Mahogany wood is popularly used in real estate and for good reasons. First of all, its rich color makes it a beautiful material for building doors, furniture, and cabinets, among other things.
While its hardness allows homeowners to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that items constructed with it would last long, giving them value for their money.
Flooring is among the popular use cases for mahogany wood in real estate because it creates a classy look for homes and fits well with most home decor.
Several mahogany floor pros may make it your ideal flooring choice if you consider installing it in your home. However, there are also some mahogany floor cons to be mindful of.
Learning about various mahogany floor pros and cons will help you decide whether you should install it in your home or opt for other flooring options.
The Pros of Mahogany Flooring
1. Beautiful Appearance
The beautiful aesthetic of Mahogany floorings is the first thing you would notice and one of the mahogany floor pros that attracts many real estate owners to the wood.
Its beautiful appearance makes it an excellent choice for homeowners who want to create an aura of luxury in their homes.
There are several color and pattern variations of the Mahogany wood, giving you the flexibility of creating a distinct look for your home by choosing the ones that appeal to you the most.
The variation also allows you to match the floor with your home decor and furniture to create a perfect interior. Homeowners who want a glossy-looking flooring suited for modern homes can achieve that with Mahogany wood because it takes polish well.
2. Hard and Durable
Durability is a key criterion when choosing any flooring material for a home. Mahogany is a popular flooring material in real estate because it is harder than several other kinds of wood.
Its hardness makes it capable of taking hits and scratches without wearing out easily, making it an ideal flooring material for the living room, bedroom, and other high-traffic areas.
Since there are different species of Mahogany, their hardness varies depending on the specie involved.
For instance, the Janka Hardness Scale, which gives insight into how well different wood species hold up against force, gives the Genuine Mahogany a rating of 800.
The African Mahogany has a rating of 1100, while the Santos Mahogany has a rating of 2400. The higher the rating is, the harder the wood.
If you decide to use Mahogany flooring in your home, you can expect to enjoy decent durability, regardless of the specie, especially with proper maintenance.
3. Easy to Maintain
Another upside to installing a Mahogany floor in your home is that it costs little to nothing to maintain it. Every kind of flooring requires a certain level of maintenance, and Mahogany flooring is not exempted.
However, one of the mahogany floor pros is that maintenance is easy since it involves mostly sweeping or mopping.
4. Does not Fade Easily
Aside from dents and scratches, homeowners may encounter another problem when using certain hardwood flooring, and that is the problem of the wood fading over time due to exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Some hardwood floors become discolored when exposed to sunlight over time, while some fade quickly. Mahogany absorbs light more effectively than many other hardwoods, allowing it to retain its hue longer before eventually darkening.
5. Resistant to Water and Rot
Not many hardwoods used for flooring in real estate can boast about being resistant to water. Usually, this limits their application within the home as water often damages wood and can cause it to rot over time.
Mahogany is naturally resistant to water due to its high density. One of the advantages of using Mahogany for flooring over many other hardwoods is you do not need to limit its usage to only the living room and other dry areas of the home.
You can use mahogany flooring in the kitchen, bathroom, and other areas in regular contact with water. Mahogany’s natural ability to resist rot and decay is the reason it is among the best woods for building boats.
Being resistant to water and rot makes Mahogany a more durable flooring material than many hardwoods.
The Cons of Mahogany Flooring
1. Darkens Over Time
One of the Mahogany floor cons you need to bear in mind when choosing the colors and patterns of the Mahogany wood to install in your home is it will darken over time.
Usually, it would take several years for the wood to darken if used in a room exposed to sunlight.
Mahogany floor darkening over the years could be a big problem, especially if certain covered areas of the floor do not darken equally with the rest of the exposed areas.
Also, this means that colors and patterns you considered dark enough when installing the floor may become too dark in the latter years.
2. Can be Costly
Mahogany flooring can be costly depending on the specie. The cheaper ones tend to be less hard and less durable than the costly ones.
Due to the variety in price among the different species, homeowners who want to install the costly hardwood need to take extra precautions to avoid situations where the cheaper Mahogany wood is sold to them instead.
3. Rare
Over the years, certain Mahogany species have become extremely rare and threatened due to excessive demand. Examples of rare Mahogany species include the Cuban Mahogany, West Indian Mahogany, and Caribbean Mahogany.
Some countries have placed restrictions on the supply of some Mahogany species to help preserve them. The rarity and high demand are factors that influence the high cost of purchasing Mahogany wood for flooring.
Depending on your location, you may have difficulty securing some Mahogany species for your home or may pay more to get them.
4. Difficult to Cut and Install
While hardness is among Mahogany floor pros, it is also one of the Mahogany floor cons because it makes cutting the wood more difficult.
Installing Mahogany flooring is certainly not a great idea for a weekend DIY project because it requires certain technical expertise to handle the process. As a result, it would be best to hire professionals to handle the flooring – further eating into your budget.
However, hiring professionals would save time and eliminate the risk of damaging the wood.
5. Does not Hide Dust
While maintaining a Mahogany floor is easy, it could easily become monotonous. Mahogany floors do not hide dust well like most hardwood floorings with dark finishes.
As a result, homeowners who opt for it as their flooring choice need to sweep or mop often, especially if they want to keep the floor spotless.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for luxury flooring and the cost of installing Mahogany floors fits well into your budget, you should certainly go for it because its pros outweigh its cons.
The beautiful aesthetics and extreme durability of Mahogany floors make it a worthwhile investment. It would give you value for your money and increase your home resale price if you plan to sell your home in the future.
While the tendency of the Mahogany wood to darken over time may be a cause for concern, you may consider getting a light Mahogany floor from the onset so that when it darkens in the future, it would not be too dark.
Also, remember that the floor darkening could be a problem only if certain room areas are covered, for instance, with rugs, while other areas are exposed to sunlight.
Beyond that, there is the likelihood that you may find the darkened outcome appealing.