Every CALI Hardwoods Varietals Color: Acacia, Hickory, Ash & Maple
Acacia. Hickory. Ash. Maple. Four American hardwood species, eight engineered floors, and one deliberate counter-move against the white-oak monoculture that has flattened a decade of residential interiors.
At a Glance
| Color | Color Family | Designer's Note | Shop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Clarified Ash | White/Off-White | Brightened, naturally pale ash with the long, smooth, parallel grain the species is known for. Captures the look of quiet Scandinavian hardwood. Quiet, architectural, refined. | View Product → |
 | Clarified Acacia | Tan | Soft natural tan acacia with driftwood undertones and the species' signature plank-to-plank variation pulled toward a lighter tone. Inspired by sun-softened acacia. Lively, warm, refined. | View Product → |
 | Refined Ash | Tan | Soft beachy tan ash with the species' long, calm, parallel grain held at a slightly deeper sandy tone. In the style of warm coastal hardwood. Calm, sleek, restrained. | View Product → |
 | Natural Maple | Blonde | Soft springy light-tan maple with an even, tight grain and no plank-to-plank surprises. Modeled after mid-century furniture-grade hardwood. Clean, calm, blonde. | View Product → |
 | Natural Hickory | Honey | Greige-and-light-tan hickory with the dramatic plank-to-plank variation, visible knots, and mineral marks the species is known for. Reminiscent of pre-war American hardwood. Honest, rustic, warm. | View Product → |
 | Natural Acacia | Warm Brown | Warm caramel-brown acacia with deeper walnut tones, golden-tan stretches, and the occasional darker mineral mark plank to plank. Calls to mind a wildly grained real hardwood. Characterful, grounded, lively. | View Product → |
 | Cured Hickory | Warm Brown | Smoky tan and warm-brown hickory running through intricate knot patterns and dramatic plank-to-plank tonal shifts. Echoes a smoked, mid-saturation hardwood. Smoky, grounded, textured. | View Product → |
 | Shaded Hickory | Warm Brown | Warm butterscotch hickory with smoked-rose undertones and the bold knot-and-grain pattern the species is built around. Drawn from sun-warmed heritage hardwood. Confident, warm, dramatic. | View Product → |
The Case Against White Oak
At some point over the last decade, the engineered hardwood market converged on a single species. Walk through a new build in Austin, a renovated brownstone in Brooklyn, or a showroom in any major city, and the floor is almost certainly European white oak, wire-brushed, lightly stained, finished matte. The look was a corrective to the orange-toned red oak of the 1990s, and for a few years it felt fresh. Now it feels like wallpaper.
Varietals is CALI's deliberate counter-move. Instead of doing what every other manufacturer is doing, adding a twelfth oak color to a catalog already built on oak, the collection steps back to the American hardwood species that white oak displaced. Acacia, with grain so chromatically varied that no two planks look alike. Hickory, the species that floored most of pre-war America and that the industry abandoned for being too "busy." Ash, with the long, architectural grain that oak fundamentally cannot replicate. Maple, the quiet wood that mid-century designers built their furniture around.
Every plank in the line is built the same way: a 2mm real-hardwood veneer over a sustainable engineered core, 1/2 inch overall thickness, 7-1/2 inches wide by 74-13/16 inches long, finished with 6 coats of aluminum oxide over a clear matte topcoat. The wood is FloorScore certified, low-VOC, Lacey Act compliant, and backed by a 50-year residential warranty. The construction is the same across the line; the decision, then, is the species, and within each species, the color.
Below is each of the eight active Varietals colors, in its own section, grouped by species. Every section is built around what the color actually looks like in a real room, the design styles it fits, and the cabinetry, walls, and furniture that pair with it.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Ash · White/Off-White
Clarified Ash
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real ash veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Ash is the quiet hardwood - long-grained, calm, and historically underrated in residential flooring. Clarified Ash is the lightest floor in the Varietals lineup, with a brightened, naturally pale tone and the long, smooth grain ash is known for. Where oak grain runs short and clustered, ash grain stretches in long, parallel lines that make a floor feel more architectural and more refined. The lack of stain keeps the wood reading as genuinely real rather than as a bleached coating. It is the lightest legitimate hardwood floor available without going into whitewash territory.
