Softwood Floors Just Aren’t as Hard
Wood lovers sometimes opt for the softwoods of the coniferous trees when installing wood floors. Evergreen trees in the northern hemisphere, such as spruce, cedar, fir (including Douglas-fir), are softwood species that appeal to people who want a little more give underfoot. Pine is one of the most popular softwoods for wood floors.
However, it is crucial to understand the basic differences between hardwood and softwood in order to effectively develop a strong and durable wood floor. It is very likely that a variety of wood species will be used in the process of installing wood floors.
For example, some people may opt to use softwood plywood or OSB as a wood subfloor with hardwood flooring specified as the surface layer. Softwood pine flooring can also be used as a wood subfloor in some applications. Engineered flooring combines several different wood species layered into the flooring substrate. Plywood, which is often used as a subfloor, also combines multiple wood layers with varying performance traits. For traditional plank lovers, many wood species choices are available when specifying and installing solid wood floors. Wood flooring stakeholders need a general knowledge of the wood species performance characteristics that can be sandwiched into a great wood floor.
Wood Density in Practical Terms
Softwood flooring performance is partially influenced by wood density (also known as specific gravity). Specific gravity (SG) is a physical property of wood that serves as an index of its weight and a rough guide to how easily it dries. It’s the ratio of the wood’s density to the density of water (1.0). For wood, SG is based on its oven-dry weight and its volume at a stated moisture content. Softwoods, like nearly all woods, have an SG below 1.0, which means they float.
In general, the heavier the wood, the slower the drying rate will be and the greater the likelihood is of developing defects during drying. Softwoods generally (but not always) have lower densities than hardwoods.
Lumber manufacturers kiln dry wood with an expert grasp of the SG differences of woods so the end wood product will perform to specifications. However, wood flooring fans also need to remember that differences in a wood’s SG can cause differences in flooring performance.
Softwood Flooring Applications
Softwoods are often made into plywood and OSB, which are then used as subfloor material. Softwood boards can also be used as a subfloor or made into solid wood flooring. These applications are starkly different from one another, so it is important to understand those differences. Softwoods can form a subfloor beneath the hardwood flooring top surface layers. Relative to their hardwood cousins, softwoods provide a little spring in the step. Indeed, this is exactly what many wood lovers may crave when installing wood floors with a softwood under-layer. However, installers must leave enough room between softwood subfloor planks for expansion as the subfloor’s MC changes. While this rule-of-thumb applies to all wood species, it is especially important when softwood plank subfloors may be sandwiched underneath ¼” plywood and hardwood flooring.
Softwood finish floor surfaces can be a little more challenging. Floor sanders can quickly create low spots in softwood flooring, so sanding a softwood floor takes extra care.
Because softwoods are relatively soft, softwood floors are more easily dinged and dented by high heels, dropped items, and daily wear and tear. These points need not discourage softwood lovers, but they do need to be considered.
Softwood Moisture Content (MC)
MC is the amount of moisture in wood, expressed as a percentage of its oven-dry weight. Wood’s MC rises and falls until the amount it contains is in balance with that in the surrounding environment. The amount of moisture at this point of balance is called the equilibrium moisture content (EMC). The EMC depends upon the relative humidity (RH) and temperature of the surrounding air.
Because of their lower SG, most softwood species are softer and less durable than hardwoods. Softwood dimensions change with the seasons as the ambient RH changes. This is true whether the softwood sits in a subfloor, or as a finished floor on the surface. If installed as a subfloor, the softwood is sometimes surrounded by other wood flooring species with MCs that may also fluctuate with RH changes. A wood moisture meter helps you catch changing MC levels before they damage softwood flooring.
As with any wood type, proper MC measurement is key when installing the flooring, as well as in subsequent maintenance, monitoring MC changes due to regular RH seasonal changes and in general upkeep. With proper moisture management, a softwood floor can give you many years of service.
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As Sales Manager for Wagner Meters, Ron has more than 35 years of experience with instrumentation and measurement systems in different industries. In previous positions, he has served as Regional Sales Manager, Product and Projects Manager, and Sales Manager for manufacturers involved in measurement instrumentation.
Last updated on October 8th, 2026
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