Fir

Handloggers’ Opinion
This is a classic floor often used in Victorian and craftsman style homes. As far as we can tell, the drawback is that VG Fir is quite soft so it will distress quickly and is not readily available in wide planks.
Appearance
Color: Heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown. Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color change upon exposure to sunlight.
Grain: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grain or riftsawn clear-grade material.
Variations withing species and grades: Wood varies greatly in weight and strength. Young trees of moderate to rapid growth have reddish heartwood and are called red fir. The narrow-ringed wood of old trees may be yellowish-brown and is known as yellow fir.
Properties
Hardness/Janka: 660; 49% softer than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00267; 28% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Durable but easily dented. Somewhat brittle and splinters easily, especially with age. Used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness.
Workability
Sawing/Machining: Harder to work with hand tools than the soft pines.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: Some boards develop a slight pinkish to bright salmon color when finished with some products. Because of tendency toward color change, care must be taken to avoid oversanding when refinishing an existing floor.
Comments: Sometimes milled for flooring as endgrain block, which is significantly harder than plainsawn.

<< back to species page

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