thing we ever did here at our house! It has worn well and we love it! Super easy to care for, too!

    Reply
  3. Colleen Fulmer

    Thank you for posting these FQA. I love so many of your ideas and the transformation of your home, having a post of FAQ on several of your projects would be so helpful. Blessings.

    Reply
  4. Ms Maggie

    We have hickory at both our homes and they are mainly the one you have with a good shine on it. The wood goes with all our other woods from our newer French Country darker maples to a more cinnamon toned Midcentury pieces to even our birds eye maple and oak vintage pieces. It bends to all color and time periods.

    The one in Seattle is older and has yellowed a bit but it is only noticeable when you look at an original piece. We did have some spot change where a small rug was by the door so I suggest not keeping the rug during the summer to keep the wood an even color over time; you only need the rug during the messy months. There has been some wear on the edges of the older one but again you have to go up close to see it.

    We also added up in the Master out at the Island a wider plank that is softly scraped by Mohawk with more of satin sheen at http://www.mohawkflooring.com/hardwood-search/Brookedale%20Soft%20Scrape%20Uniclic/Country%20Natural%20Hickory/ in the natural. It seems to go with the expanse of that room. And that should never show wear. Great on the feet and we just love it. Feels like summer all year round with hickory and its many shades and knots….

    Reply
  5. Andrea M. Schnapp

    I have hickory floors as well. They were not ore stained and each board was installed then completely stained and polyurethaned. This was not a problem as the floors were installed in a house we were building. However, if you choose this way of installing hickory, that is not ore-stained and treated, they must live in your house for several weeks before being installed. They need to be acclimated to the environment in order to avoid buckling. I had them stained chocolate, which is a challenge to clean with a yellow lab, but I think they are worth it!

    Reply
  6. Heather

    We got hickory wood floors just like yours once we moved into our new house. Whenever someone comes into the house the first thing they always comment on is the floors. They love the variations of the wood and it just looks so pretty and interesting. You are also right about it hiding dirt much easier! I just wish that I had a dog that didn’t shed so much! :)

    Reply
  7. Lauren @ Mom Home Guide

    I think your floors are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen! I’d LOVE to have your floors in my home! (We have wall to wall carpeting, which unfortunately, my husband and kids love.) But I’d love to replace it!

    Reply
  8. Lisa

    Hi Melissa,
    I’ve been following you for several years now. Love your style, advise and decor! I’ve been struggling for four years on making a hardwood flooring decision. I know…we’re slow! How did you decide on the Hickory? What things did you consider to make the final choice? I recently ordered Java Walnut and screamed when it was laid out and turned orange. Currently we are considering a lighter palette with grey undertones, but now I’m worried about swine factor and fad factor. So… I’m really curious about what you use for making the final decision.
    Thanks

    Reply
  9. Karen on Bainbridge Island

    I think wood floors are required in every home. I am not a fan of carpeting…dirty. Give me area rugs and hard wood floors any day of the week. I am not a perfectionist, so the imperfection of wood floors overtime doesn’t bother me in the least.

    My suggestion is always to go with a medium tone wood that you like the color of. Hickory is perfect because it has many color variations and tones throughout each board. If you go to dark, it shows when the floors have lint, dust, crumbs. If you go to light, you can see marks from shoes and pets. Medium tones work well no matter what your furniture and accessory colors are as long as you pick a color of wood you like.

    Reply
  10. Shelley @ Calypso in the Country

    Your floors are beautiful and I am glad to hear you are still happy with them. We also installed hickory in my office about a year and a half ago and I love them! Mine are a medium tone called Hickory Saddle from the Character Collection of Somerset Floors. We are planning to put hardwood in more rooms but with a golden retriever, I think I need to go a little lighter in the rest of the house!
    Shelley

    Reply
    • Swati Khattri

      Hi Shelly,
      I am considering the Hickory from Somerset collection and possibly the saddle stain. Is it possible for you to post any pictures of your flooring? It’s so hard to visualize what the room will look like so pictures can helo greatly. Especially with Hickory and all the variation in color, I’m afraid of creating a more busy appearance than I can handle.

      Reply
  11. Barb

    I too put hickory floors in my house at my husbands suggestion. He is a huge baseball fan and bats are made of hickory. I loved that fun fact and also adore the different shades of the wood.

    Reply
  12. Eileen

    Presently we have laminate flooring on our main floor but are thinking about putting in hardwood instead—not hickory but something about a medium to dark stain with a bit of gray. My main concern is putting hardwood in the kitchen. I won’t lie–I am a very messy cook so I would like your opinion on how it holds up in the kitchen with water and food marks. I have even been tossing around the idea of bordering the kitchen with hardwood and installing porcelain tile in the center. Any thoughts? I need help!

    Reply
  13. Heidi

    My husband and I installed these exact same Mohawk Hickory floors in our kitchen, dining room, and living room last year. They’ve held up beautiful even through we have two dogs and they love to chase each other around the house. My ultimate goal is to extend these floors to the rest of our downstairs and our staircase.

    Reply
  14. Roz

    THANKS!! for this post. You have the best looking floors in blogville!! :-)

    Reply
  15. Rita Nelson

    What is the brand of your hardwood floor duster? Thanks.

    Reply
  16. Liz

    We found the same Mohawk natural hickory hardwood floors as you have on sale at Home Depot last spring, and after looking at your blog and all your lovely pictures decided to take the plunge and go with hickory and I’m so glad we did! We did hardwood throughout our entire first floor and are hoping to do the stairs next. They are very easy to keep looking clean and although I had originally envisioned doing darker hardwood, now that I’m living with it I’m so glad to have a much more forgiving wood as we aren’t the kind a family that can manage keeping everything constantly dusted! The only think I’ve had to be mindful of is the busy pattern, so I’ve had to keep the rest of the decor more modern and simple, and and think it works well. Some of the boards appear a little darker (from nearly white to more blond) over this past year, but I suppose all word changes a bit over time. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  17. Pamela

    Coming across your blog was such perfect timing! I’m currently looking into hard wood for my fixer-upper, and have to say it’s got to be one of the hardest design/decor/practical decisions I have faced after buying my home. I love the look of maple, but after my daughter and I did some banging away at samples of hardwood (a LOT of samples) with metal tools, scissors and what not, hickory and bamboo won the day. Everything else showed dents and scratching, and with dogs (fat) and kids (crazy) I think hickory is our best choice. But getting your online reassurance helps seal the deal! I love the way your pictures look; they ameliorated for me any worry about hickory maybe seeming too busy compared to a select maple, especially as my paint choices are similar to yours. Now maple seems a tad dull. Great job on your house and thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  18. Jenn

    I came across your blog and after debating finally pulled the trigger and got the hickory floors installed. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Thanks for your tips. It gave me the extra motivation to get it done.

    Reply
  19. Patti

    I’m a bit late to the party! I was researching seagrass rugs and saw that you laid some over your old broadloom. I guess that’s gone now but can you tell me where you bought your seagrass? I don’t want ones with binding and it looks like yours did not have. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Vanessa

    Hello.
    Are your floors hardwood or engineered hardwood? Did you lay them yourselves?
    We have the wood in our garage but have yet to install it in our bedroom. I’m leaning towards poly-ing it out there individually then installing. Any suggestions on installation and cleaning? Thanks.

    Reply

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