Red Or White Oak Flooring- Which One Will You Choose?



Hardwood flooring is a classic thing and the best option for people looking for an elegant, timeless design in their homes. It is a great investment and is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners. Hardwood is now being installed in kitchens and bathrooms to match with the entire décor of the home. The most popular hardwood when it comes to flooring is white and red oak. Sydney Flooring is about these two and there is a good number of differences between these two besides colours. The red oak possesses a pinkish undertone while the white oak often has a brown or yellow undertone.

The pinkish undertone can always be seen in the unfinished form. Depending on the stain you choose, you will be able to see the pink/red tones on the flooring. Now, if you are choosing darker tones, then the reddish theme will not be visible for long. However, if you are going for the natural finish the red will be more visible. The fun fact is that the white oak is darker than the red one. It seems weird but it is true. The graining of the oaks is different as well. Usually, to determine whether a stained hardwood floor is red or oak, a professional look into the graining.

Below are tips to choose the apt flooring:
  • Grain Pattern:
Red oak has a stronger grain pattern. It is more porous because of this grain pattern. The grain of red oak is more prominent than the white one also. The grains of white oak are finer than the red one and due to this, it is much denser. On the Janka scale, the white oak has a hardness of 1360 while the red oak has a hardness of 1290. Due to the grain pattern of red oak, it can hide stains, scratches, and dents in a much better way. Choose your hardwood for Sydney flooring based on its aesthetics because hardwood can be complicated due to the grain patterns.
  • Finished Natural Red Oak Flooring:
Grading is an important factor when you decide to have hardwood Sydney flooring. In fact, the NOFMA has been there for a century to afford grades for the oaks to be used in Sydney flooring. The best grade is given to heartwood flooring which offers natural heartwood colour variations with the least number of marks. This particular combination features a wide range of variations in grain patterns with the least amount of distraction from colour variation and character marks.

A clear grade means the variation is less among planks like graining, colour, marks, and defects. This particular grade is usually not used for solid hardwood Sydney flooring as it comes from a small percentage from a tree and is not much cost-effective. The Select grade possesses all the variations in colours which are provided by the differences in sapwood and heartwood. There are character marks as well in the form of wormholes, small knots, and mineral streaks. The combination of dark heartwood and light sapwood can provide variety in small characters and colour interruptions.

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