Natural Oak Flooring

Jennifer — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:03:57 +0000

Natural Oak flooring is a better option than carpet or laminate for longevity and beauty. In today’s economy, longevity of materials is important. Saving money in the short term doesn’t’ make much sense if the flooring has to be replaced in a few years. Natural Oak flooring remedies that. It is an inexpensive option that doesn’t’ have to be replaced as quickly as other options.

Natural Oak flooring is a popular choice due to its cost, durability and beauty. It is a traditional wood that has been used as flooring for hundreds of years and continues to remain so today.

Natural Oak flooring can be purchased as solid oak flooring or as engineered flooring. It can be pre-finished in a variety of colors and glosses or it can be installed then finished according to the homeowner’s tastes.

Engineered or Solid Natural Oak Flooring

The choice between solid oak wood and engineered oak wood flooring is a matter of personal taste. Solid Natural Oak flooring is very durable and can be less expensive than engineered Natural Oak flooring.

Interior of cottage galley-style kitchen with oak floor

Engineered Natural Oak flooring is more costly than solid Natural Oak flooring but is more resistant to heat and humidity than solid wood flooring is. This makes engineered Natural Oak flooring a better choice than solid for bathroom installations.

Natural Oak Flooring Styles

Homeowners can choose the style and coloring of their Natural Oak flooring to match their décor and personal tastes. Pre-finished textures include Hand Scraped Walnut and Hand Scraped Antique. There are also other options available such as Brushed, White Oiled, smoked, aged, or distressed. Each has its own special effect on a room. Homeowners can ask for sample pieces for decision making.

Natural Oak flooring can vary in color, from whitish with a gray tint to reddish with swirl patterns. It can also be stained any color desired, from beautiful, light natural colorings to deep, dark formal colorings.

Engineered Oak Flooring

Engineered Natural Oak flooring is also available in a variety of finishes, including lacquered, oiled and unfinished. It can also be stained and finished just like solid natural Oak.

Caring for Natural Oak Flooring

With the proper care and maintenance, Natural Oak floors will last through many generations of families. If repairs need to be made, they can be made easily using a professional floor installer.

Natural Oak is not the hardest flooring available, there are exotic woods that are much harder; however, it is a durable, long lasting wood that can be maintained and kept beautiful.

Protecting the floor from scratches and dents is the first step to making the floor last for many years. Using rugs and floor mats in heavy traffic areas keeps dirt and grime from being ground into the floor and causing scratches and gouges. If there are pets in the home, keeping their toenails trimmed will help prevent them from scratching the floor.

Natural Oak flooring is a flooring choice that has stood the test of time. It has been in homes for many hundreds of years. It remains a readily available flooring choice for today’s homeowners and will continue to be a sturdy, long-lasting option for the future.

-Sharon V Chapman

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White Oak Flooring

Jennifer — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:52:44 +0000

White Oak has always been a popular choice for flooring for homes. It provides both an elegant look and a rustic look, depending on the décor. White Oak flooring is a quick drying, sturdy wood that is available with various finishes and grades.

Appearance

White Oak’s has a white cream to light brown color with darker markings that are often referred to as tiger marking or waterfall markings. It has a grain that is open with longer rays than the Red Oak has. White Oak can be plainsawn, riftsawn, or quartersawn.

Plainsawn White Oak’s grain has a flared appearance while the grain of riftsawn has a tighter pattern. Quartersawn White Oak’s grain pattern is often called tiger oak, tiger rays or butterflies due to it having a flake pattern.

Depending on the grade of the White Oak wood used to make the flooring, it can have knots which add character or it can be completely free of blemishes. Classic grade is the most expensive of the White Oak flooring as it is blemish free. Rustic grade White Oak is considered by many to be rustic with its knots, cracks, burrs and natural stains. Rustic grade White Oak is light brown with more variations from board to board and high contrasts.

Strength and Workability

Oak Flooring

White Oak rates a 1360 on the Janka Hardness table. It is harder than Red Oak and durable enough for to be used as flooring. White Oak is easy to work with. It saws and nails easily and has a good resistance to splitting.

White Oak should be stained with oil based stains and finishes. Water based stains can turn the wood green or brown. Water and bleach will turn the wood these colors which is why White Oak should not be used in bathrooms or other moisture prone areas.

White Oak flooring will dent more easily than other harder woods and care should be taken to avoid dropping heavy items on the wood.

Care and Maintenance

White Oak flooring requires the same care and maintenance as other hard wood flooring. Before putting furniture back on the flooring make sure to put felt protector pads on the legs to prevent scratching. Pets should have their nails kept trim to keep them from marring the floor as they run across it.

Routine vacuuming or dust mopping of the floor will keep dirt from embedding and scratching the floor. Use the cleaner recommended by the manufacture or a mixture of water and 10% Windex. Stains can be buffed out of solid White Oak flooring and then the finish can be reapplied. This works well with water stains which can turn the flooring colors if it penetrates.

White Oak flooring is available in either solid wood floor boards or engineered wood boards. Engineered White Oak flooring will withstand humidity better than solid White Oak but it is also more expensive than solid White Oak.

Adding White Oak flooring to a house brings beauty and added value to the house should it ever be place up for sale. Wood flooring adds a feeling of warmth and home to any room.

-Sharon V. Chapman

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