Hard wood floors give any home a look of elegance and a feeling of classic style. Selecting the appropriate wood can be challenging because you have to consider the price of the panels and the cost of installation. You also have to think about how well it will go with your furniture and the durability of the wood. There are five basic kinds of wood that are used for flooring: oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and cherry. Each type of wood has many subspecies.
Oakwood is very popular for hardwood floors. If you decide on oak you will have a choice between white oak and red oak. White oak has become the more popular of the two over the course of the last several years. There are a few reasons why white oak may be the better choice for the flooring in your home and you can contact flooring services from Home Care Contractors.
It Hides Imperfections
White oak wood is actually darker than red oak wood and hence, hides stains and scratches better. You may have to have everyone take off their shoes when they tread on your red oak floors, but they can keep their footwear on when they walk on white oak floors.
It is Durable
White oak wood has a medium rating on the Janka Scale, which measures the hardness of woods. It is somewhat more resistant to dents and nicks than red oak. You should be forewarned that the hardness of the wood does not affect scratching. In order to prevent scratching on any kind of wood, you need to select a finish that prevents scratching or polyurethane.
White oak is very resistant to water damage. The grain of white oak is closed and the pores of the wood are plugged with tyloses. Tyloses are outgrowths on heartwood. When the plant is stressed by lack of water or disease, tyloses falls from the sides of the cells. This process creates a dam-like effect in the vascular tissue of the plant, preventing further damage. Tyloses have a similar effect when white oak is used in flooring. It will prevent water from damaging the wood. White oak is often used for boats because of its resistance to water. It is a good option for kitchens, bathrooms and decks and any other room in which water is used regularly.
White Oak Offers Many Shade Options
Whitewash and gray stains are currently in fashion for hardwood floors. Those particular stains look better on white oak than they do on red oak. Red oak may take on an odd pinkish color when treated with white or grey stains.
It Won’t Break Your Budget
Oak is less expensive than other kinds of wood because it is so abundant in the United States. Red oak and white oak tend to be around the same price if you buy thin planks. If you buy larger planks, you will find that white oak tends to be a bit more expensive.
White Oak Gives a Room a Rustic Look
If you are trying to create a rustic look in your home, white oak will look natural. White oak has a subtler quality than its red counterpart. It draws the eye to natural flaws in the wood, such as knotting. It also takes on a brown tone rather than a red one, making it the perfect wood for a rustic motif.