The best hardwood floors are made with wood species that are readily available and — you guessed it — very hard. Oak flooring, maple flooring and cherry flooring are all good choices. Other species include bamboo (which is actually a grass), walnut, ash and mahogany.

The national average cost of installing hardwood floors is $4 to $15 per square foot for the flooring and $3 to $10 per square foot for labor. With labor and material costs combined, you'll pay $7 to $25 per square foot for most projects.

For example, Brazilian Walnut owns a Janka rating of 3684. That makes it an exceptionally durable material for hardwood flooring. Brazilian Cherry is another durable exotic species with a 2350 rating. Among domestic hardwood species, hickory tops the charts with an 1820 rating.

Brown hardwood is the most classic hardwood floor color. The most popular type of brown hardwood is light brown flooring made from Ash, White Oak, Walnut, or Red Oak. The benefit of brown hardwood is that it's extremely versatile, as it can be paired with any wall color or finishings.