Looking for something that can be a real show-stopper in your home? Consider adding mahogany flooring. Check out this article to see all the different looks and types of Mahogany wood.
Looking for something that can be a real show-stopper in your home? Consider adding mahogany flooring. While mahogany is undoubtedly an exotic hardwood, some options don’t cost nearly as much as you may think. With the right combination of material choice and structure, installing a floor that looks like a million bucks on a moderate budget is possible. Mahogany is durable, beautiful, and only looks better with age.
Mahogany flooring can be an excellent addition to any house. Between its stunning color and incredible durability, adding mahogany flooring will instantly increase your home’s value. There are many mahogany species, each varying in color, durability, availability, and price point. For those on a budget, consider adding a mixed-mahogany floor, unfinished mahogany, or using mahogany engineered hardwood.
With so many flooring options, it can seem overwhelming to choose just one. Choosing mahogany flooring doesn’t have to be an exercise in hardwood research and homework. Below, let’s look at 9.5 great options for mahogany flooring ideas.
Types of Mahogany Flooring
Simply saying you want a mahogany floor can generate a range of materials and mahogany species. If you are looking for inspiration, we have compiled a list of some of the most popular and common mahogany species to use for flooring in your home.
African Mahogany Flooring
African Mahogany is a stunning type of wood flooring with a wide range of colors. Expect to find everything from pale pink to deep red-brown with African Mahogany flooring. Plus, this type of mahogany will darken with age, giving your home a completely new look. Naturally rough and coarse, this type of mahogany has to be treated and sanded before it is used for flooring. African Mahogany not only looks great on your floors but can be used for cabinetry too.
Unfinished Mahogany Flooring
If you want a truly customized look or are looking to save a few bucks, consider installing unfinished mahogany flooring. Natural mahogany comes in yellow, red, and brown tones, allowing you to find just the right shade for your room. The smooth grain is ideal for flooring, eliminating unsightly knots throughout the planks. The wood is naturally hard, so you can get creative with finishing the wood. Choose a transparent wood stain, dark stain, or even a wood wax to seal the wood and simply protect it from water damage.
Mixed Mahogany Flooring
Why not introduce some mahogany flooring with complimentary wood? Adding two kinds of wood together allows you to create visually exciting and stunning patterns. Choose a woven design, alternating pattern, or even use mahogany flooring around the room’s exterior to help define a space. Mahogany flooring can be expensive, but adding just small amounts of mahogany to your flooring project is an excellent way to bring the warmth of mahogany to your space without spending a small fortune.
Brazilian Mahogany Flooring
When people think of mahogany, chances are they are thinking of Brazilian Mahogany. This flooring is often sold as “genuine” mahogany. This hardwood ranges from a deep red-brown to a light brown with pink undertones. The grain is usually very straight and tight, making it ideal for flooring. If you want a sustainable hardwood option, be sure to choose lumber that comes from plantation growth. While not as solid as indigenous lumber, plantation mahogany has a smaller impact on the earth’s natural resources.
Santos Mahogany Flooring
Sometimes labeled as South American Mahogany, Santos Mahogany is a deep red color wood that can be almost burgundy or purple in some cases. As the wood ages, it becomes even more purple. Compared to other mahogany species, Santos Mahogany is priced in the middle range, not the cheapest but not the most costly either. The wood has a medium grain and delicate texture, making it ideal for flooring. Plus, this type of mahogany is incredibly durable, making it perfect for high-traffic areas, kids, or those with pets.
Cuban Mahogany Flooring
Cuban Mahogany is a very rare type of wood and, at one point, was almost extinct. This wood has a beautiful pink-brown color that gets darker as it ages. Commonly found throughout southern Florida, this wood can be impossible to find today due to over-harvesting through the early 1900s. Most of the Cuban Mahogany found today is vintage and salvaged from a previous home. This wood is scarce and can fetch an extremely high price.
Honduran Mahogany
Honduran Mahogany is very similar to Cuban Mahogany and has many of the same qualities. This material ranges in color from light brown to almost pink color. In every way, Honduran Mahogany is identical to the Cuban Mahogany that is now widely protected. Similarly, Honduran Mahogany is exceptionally durable and ideal for high-traffic areas. Unlike Cuban Mahogany, Honduran Mahogany is readily available, and it can be grown on large plantations. Growing the wood on plantations makes this option more sustainable. Sometimes, Honduran Mahogany is referred to as American Mahogany, Big-Leag Mahogany, or Genuine Mahogany.
Solid Mahogany Flooring
Nothing quite compares to the feel and sound of walking on solid hardwood flooring. Buying solid mahogany hardwood flooring for your home is an excellent choice. Although this exotic hardwood may seem fragile, it is, in fact, a durable and beautiful material with a narrow grain and wide color variation. Solid mahogany flooring can also be refinished multiple times, allowing you to sand and refinish your floor if it dents or fades.
