White Oak has a decent hardness rating making it resilient to dents and gouges. Even in the scenario where your flooring gets a scratch the grains of your White Oak flooring will help hide these better than smooth grain floors. White oak flooring a perfect choice for kitchens because it is closed grain wood.
This reason right here is one of the main reasons people use it so much! It is also one of the more durable hardwoods; it's harder than other kinds of hardwood like pine (harder meaning more resilient to dents). It's become very popular in new builds in recent years because of this.
One of the most popular types of hardwood flooring is oak wood. You can choose between red oak flooring and white oak flooring. Red oak flooring will cost about $2 to $6 dollars per square foot, while white oak will cost about $5 to $8 dollars per square foot.
It's Resistant to Spills and Stains
Closed-Grain lumber, white oak, is one type of hardwood that's more water-resistant than others. In addition, most of its pores are clogged shut, helping to prevent decay from water damage.
White oak is a bit harder and more durable
White oak is bit harder then red oak on the janka hardness scale (white oak is 1360 vs red oak is 1290). This makes it a bit more resilient when it comes to denting. Note that this does not have an impact on scratching…that is determined by the type of polyurethane or finish.
The inventory is low, the demand is at an all-time high and so are the prices. Many are surprised to learn that the availability of white oak is not the issue— as many as 5.2 billion white oak trees cover 235,000 square miles in the United States.
If your white oakwood floor is under direct sunlight, it will change color over time. This is most noticeable in the first few months post-installation. The exposure to UV light and oxygen causes the color change in oak making it go dark, or as some people refer to as “yellowing”.
White Oak. The light brown to darker tones of White Oak undergoes a medium degree of color change with slight ambering over time.
Durable Flooring
White oak receives a Janka hardness score of 1360, which makes it harder than red oak, white ash, American cherry and American walnut. This means that it will withstand daily use well, without a lot of denting or dinging.
According to the Janka hardness scale, white oak's rating is 1360, while red oak has a 1290 hardness rating. The difference is small, and even if white oak is harder, red oak may still be a better option for its visual appeal.
With hardwood floors, strong trends usually last five years, then something else comes along or so it seems. This may also be true of heavy character European or French White Oak floors which everyone seems to sell if you're in a trendy market.
Comments: Strong, beautiful, rot-resistant, easy to work, and economical: white oak represents an exceptional value to woodworkers. It's no wonder that the wood is so widely used in cabinet and furniture making.
If you're looking into the flooring market, a trend you may be clued in on is the growth in popularity of white oak hardwood flooring. While red oak hardwood is still more commonly used, white oak hardwood flooring is trending for a number of reasons.
White oak's popularity lies in its ability to easily take on stains. Pictured here is Shaw Floors' white oak option from the Epic Plus Extreme Nature collection. Lighter colored species of hardwood are trending — in particular, white oak is at an all-time high, edging out red oak in North American sales.
For a light and fresh look, stain your white oak hardwood flooring a lighter color. This also smooths and blends the contrast in the grain for a very clean look. For more traditional, rustic, or just darker floors, a dark stain absorbs beautifully and lets the grain really stand out.
We recommend using their Hardwax oil to protect your flooring from damage. They offer a wide variety of colour tones that can either darken the oak, keep it lighter shades or even more white washed options. The colour tones are then finished with a hard wearing layer of Treatex Clear Hardwax oil.
Loba or Bona lines come with water based finishes that also benefit from a sealant that prevents tannin pull. Bona Traffic HD is a true clear finish. White Oak has a history of "tannin pull" when a water based finish is used. That's why a sealant is HIGHLY recommended/required.
White oak has lighter tones than red oak, which can show some red or pink tint. Both are considered hardwoods, although white oak is a little harder than red oak. Both types of oak have open graining, but red oak has a slightly coarser and more porous grain than white oak.
Installing hardwood flooring averages between $6 and $12 per square foot. On average, wood flooring costs between $3 and $7 per square foot for materials and $3 to $5 per square foot for labor. An estimate for installation of 1000 square feet of hardwood flooring runs between $6,000 and $12,000.
While there's no shortage of white oak trees across the country – one source said there's an estimated 5.2 billion in the U.S. – there is a shortage of loggers to cut the trees, as well as mills to turn them into the raw wood necessary for barrel-making or cooperage.
A choice of timeless hardwood floor colors
Brown Maple floors have hues of rich gold, amber and brown. Cherry floors feature a burnished auburn color that will darken over time. Hickory offers hues from lighter blonde sapwood to cocoa brown and beige heartwood. Red Oak comes in deep, salmon tones.
Dark stained hardwood flooring is by far the best selection when it comes to overall popularity and resale value. Some of the best darks stains for wood are espresso, dark walnut, and antique brown. These darker colors often give way to more color combinations since they do not lean towards a yellow or orange tint.