There are many flooring options you can consider for your flooring needs. But, one of the best flooring options is hardwood flooring. As a homeowner, white oak flooring is the perfect hardwood flooring option for you. Therefore, you’re reading the right article if you’re looking for a guide to white oak floors.
White oak is one of the most credible tree variants for hardwood. The longevity and water-resistance of the white oak tree make it an even more prominent species for flooring. Beauty and glamour are only a few of the white oak floor features.
Here, we’ll take you through some of your questions about white oak flooring. Also, we’ll highlight the advantages of hardwood flooring and how to take care of it.
Let’s go!
FAQs: Guide to White Oak Floors
There are several reasons for flooring. First, it could be that you’re planning a renovation of your apartment. Similarly, it could be you’re moving to a new apartment.
Regardless of the reasons, many flooring options will present themselves to you. You’ll find options like laminate, vinyl, and so much more. But your aesthetic intuition is luxurious if you choose to install hardwood floorings.
Nothing trumps hardwood flooring when you look to achieve a rustic and classic display with your flooring. Opting for oak hardwoods shows your exquisite taste in aesthetics and quality.
You’ll find two types of oak flooring hardwoods, namely Red oak and White oak. You can stick to your existing floor if you’re just renovating it. However, we’d recommend the white oak hardwood if you’re to choose a new oak wood floor.
We have a compilation of possible questions you may have concerning white oaks. And alongside them are answers as a guide for your white oak floors selection.
1. What are White Oak Floors?
White oak floors are among the most exotic floorings among hardwood flooring options. They have a subtle brown/grey tone that distinguishes them from the red/pink undertone of a counterpart like red oak. These underlying colour glints add character and eminence to any space with white oak flooring.
Incredibly, the white oak has a deeper shade than the red oak. Its warm tones, alongside its smooth grain, make it one to yearn for in your space.
Also, white oak floorings afford you the edge of versatility. As such, you can achieve modern or vintage outlooks with them. And your interior space is sure to look super exquisite regardless of the outlook you choose.
2. What Are The Grades of White Oak Flooring?
You’ll need to know their grades for a good white oak floors selection guide. White oak floorings are popularly divided into two grades. They are known as Select and Character grades.
Character Grade
The popular character grade is 5″ oak 2′ to 10′. This hardwood flooring is excellent for homeowners who want to exhibit the natural features of hardwood. The character grade is a blend of 20% #2 Common and 80% Common #1. This mix helps amplify colour and knot variants.
The character grade stands out with its length, which goes up to 10. Another great feature of this floor is its length. Not only does it have a length of up to 10’. But it usually has a 4-side groove and tongue. So the character grade is perfect for achieving a classic look.
Select Grade
Select White Oak flooring is also a top-grade flooring. However, unlike the Character grade, it’s a choice for its users due to its colour consistency, grain clarity, and knot absence.
Furthermore, this flooring type is best for those who look to achieve an entirely modern look or a rustic/modern look. The select grade of the White Oak flooring also had a track record of exquisitely taking stains.
In addition, the select grade boasts of durability just as its character grade counterpart. It promises high resistance regardless of the traffic of where you install it in your home.
1. Why is White Oak the Right Choice for Your Home?
After harvest and processing, the white oak tree transforms into a comely and concrete flooring material. Something you’d love is the way good manufacturers mill the woods into wide board planks to meet your flooring needs uniquely. Using white oak floor promises you a floor of utter beauty and unbeatable quality.
You can consult a professional as a guide to white oak floors selection.
2. How Many Planks Can I Order and at what Speed Can I Get it?
The number of planks you can order will depend on the size of the space you intend to floor. You just need to know the size of your apartment and speak to flooring professionals to help you with dimensions.
Meanwhile, the growth of the white oak tree is relatively slow. However, it makes up for that sluggishness with its long lifespan as a tree and as a flooring material. But, this growth speed limit is not an issue for high-end plank manufacturers.
Manufacturers usually have the planting and processing seasons well thought. So, you’ll get as many hardwood planks as you need regardless of how big your space is.