Best For
Bright, gallery-like interiors and Scandinavian-leaning homes that want the lightest floor with real wood character still intact.
Pairs Well With
Pairs with bright white and soft cream walls, light oak millwork, polished nickel or matte black fixtures, raw linen upholstery, and the pared-back Scandinavian, modern coastal, and Japandi palettes that benefit from a quiet floor.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Acacia · Tan
Clarified Acacia
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real acacia veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Clarified Acacia is what acacia looks like when it has been pulled toward the lighter end of its natural range. The plank-to-plank chromatic variation that defines the species is still there, but the dominant tone reads as a soft natural tan with driftwood undertones rather than the deeper caramel of Natural Acacia. The light wire-brushed texture adds genuine tactile depth without ever flattening into a uniform stained look. It is the version of acacia for homes that want the character of the species without the visual gravity of its darker grain.
Best For
Modern transitional interiors that want acacia's signature wild grain in a lighter, more universally pairable tan.
Pairs Well With
Pairs cleanly with white shaker cabinetry, painted-sage millwork, brushed brass, raw linen upholstery, and the warm-neutral coastal and California-modern palettes that anchor most current new-builds.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Ash · Tan
Refined Ash
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real ash veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Refined Ash takes the same long, calm ash grain as Clarified Ash and lets it sit at a slightly deeper, sandier tone. The result is a soft beachy tan with the kind of sleek, varied grain that reads architectural rather than rustic. The plank-to-plank texture is smooth, and the chromatic variation is restrained, which keeps the floor quietly present without ever demanding attention. It is the ash floor for rooms that want warmth without weight - a real-wood alternative to the warm-tan vinyl that has dominated coastal interiors for the past five years.
Best For
Modern transitional and coastal interiors that want ash's long, calm grain at a slightly deeper, sandier tone.
Pairs Well With
Pairs with white and warm-greige walls, painted-sage or painted-blue cabinetry, brushed brass and bronze, raw linen and natural cotton upholstery, and the warm-but-restrained coastal and transitional palettes that dominate current renovations.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Maple · Blonde
Natural Maple
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real maple veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Maple is the species mid-century modern designers chose when they wanted wood that would quietly disappear into a room rather than compete with it. Natural Maple keeps that legacy intact: a soft, springy light-tan tone with an even grain that runs tighter. There are no knots, no dramatic mineral streaks, no plank-to-plank chromatic surprises - just a clean, warm blonde that lets the rest of the room speak. It is the most architecturally restrained floor in the Varietals lineup, and the right call for anyone who wants the wood to be the backdrop, not the headline.
Best For
Mid-century modern, Scandinavian, and warm-minimalist interiors that want a quiet, even-toned blonde floor with real wood character.
Pairs Well With
Pairs with warm-white and bone walls, walnut and teak furniture for mid-century contrast, brass and aged-bronze fixtures, leather and bouclé upholstery, and the warm-minimalist Scandinavian and mid-century palettes that maple flooring helped define.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Hickory · Honey
Natural Hickory
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real hickory veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Hickory is the species that floored most of pre-war America, and Natural Hickory brings that heritage back into a modern engineered format. Expect greige-and-light-tan base tones with the dramatic plank-to-plank variation hickory is famous for - knots, mineral streaks, and natural color shifts that read as character rather than as defect. The clear finish and light wire-brushing let the grain stay legible without ever shellacking it into an artificial gloss. At 1,820 on the Janka scale, hickory is roughly a third harder than white oak, and the species takes wear gracefully: marks blend into the existing visual story instead of standing out.
