Why
White Oak?
Why White Oak?
Durability, Elegance, Longevity
White oak wood flooring is indisputably one of the most remarkable wood flooring options.
Renowned for its hardness and durability, white oak is an ideal selection for flooring, particularly for high-traffic areas. Its striking grain pattern gives it a unique character that amplifies the aesthetic essence of any space, and its ease of maintenance stands out among hardwoods, notably when correctly sealed to avert scratches and stains.
White oak is resilient to moisture and decay, making it a phenomenal flooring for areas prone to humidity, such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, white oak wood flooring is a superior quality wood species that can add value to your home or commercial property, making a white oak wood flooring an investment in both the present utility of your space, and its future.
A Popular Choice for Good Reason
In a luxury, ultra high-end, beautiful environment, it is all about the quality of the product, the equipment, the toolset, and exquisite attention to detail. To achieve the outcome desired, it all starts with the quality of the wood.
At White Oak Wood Floors, we are well aware of the desire to have the absolute best, highest tier of natural wood. You’ve likely seen our flooring in some of the most exclusive libraries, hotels, retail installations, and classic high-end residences around the country.
If you’re a builder, installer, or designer, our exquisite flooring impacts your reputation, providing the best end result for the customer project.
To meet the desired look and long-term lasting quality of the build, our unfinished planks of white oak hardwood are milled-to-order to exceed your expectations. You pick the grade, the width and length, and provide your desired ship-to address, and we deliver, literally and figuratively. For custom orders, contact us and we’ll make it happen for you.
What are the Benefits of White Oak Wood Flooring?
Color
White Oak provides superior adhesion to the color base itself – enabling you to stain it as light or dark as you require. Although white oak wood flooring comes in a variety of natural color ranges – from light beige to brown and red – the same tree can display a range of colors within. The inner woods tend to be slightly darker due to age than the outer wood, which is “younger,” though this is not always the case. White Oak tends to darken to a richer patina over time.
Grain
White oak’s characteristic straight grain is possible because of its “pored” nature. Within a white oak tree, the natural growth pores are sealed through an outgrowth of cells. This growth characteristic is actually called Tyloses – a balloon-like outgrowth of cells which bulge through pits of vessel members and block water movement. The benefit of Tyloses in white oak trees – and therefore our flooring – is that the wood is as watertight as possible, an important trait in a luxury home or customer-facing business. This unique cellular structure is what makes white oak a timber which is resistant to water and rot.
For this reason – and the renowned strength of the White Oak species – the hulls of America’s first wooden warships were entirely made of White Oak. Today, the US Navy manages its own private forest just to maintain the ability to utilize such a precious resource and to enable repairs to the USS Constitution.
Stability
White Oak provides for the best stability, which is a wood’s natural ability to respond to moisture levels by either expanding or shrinking. White Oak is a much safer choice than other types of hardwood flooring, such as Hickory or Maple.
Maintenance
The maintenance of white oak is usually minimal. The variances in maintenance are all about how the wood is finished (with a polyurethane coating), and use of the floor, i.e., the traffic it receives. If properly sealed, a white oak wood floor can withstand great amounts of moisture and perform better than most species of hardwood. If you have a moisture-intensive environment, remember an engineered wood floor (not solid hardwood) will withstand exposure to moisture better than solid wood planks, as it was designed with this requirement specifically in mind.
Density
White oak is one of the densest hardwoods available, and is slightly denser than Red Oak. On the Janka hardness scale, White Oak is rated at 1360 and Red Oak at 1290, so White Oak is a 5.4% harder material. Compared to other popular hardwoods like yellow birch, black cherry, and walnut, white oak is much harder and, because of this hardness, is more durable and resistant to scratching and denting.