Engineered Mahogany Flooring
Engineered hardwood is an attractive option for many homeowners. Not only is the material more sustainable, but it can be easier to install and is often cheaper than solid wood floors. Engineered mahogany flooring has a thin layer of natural mahogany glued to a standard particle board backing. Depending on the type of engineered flooring you buy, installation requires gluing the material or nailing the material to the subfloor. If you buy a high-quality engineered flooring option, it may be possible to refinish the fine layer of mahogany at least once.
Bosse
Although not technically a mahogany type, Bosse wood flooring is very close to the same color and grain as genuine mahogany. We’ll give it a half-point toward our mahogany flooring list. Comparatively, Bosse wood flooring looks more like mahogany than some true mahogany species. When putting African Mahogany and Bosse wood side by side, Bosse looks more like “true” mahogany. This type of hardwood flooring differs from mahogany because it has unpredictable grain. Sometimes the grain is tight light mahogany, while other times, it’s loose and figured. Bosse wood is commonly used for flooring or veneer applications like cabinets.
What Are Mahogany Flooring Pros and Cons?
Installing mahogany flooring is a wonderful way to get a rich, warm flooring option that adds instant value to your home. However, installing mahogany flooring is a big decision and a significant expense, forcing homeowners to weigh the pros and cons of mahogany. Some of the best benefits of using mahogany flooring in your home include:
- Hard Flooring – Mahogany is incredibly hard compared to other woods commonly used for flooring. A hard floor also means a durable floor, resistant to dings, dents, and scratches. Some types of mahogany can be harder than walnut, oak, and even some kinds of maple. Mahogany is beautiful and ideal for high-traffic areas in your home and has a long life.
- Low Maintenance – Because mahogany is such a durable flooring option, it has very low maintenance requirements. Most people can clean their floors with a simple swipe with a dry mop and scrub with warm water and liquid dish soap.
- Ideal Price Point – While certainly not the cheapest wood flooring option, mahogany may not be as expensive as it sounds. Mahogany is still an exotic hardwood but much more affordable than some other exotic woods that can cost up to $30 per board foot. Although mahogany will likely be more than oak or maple, its durability and easy maintenance make the minimal price difference negligible.
- Easy to Install – Mahogany is easy to work with, and even a person with minimal experience should be able to DIY this project with the right tools and enough time. The wood is solid and durable, takes stain well, is easy to sand, and can be nailed or glued without any issues.
Although mahogany flooring is beautiful, it does have some unfortunate downsides. Some negatives associated with mahogany flooring include:
- Color – There is a lot of color variation, even between the same mahogany species. Plus, this wood will darken over time, and places that receive loads of sunlight are likely to change a different color than shaded portions of the floor.
- Pricey – Compared to other flooring options, mahogany floors can be pretty pricey. These are exotic hardwood materials that can be costly to acquire. Splurging for mahogany hardwood floors may not be the best option if you have a limited budget.
- Confusing Species – Simply saying you want mahogany flooring isn’t going to cut it when it comes to this type of wood. There are so many different types of mahogany flooring and wood species, each with its own color, hardness, and cost. You need to go to a style shop or showroom to visually inspect each type of mahogany before making a final decision.
How Much Does Mahogany Flooring Cost?
Mahogany flooring price can vary drastically depending on the type of mahogany and flooring product you decide to use. Solid mahogany flooring will often be the most expensive due to the amount of solid mahogany needed to complete the project. Expect to pay around $7 for a square foot of flooring.
While engineered flooring is generally a bit less expensive, some high-end engineered flooring can end up costing more than solid wood. The average price of engineered mahogany is about $6.50 for a square foot.
To save some money, consider buying unfinished mahogany flooring. This option will allow you to still buy mahogany wood for solid flooring but allows you to stain your own mahogany floors, truly customizing your final product. Unfinished mahogany may cost around $6 per square foot.
Keep in mind that you will have additional expenses when installing hardwood flooring. Depending on the amount of DIY knowledge you have, you may need a contractor to help remove and install the new flooring. You’ll need plenty of supplies, tools, and additional material to lay hardwood flooring properly. Always purchase about 15% more square footage than what is required for the room to account for cut-offs.
Will Mahogany Flooring Hold Its Value?
Although many new homes will flaunt laminate flooring or engineered flooring, the best material to increase your home’s value is still solid hardwood. Not only does hardwood look beautiful, but the natural material is highly durable. Solid hardwoods make a home appear more luxurious, regardless of age.
Adding exotic hardwood, like mahogany, can increase your home’s value even more. Not only is mahogany beautiful to look at with its rich tones, but the flooring is tough and long-lasting. Even with years of use, a mahogany floor can take a beating in high-traffic areas and still look great. While mahogany flooring may be more expensive to install compared to some synthetic alternatives, it is an ideal wood choice to help grow and retain your home’s value.