Compare Kempas Maple

Hardness

• On the Janka hardness rating scale for hardwood floors, kempas has a 1,710 rating while the maples range between 1,450 and 1,500. This means that kempas is a harder material than maples and can be more resistant to damage. Maple is the closest hardwood to kempas on the Janka rating scale and can be a less expensive alternative to kempas, but the overall floor durability is higher with kempas than maple.

Color

• Kempas and maple are at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to color. Maple is a lighter brown color that is often referred to as blond hardwood. Kempas comes as either a dark red or a pinkish brown color. Over time, both woods will start to darken as maple turns to a more amber color while kempas will develop a darker brown look.

Installation

• Maple hardwoods are consistent in their composition. Cutting and working with maple can be done with standard power and hand-held tools. Maple can be used in a do-it-yourself project. Kempas tends to have an inconsistent composition that creates extremely hard spots in the wood that can be difficult to cut and work with. Kempas requires special cutting tools and should only be installed by a professional.

Grain

• The grain of a hardwood is important to its overall look. Maple hardwoods have a flowing grain that is sometimes interrupted by a knot in the wood. The grain in kempas is inconsistent and can go from a straight, flowing grain to spirals within the same plank of wood. You will need to plan your kempas installation based on the grain of the wood, where maple offers a consistent grain that can be installed in a more straight-forward manner.