Jun 17 2009
White Oak Flooring
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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