Which Species is Right for You?
There are many species available in wood flooring. We offer white oak, red oak, maple, ash and walnut. Read more about which species works best for your project in this informational guide.
White Oak
A mainstay in American homes due to its abundance and simplicity, white oak flooring is sure to please.
The fine graining pattern of white oak gives the wood traditional appeal. Wide planks further contribute to the rustic look of white oak floors. The heartwood is light to medium brown, while the sapwood is usually white to light brown in color.
White oak is a sustainable species because it is abundant in the continental United States. The efforts of various forestry protection programs to replant oak trees further contributes to the eco-friendliness of this species.
White oak is more dimensionally stable than red oak, so choose white over red for added strength and less fluctuation in the wood.
If you appreciate simplicity and character, you can’t go wrong with white oak wide plank floors.
Red Oak
Red oak’s attractive reddish hues add warmth and distinction to any room.
The graining pattern of red oak is straight, consistent, and tight. Red oak wide plank flooring works well in rustic and modern settings alike. The heartwood is brown with a reddish hue, while the sapwood is usually very light, ranging from white to light pink patina.
Red oak serves as the industry standard to which the hardness ratings of all other woods are typically compared. With a Janka hardness rating of 1290, red oak is quite a durable species.
In terms of customizability, red oak can be stained, but it is more difficult to stain than white oak. If you would like to customize your floors with a darker stain, go with white oak over red. Red Oak has very little naturally occurring tannin, so there’s little risk of interaction with certain staining techniques. Wide plank red oak flooring allows you to fully appreciate the attractive graining pattern and coloration of this beautiful species.
American Walnut
Dark. Regal. Refined. That’s walnut.
American walnut flooring features unique markings, graining patterns, and occasional checking. Walnut is also well-known for its beautiful burls. Its rich, variable hues range from a deep chocolate to a light brown, bringing an air of sophistication into any space.
The heartwood of walnut offers the dark color that the species is renowned for. The sapwood is lighter in color, but mills often bleed the sapwood and heartwood into one another by steaming it to reduce the difference.
This wood has a uniquely timeless appearance, allowing it to complement modern and rustic settings alike. The dark hues of walnut will be sure to charm.
For a gorgeous wood floor with character, rich hues, and a sense of warmth that is practically unrivaled by other species, walnut is the perfect choice.
Maple
Don’t let its attractive appearance fool you: hard white maple is commonly used as sport flooring, which means it can stand up to quite a bit of damage.
Hard maple is commonly used as sport flooring because rather than denting, it springs back in response to the weight of an athlete.
Its use as sports flooring means that maple is pretty but tough — it can handle quite a bit of abuse from pets, kids, and daily wear-and-tear. Install maple flooring in an area with heavy traffic and let it impress you with its twin benefits of durability and natural charm.
Ash
Ash wide plank flooring offers the twin benefits of above-average durability and dimensionally stable. Its inner strength is concealed by a muted, creamy appearance.
Ash is similar in appearance to white oak or hickory, but with a slight yellow tint. The sapwood is a light, creamy color, while the heartwood ranges from light tan to deep brown. The grain pattern of ash is bold and straight, with occasional waves. The classic cathedral grain in plain sawn boards is evidence of the growth ring after the board is sawn.
This species makes an excellent choice if you are in need of a floor with exceptional durability and resistance to foot traffic. Ash is the most common wood species used in MLB-regulation baseball bats. If this wood can stand up to a 99 mile-per-hour fastball, you can rest assured that it can stand up to almost anything.
Ash is nine percent more dimensionally stable than northern red oak, allowing this wood to hold up better than average to humidity and temperature fluctuations.
on the eyes.