3. How Durable Is The White Oak?
Only a few domestic hardwoods can boast of something close to the durability of the white oak. When put on the Janka scale (scale for measuring wood hardness), the white oak highlights alongside two others, namely – maple and hickory.
However, never equate hardness with durability. A glass bottle is hard but will easily break if it drops on cement flooring. The accommodation of finishes and absorption of stains further complement the hardness of the white oak.
In addition, its grain patterns and tightness ensure that possible tears are well hidden. These features show how recommendable this flooring hardwood is for dense-movement areas.
4. Where in My Home Is Best For White Oak Installation?
Almost anywhere in your home is suitable for white oak installation. It’s especially perfect for areas with high traffic, such as living rooms, stairways, hallways, and family rooms.
The white oak is also rot-resistant. Therefore, it’s ideal for rooms liable to moisture or water spillage. Such rooms include kitchens, basements, or mudrooms. In addition, there are unique white oak designs that can be made for rooms with denser moisture expectancy.
5. What is Engineered White Oak?
Engineered White Oak is a top recommendation for you when your flooring is to overlay on concrete. The engineered wide plank flooring is perfect for you in locations liable to occasional spillage or moisture.
Related Article: How to Refinish Red Oak Flooring
Benefits of White Oak Floors
White oak floor advantages are almost inexhaustible. It is a kind of flooring that outlasts any trend of interior decoration.
These days, interior decorators, homeowners, and builders try new fads and take shots at novel styles. The simplicity and sophistication of white oak hardwood floors seamlessly complement these decorative adventures and innovations.
You probably need further convictions as to why you should go for the white oak flooring. Therefore, below are 5 solid reasons to buttress your choice of hardwood floor installation.
1. Durability and Longevity
A notable mention in a previous part of this article was the Janka scale. This scale is a tool for measuring the hardness of woods.
This tool calculates the pressure it needs to encapsulate a 0.444-inch steel ball into a wood plank to measure the wood’s hardness. The depth is usually a measurement of half the ball’s diameter. The more the force of pushing in the ball, the higher the rating of the wood’s hardness.
The measurement within the oak family shows that the red oak displays 1,290 hardness on the Janka scale. On the other hand, the white oak scores 1,360.
The hardness difference may not be much. But it counts in determining the durability of each hardwood. This measurement means the white oak is tough enough to withstand almost any trampling pressure in your home.
2. It’s smooth and exotic
You may be someone who likes plain and simple interior decoration. Or are you someone with decoration biases due to your lifestyle as a nonconformist, native smith, or countryside man? You most likely desire a less fussy floor. You want a floor that doesn’t interfere with the eminence of your craft.
White oak floors are for you. They not only have lesser grains than most of their counterparts. But they come with growth rings that clench closer to each other than other hardwood types. This appearance makes it look smooth and blend with any space.
3. Shine Distinctly On White Oak Floors
A colour that has long been a significant reference for all neutral decoration is gray. Contemporary decoration trends now have whitewash and gray stains dominating them.
The beauty of these light stains shows so well on white oak. White oak also absorbs these stains well. Other hardwood types can also accommodate stains. However, their underlying tones may likely tamper with the final result of the flooring look. The plainness of white oak ensures that you can see the stains just as they should appear.
Also, dark stains fair very well on white oak planks as well. This amplification is possible because you’re beginning with wood that has a dark tone. As such, your Kona and walnut stains will appear even more vibrant.
4. Resistance to Stains and Spillage
White oak hardwood is a closed-grain timber. This characteristic means it is a variant of hardwood with higher resistance to water and other liquids. Additionally, its pores are impenetrable for clogs. This feature ensures the flooring can’t decay from water damage.
White oak hardwoods also have protective plugs known as tyloses. They are outgrowths born from the reactions of normal sapwoods under pressure. They create inflations that fill the wood’s membranes to the extent that they can’t accommodate water.
Therefore, you can be sure your floor will stand firm against any spill if you install white oak flooring. Most boat floorings are made with white oak hardwood if you look well.
5. White Oak is Budget-Friendly
Honestly, white oak flooring costs more than floorings like laminate flooring, luxury vinyl planks. But hardwood floors are a long-term/lifetime investment for your home. However, using white oak flooring doesn’t mean you have to rob or break a bank.
