What is Red Oak Hardwood Flooring?
|
|
Time to read 4 min
|
|
Time to read 4 min
Red oak is a deciduous hardwood with 40 species and more than 200 subspecies indigenous to North America, southeastern Canada, Mexico and Central America. It was introduced to Europe in the 18th century and continues to flourish there. The color ranges from a pale tan to a medium brown with a reddish hue.
The grain is open, and the texture of the wood is coarse and porous with a dull luster. Grain patterns are determined by machining; plainsawn lumber has a grain pattern with a plumed or flared appearance, riftsawn planks are tightly grained, and quartersawn planks have a flaked pattern, also known as tiger rays or butterflies.
Northern red oak is the species most noted for adaptability. It is a hardy species that flourishes in many kinds of soils and environments, making it one of the most readily available hardwoods on the market. The northern red oak tree grows quickly to an average size of 115-140 feet high and up to 4 feet in diameter.
The grain pattern of the northern red oak is distinctive, with shiny, silvery waves, curls, and stripes. Southern red oak is softer and less durable and tends to be lighter in color with less distinctive grain marking. It is an adaptable type of tree, noted for faster growth. It is easy to work with and quite durable when properly dried, but is more commonly used for furniture, while northern red oak is more commonly used for flooring.
Red Oak is the median standard, rated at 1,290 on the Janka hardness scale, making it a great choice for flooring. It is not so hard that it scratches easily, but not so soft that it dents easily. The Janka hardness scale uses 0.444” steel ball pushed into a 2’’ x 2’’ x 6’’ piece to determine how hard the wood is. This test determines how many pounds per square inch, or PSI, of force is needed to push the steel ball halfway into the wood plank.
Red oak flooring is manufactured as solid planks or as veneer surfaces for engineered flooring. As a hardwood, you can sand and refinish it up to seven times over the life of the floor. You can sand high-end engineered flooring up to five times. High-end manufactured flooring can be as costly – or more – than solid wood but has advantages in areas of high humidity and can be installed at or below grade, unlike solid wood. You should not sand lower-end engineered flooring, but you can strip and re-varnish. Read the manufacturer's instructions for specific details about your flooring product .
Red oak has a relatively fast maturity and superior adaptability, so it is a highly sustainable resource. It is also an environmentally sound resource when harvested from approved sources. Since most red oak flooring is grown and manufactured in North America, it is logged legally and forested responsibly.