red oak vs white oak
You may have heard for years now that white oak is what you want, whether it’s for your floors, cabinets or ceiling but do you know why? Let’s explore some of the differences between red oak and white oak and dive in to the information you need so you can make the very best choice for your home and lifestyle.
3 1/4” white oak #2 hardwood flooring in our Matlock kitchen
So, let’s just get this out of the way first. Oak, whether it’s red or white, is the most commonly used species for hardwood flooring. Because it’s durable and readily available, it has become the first choice of contractors and homeowners alike. If you’re remodeling and want to add hardwood floors to an adjoining room where you have existing hardwood, you will want to choose the same type of wood that you already have in the house. Your hardwood flooring professional can advise with your particular situation in mind. When it comes to choosing whether to use red or white oak, there are a few things you need to consider.
red oak
Red oak is commonly used in the hardwood flooring industry. Red oak is usually more affordable than white oak and has the same excellent traits of durability and classic appeal. If you plan to stain your floors a darker color, red oak is a great choice. If you want a lighter finished look, be warned that red oak will read pink in most situations due to the pink and red boards that are found throughout. The grade of wood you choose can have an impact on how many pink and red boards are included, as well. There are ways to mask this pink/red tone to an extent but you can never completely eliminate it. Red oak also has more varied or wild grain and wider grain lines.
a rich brown stain was used on these red oak hardwood floors
As mentioned above, sometimes red oak can be stained and finished so that it has a lighter finished look. This can give the overall impression of being very similar to white oak, but the pink/red can never be totally eliminated. For those wanting to refinish red oak and achieve the lighter look, we offer virtual stain consults via FaceTime. We will assess your flooring situation and give advice based on our experience in achieving this lighter look on many red oak refinishing projects—right down to giving your the specific names of the products we use. Want to schedule a virtual consult? You can do that here.
an example of red oak being stained and finished to achieve a lighter look; photo: Emily Rose Photo
white oak
With its classic beauty and elegance, white oak is the preferred choice by many homeowners, designers and contractors when selecting hardwood flooring. Some real estate professionals believe it increases a home’s value, as well. This versatile species has a noteworthy hardness rating and can withstand the demands of an active household, although wood is wood and no species is scratch and dent proof. While it is slightly more expensive than red oak, it is still plentiful in the US and more affordable than many other species. It tends to have a more uniform appearance than red oak with tighter grain lines. It’s the right choice if you wish to use a lighter stain or no stain. It has less red and pink toned boards than red oak, but there will still be some throughout. Because of a more consistent overall white appearance when finished, we recommend white oak to homeowners that want to achieve the lighter aesthetic.
3 1/4” white oak #2 hardwood flooring in our Matlock home
we are using 5” select white oak in our current home remodel
If you’re grappling with a decision between using red oak and white oak in your hardwood flooring project, we hope this has shed some light on the the pros and cons of each. We know each homeowner has unique needs and priorities. When it comes to hardwood floors, you have many choices. And because it’s a significant investment, we know the decision isn’t made lightly. Need more guidance? Schedule a virtual design call with Jessica here and approach this decision with confidence.