Oak is one of the most popular woods around. And it’ll save you long-term costs, unlike floorings like laminates/carpets. Buying white oak extra-wide planks may especially cost a bit. But the value for your money is unbeatable.
Cleaning and Maintaining White Oak Floors
Once you conclude the installation of your white oak flooring, it’ll look all shiny and beautiful. Or maybe you only did a renovation of your white oak floor. Regardless, the floor will look glamorous when you finish working on the floors. But the installation is just the beginning.
Maintenance is essential. Not taking good care of your flooring type can have you asking questions like – is white oak good for hardwood floors? Cleaning and caring for your floors is vital to have them last long and display well.
Firstly the following are things you’ll need for cleaning;
- Bucket
- Hardwood
- Broom
- Floor cleaner
- Towel
- Entrance mats
- Area rugs
- Dustpan
- Lightweight vacuum
- Sponge mop
- Felt pads
Keeping Your White Oak Floor Clean
Stage 1
The first step in the guide to cleaning white oak floors is learning to dust them well. Leaving dust and debris to accumulate on your oak floors can cause them to scratch and become dull. But daily and consistent vacuuming and sweeping will have your floors looking radiant. It’ll also prevent chances of damage.
In addition, ensuring dust and other debris don’t linger on the floor makes it hard for allergens to thrive. This tip is an advantage of white oak hardwood floors over floorings like carpets. Because carpets still have tendencies of allowing the growth of allergens despite sweeping.
Simply use brooms or vacuums to sweep off the dirt from your flooring.
Stage 2
You don’t always need to mop your white oak floor. But there are ways to do it on the occasional times you do. To mop your oak floor, a slightly damp sponge will do. Also, avoid using excess water and string mops.
Make findings to get cleaners made for hardwood floors with polyurethane covers. Cautiously follow every instruction on the cleaners.
Also, when mopping, ensure you wring your mop of excess water before placing it on the bare floor. You can towel dry your floors after mopping to reduce damp time.
Stage 3
The next step in the guide to cleaning white oak floors is spot cleaning. Your hardwood floors will be best kept clean when you spot clean in between mopping periods.
You need to clean up those spots you think are looking way dirtier than usual. Your floor should look clean and fresh with these simple sanitary acts.
In addition, occasionally spot cleaning your floor will lessen the possibility of dampness and mopping chemical saturation.
Protecting The Floors From Damage.
Stage 1
The easiest way to protect your white oak floors is by setting area rugs and entrance mats. Dirt from shoes, slippers, and other footwear dull and scratch the fine finish covering the hardwood.
Therefore, place a doormat at your home entrance and set area rugs in areas of your space with higher foot traffic. Also, you can place rugs under furniture that doesn’t have smooth stands.
Stage 2
Another step in the guide to caring for your white oak floors is quickly cleaning up spillages. Next, you need to care more about rooms like kitchens, laundry spaces, and bathrooms. This extra level of care is because these rooms require more water usage than others.
You need to prevent water from dripping onto the floor from the sink or bathtub. You can place mats around places with the possibility of water droppings. Also, some air conditioners and furnaces allow you to set the humidity in your house. If you have such furnaces or air conditioners, set the humidity between 35 and 50 percent.
Stage 3
The final step in this guide to caring for your white oak floors is cognizance of things that may damage your floor. For example, you can place cushions like felt pads under furniture or heavy items that may need movement from time to time. Lastly, keep your pets’ claws in proper trim.
A strict adherence to this guide means you can predict what to expect from white oak floors.
Related Article: Difference Between Red Oak and White Oak
Summary
Installing white oak flooring is a fantastic decision for you as a homeowner. Not only is it a perfect choice for interior aesthetics. But it is also an excellent thought for investment, especially if you own the apartment. The highlights in this guide to white oak floors article have shown more reasons why hardwood is a superb choice.
Installing white oak flooring is a great choice. However, you need to buy original white oak planks to enjoy the beauty and quality in mention in the preceding sections.
Luckily, our hardwood store at LV Flooring has original and top-quality white oak flooring materials. Alongside, we can consult for you to help you make the best decisions for your flooring purchases to installation. Contact us today!
