Traditional oak flooring has been a popular choice for hundreds of years.
Oak is the most popular choice for wood flooring, and has been for centuries. It lends an air of richness to any home, and can add thousands of dollars to a home's resale value. Oak flooring meshes perfectly with any decor, from rustic to modern, and provides a warm background for any furniture style. Does this Spark an idea?
Red Oak Characteristics
Red oak ranges in color from light golden to reddish pink.
While both red and white oak are dense materials, with high shock resistance and resistance to wear, splitting and moisture, red oak is the most popular flooring choice. It has interesting grain, color and character. The color ranges from light golden to reddish pink. There are 20 different species of red oak. It sands better and is better if a bleached floor is the look you want, since it is a more porous wood. Red oak grows faster than white, and will have four to six rings per inch. The Janka Hardness Test is a common measure of wood hardness. Red oak measures 1,290 on the Janka scale. By contrast, Brazilian cherry is the hardest wood at 2,350, and Douglas fir is the softest, at 660.
White Oak Characteristics
White oaks has longer rays of grain than red oak.
White oak is the harder wood of the two types of oak. The grain is finer and less pronounced. The rays of grain are longer, producing long horizontal marks, and is a highly prized wood for use in non-flooring applications, such as Mission-style furniture, boats, wagon wheels and wine barrels. It is a warmer, golden-brown color, and is not as porous as red oak, so it accepts stain better and is more resistant to fungi and insects. It is a slower growing oak, and will have between 10 and 20 rings per inch. White oak measures 1,360 on the Janka scale. There are seven different varieties of white oak.
Benefits
Oak trees are a renewable resource.
Oak adds thousands of dollars to your home's value. It withstands the wear and tear of everyday traffic without needing replacement. It's a ecologically sound product, since it is a renewable resource.
Factors
Selecting the right board width is important to the overall look of the floor. Board width and thickness have evolved over the years from the 12 to 20 inch wide planks used in the 1600s to today's traditional 2-1/4 inch width. The trend in 2010 is to use board that are 3-1/4 inch in width. It provides a different look while avoiding the warping that can happen in the wide boards.
Boards also come in various grades. The best are the clear and select grades, since they will have fewer markings and will be more consistent in appearance.
Cost
Flooring is sold by the square foot, and the average price of oak in 2010 is $2 per square foot, with white oak slightly higher. More select cuts of oak will cost incrementally more.
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