Beech

Handloggers’ Opinion
Well, we have to admit, this is not one of the floors we want to order in unfinished flooring. We have had disappointed customers who receive their floor thinking it will be a consistent creamy-white color. What they receive can have a combination of brown heart and creamy white sap. We have much better success selling beech floors from pre-finished flooring manufacturers such as the solid Junckers’ product or engineered floors. These manufacturers use European Beech which is much more color consistent.
Appearance
Color: Heartwood is mostly reddish brown; sapwood is generally pale white.
Grain: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniform texture. Coarser than European beech.
Variations within species and grades: Only one species is native to the United States. Moderate to high color variation between boards.
Properties
Hardness/Janka: 1300; 1% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Below average (change coefficient .00431; 17% less stable than red oak).
Durability: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Wears well and stays smooth when subjected to friction — popular for factory floors.
Workability
Sawing/Machining: Difficult to work with hand tools, but good machining qualities.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability, but has a tendency to split.
Finishing: No known problems.

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"Wood Species Used in Wood Flooring, publication A200, ©1994" provided with permission and courtesy of the National Wood Flooring Association.