what type of wood flooring will hold up to a 500 lb electric wheelchair?
by Karen B
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4 answers
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Generally, the hardest woods are your best bet, and the Janka scale is used to rate the hardness of woods. The hardest widely available wood flooring options are Ipe and Brazilian Walnut. Here is more information on the Janka scale, and some more wood listings: http://tinytimbers.com/janka.htm
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3po3
on Mar 18, 2012
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The wheel chair probably has "rubber" wheels of some kind that will distribute the weight out a bit. The key to keeping the floor looking good will be keeping it free of debris. Just as a high heeled shoe can concentrate the "weight" into a small point that may have the equivalent of 100's of pounds per sq in. A small pebble under the wheel could have the same adverse affect. I'm a big fan of Jatoba ( Brazilian Cherry) which has a Janka number of 2350 or so. Oak by comparison is only about 1300. Another big consideration is the thickness of the flooring and the prep of the subfloor. Deflection and flex will be better served by a sound subfloor and full 3/4" flooring. Engineered and laminates do not handle this type of deflection well at all.
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KMS Woodworks
on Mar 19, 2012
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There are fabric covers that are available for the rubber wheels. When ever I have used a scissor lift indoors, they always come with covers to protect the floors from scuffs and rubs.
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WallsTreat Studio/ Kass Wilson
on Mar 19, 2012
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Better than wheel covers would be a felt furniture blanket with a thin sheet of ply over the top...just be sure the floor if free from debris first. I have used this method for "HEAVY" demo work. The felt protects the floor from the plywood and the plywood is beefy enough to drop bricks on.
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KMS Woodworks
on Mar 20, 2012
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