Several months ago we had a Samoan Mahogany hardwood floor installed in a very large area (including living room, dining room, and foyer) of our home. Within a day, I began to see many scratches appear everywhere from my dog and within a week, dents also appeared from the legs of a couch that have plastic tips on it. The softness of the floor became immediately apparent and needless to say we were quite dismayed ( we quickly installed an indoor "electric fence" to keep the dog out). One of the reasons we were so surprised is that we had done research prior to purchasing the floor by calling the manager to inquire about the hardness of this product. He of course assured me that it was a "very" hard and durable floor and that it was on top of the janka rating scale. A search on the internet did not turn up any negative comments on this type of flooring so we felt that we were making a good choice. We have an light oak floor in our family room that was installed over 20 years ago and have had very little problems with it so we expected the same from this floor. When we called a floor inspector to inquire about this issue, we were told that no flooring company warranties against scratches and/or dents and that we should not even bother hiring an inspector. We have spent thousands of dollars expecting to beautify our home and instead we are left with feeling anxious if anyone walks on the floors. This is no way to feel in our own home. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

P.S. I have contacted the store that distributed the floor and they are sending out a flooring inspector but everything I have read says that I should hire an independent inspector.

I'll assume you have Johnson as that is the only Samoan Mahogany I can find. It is only slightly harder then oak. Santos Mahogany is a considerably harder wood If your other floor was a site finished floor with poly it is more likely that it will hold up better as the poly will absorb more of the dogs weight before damaging the wood.

This is a problem I see and hear all too often.

You bought from the Janka scale and not from being educated about all wood. Yes, ALL WOOD

Scratching is not the wood, it is the finish that is applied to the wood.

All wood will dent, no matter how high it is on the Janka scale. Your salesman should have educated you about this aspect of all wood flooring. Telling the truth, often blows a big sale for the "tell them what they want to hear, but never the entire truth to blow the sale", salesmen and women.


PSI- pounds per sq. inch

That number you see in wood species harness, is not what it takes to make a dent in the floor. That is the pressure it takes to push a metal ball a ½" into the wood.


A 120-lb woman, wearing stiletto heels, puts more psi on the floor, than a 2000-lb elephant.



You have a floor, not a piece of fine furniture.

I'd also add that your light oak floor don't show scratches as easily, because of the light color, as your darker new floor.

To Jeff- you obviously know your floors! Yes, it is a Johnson floor and you are correct by surmising that our oak floor was a site finished floor. Of course I am wishing now that I went with that same product. I think that what is so upsetting for us "consumers" is that we try to educate ourselves as much as possible and it still doesn't seem like it is enough. I did an internet search on Samoan Mahogany and wasn't able to find much information. I made at least 2 or 3 phone calls to various professionals and I was assured many times that this floor was very "hard". I realize that all wood dents and scratches, but I was shocked how easily and quickly it occurred. The distributer is sending out an "independent inspector" but I have a strong sense that it will be a waste of time. At this point I simply want to know is whether I have any recourse. Do any of the flooring manufacturers give warranties covering the softness of the floor? It seems so soft that I am wondering whether the floor comes close to the "high" Janka reading that I was told about several times (I realize that it is somewhat of a marketing tool). Is there any way to check this? Thanks again for all your advice as well as your time.

Reinhorn,

Some mahoganies are actually much softer then Oak. I have seen Mahogany that is softer than American Walnut or Pine so not all mahogany is hard/dense and may easily dent.

That means the dogs nails will dent the wood if it is a soft mahogany. I would suggest a Matte finish on the floor to "mask" the appearance of the gauging/denting.

There is not one finish that will harden the substrate either.

Johannes.

There is so many manufacturers calling different South American species what ever they think it may look like. I've seen certain Mahogany species called Brazilian Mesquite. Not even close to the Janka scale as our Mesquite.

I think they call that "creative marketing" aka misdirection / false advertising. Pretty scary what's turning up on the market.

Yup, put a fancy name on it and it will get some interest. How about this site?

woodfloormart.com

All (Particularly Potential Consumers):

This thread is quite old but it resonated so pointedly that I had to contribute a response.

I was looking for a tropical hardwood with a great deal of color consistency (in contrast with the often sought after variation of woods like Brazilian Cherry) and after much research I settled on a prefinished product from Johnson. It was marketed under the trade name Samoan Mahogany.

After first glance the product was exactly what I wanted: Wide plank, very cost effective, and prefinished with a dark stain to lend it the consistency that I wanted.

In hindsight, while I've made some questionable product decisions in remodels that I've done...this leads the list. This is, without question, the worst flooring product that I've ever used.

Whether it is related to the wood itself or the finish, the net effect is that this floor is so nasty soft that it's like having a floor made out of soft paper. In an 18 month span, this flooring has worn worse than anything I've ever seen. Additionally, the poly finish is so cloudy that a quality shine is impossible.

While I'm okay, upon occasion, in making a trade for quality versus cost I would say don't do it here. Keep shopping for a decent flooring product if you're looking at this one.

Hi,

Loved the look of Samoan Mahogany...but daunted by these unpleasant experiences. Has anyone else tried this product from Johnson?? I have been told that the Janka rating of this floor is about 1900 so it should be much harder than oak, no? But if it is showing dents so easily then that rating is questionable...

Potential Consumer Who Stands Warned

I was about to purchase Samoan Mahogany Monaco.... is that the one you are talking about? I know the color shouldn't matter but I should mention the one I am buying has a roughed up/wirebrush texture....would that have yielded the same result for you.....ie was yours smooth and therefore, showed scratches more readily?