Best For
Craftsman and farmhouse interiors, real working kitchens, and any home that wants the legitimate honey-toned hardwood that American houses were built on.
Pairs Well With
Pairs naturally with Mission-style oak millwork, painted-cream cabinetry, oil-rubbed bronze, leaded-glass accents, warm clay and putty walls, and the unpolished farmhouse and Craftsman palettes that hickory was made for.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Acacia · Warm Brown
Natural Acacia
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real acacia veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Acacia is the most chromatically varied wood in the Varietals lineup, and Natural Acacia is where its full range gets put on display. Plank-to-plank you will see medium-brown caramel, deeper walnut-leaning streaks, golden-tan stretches, and the occasional darker mineral mark - all under a clear, light wire-brushed finish that lets the species speak for itself. With a Janka hardness above 2,300, acacia is meaningfully harder than white oak, which makes Natural Acacia one of the most dent-resistant real-wood floors. It is the floor for rooms that want their hardwood to read as obviously real.
Best For
Rustic-modern living rooms, mountain homes, and any space that wants the wildest, most characterful grain in the entire CALI Hardwoods catalog.
Pairs Well With
Pairs with cream and warm-white walls, unpainted oak and walnut millwork, leather furniture, antique brass, black iron hardware, and the layered rustic-modern interiors that lean into natural materials.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Hickory · Warm Brown
Cured Hickory
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real hickory veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Cured Hickory is what happens when you pull hickory's color range toward the smokier middle of its tone. Expect smoky tan and warm-brown base tones running through intricate knot patterns and a light wire-brushed surface that brings out the species' fundamental texture. The plank-to-plank variation is still firmly hickory - knots, mineral streaks, and tonal shifts that refuse to flatten - but the overall read is more grounded. It is the hickory floor for interiors that want character without lightness.
Best For
Transitional and rustic-modern homes that want hickory's natural character at a deeper, smokier saturation than Natural Hickory delivers.
Pairs Well With
Pairs with cream and warm-greige walls, walnut and oak furniture, antique-brass fixtures, leather and linen upholstery, and the warm transitional and rustic-modern palettes that anchor most American interiors right now.
CALI Hardwoods Varietals · Hickory · Warm Brown
Shaded Hickory
7-1/2″ × 74-13/16″ engineered plank · 2mm real hickory veneer · 6-coat aluminum oxide finish · 50-year residential warranty
Shaded Hickory is the deepest hickory in the Varietals lineup - a warm butterscotch base running through smoked-rose undertones and the bold grain pattern hickory is built around. The light wire-brushed surface keeps the floor reading as legitimate hardwood rather than as a flat stain, and the warmth of the base color gives the floor real chromatic depth under both natural and artificial light. It is the hickory floor for rooms that want to anchor with confidence rather than recede.
Best For
Moody, layered interiors and statement rooms that want hickory's natural drama pulled toward warm butterscotch saturation.
Pairs Well With
Pairs with deeper wall colors in clay, olive, and warm-charcoal ranges, brass and bronze fixtures, jewel-toned upholstery, painted-navy or painted-green cabinetry, and the layered, color-confident interiors that dark hardwood was designed for.
CALI Varietals FAQ
The questions homeowners ask when picking a Varietals floor.
What wood species are in the CALI Varietals collection?
Four species: acacia, hickory, ash, and maple. That is a deliberate departure from the rest of CALI Hardwoods, which is built almost entirely on European white oak. The Varietals collection exists to give homeowners legitimate American-hardwood character that the rest of the engineered flooring market has largely abandoned in favor of oak. Each species delivers a distinct grain pattern, color range, and hardness profile, which means the eight colors cover a much wider visual range than a single-species line ever could.
Which Varietals species is most durable?
Acacia, by a clear margin. On the Janka hardness scale - the industry standard for measuring a wood's resistance to dents and wear - acacia scores around 2,300, hickory comes in at 1,820, hard maple at 1,450, and ash at 1,320. For reference, the white oak that dominates most engineered hardwood collections sits at 1,360. That puts acacia roughly 70 percent harder than oak and hickory roughly 30 percent harder. Combined with CALI's 6-coat aluminum oxide finish and engineered construction, acacia floors in the Varietals line are among the most dent-resistant real-wood floors on the market.
Why pick Varietals over a white oak engineered hardwood?
White oak has been the default engineered-hardwood species for over a decade. Every new build, every renovation magazine, every showroom - same wood, same finish range, same look. Varietals is the deliberate counter-move: acacia and hickory deliver dramatically more grain character than oak, ash brings a long, architectural grain that oak cannot produce, and maple delivers the calm, even-toned look mid-century interiors were built around. For homeowners who want their floor to feel specific to their house rather than borrowed from a builder spec sheet, the Varietals species lineup is the more interesting choice.
Can you refinish CALI Varietals hardwood?
Varietals is an engineered hardwood with a 2mm real-hardwood veneer over a sustainable core. The 2mm wear layer is among the thickest in the engineered category and can typically be light-sanded and refinished once during the floor's life if the protective aluminum oxide finish ever wears through. For most residential installs, the 6-coat aluminum oxide finish is durable enough that refinishing never becomes necessary inside the warranty period - which is 50 years residential, 15 years light commercial.
What size are CALI Varietals planks?
74 and 13/16" long by 7 and 1/2" wide, with a 1/2" overall thickness and a 2mm real-hardwood veneer over a sustainable engineered core. That puts Varietals in the wide-plank, long-plank category - longer than most engineered hardwoods on the market and wide enough to read as substantial in any room. The format keeps end joints sparse across a finished floor, which makes large open-plan spaces feel more refined and more contemporary.
How is CALI Varietals installed?
Varietals planks use a click-lock tongue-and-groove milling that supports three installation methods: floating, glue-down, or nail-down. Floating is the most common DIY install - the planks lock together and float as a single unit over an underlayment, with no fasteners into the subfloor. Glue-down adds underfoot solidity and is a common choice over concrete. Nail-down is the traditional method over wood subfloors. The flexibility means Varietals can go into almost any room - above grade, on grade, or over a concrete slab - without changing product lines.
What is the finish on CALI Varietals?
A 6-coat aluminum oxide finish over a clear matte topcoat. Aluminum oxide is the industry-standard hardwood finish for dent and scratch resistance - it is dramatically more durable than a traditional oil or polyurethane finish, and the 6-coat build is thicker than most competitors apply. The matte clear coat lets the real wood color and grain show through honestly rather than yellowing or glossing the surface. Several colors also include a light wire-brushed texture that adds tactile depth without ever feeling overworked.
Is CALI Varietals FloorScore certified?
Yes. Every plank in the Varietals collection is FloorScore certified, low-VOC, and CARB/TSCA compliant, which means the floor meets strict indoor air quality standards for residential use. The wood is also responsibly harvested from Lacey Act compliant, well-managed forests. For homeowners doing a renovation with kids, pets, or sensitivity to off-gassing in mind, Varietals carries the same indoor-air-quality credentials as the highest-certified engineered floors on the market.
What is the warranty on CALI Varietals?
50 years residential, 15 years light commercial. That is among the strongest warranties in the engineered hardwood category - most competing lines top out at 25 or 35 years residential. The residential warranty covers manufacturing defects and finish wear for the full 50 years, supported by the 6-coat aluminum oxide finish, the 2mm real-hardwood veneer, and the engineered core construction. For a hardwood floor intended to outlast the homeowner who installs it, the Varietals warranty is appropriately serious.
Order Your Samples
It is always worth seeing your favorite colors in person before you commit. Order Varietals samples for a flat $9.99 shipping fee (up to 10 per order), and full flooring orders over $1,999 ship free to your home.