What Does White Oak Wood Look Like

Identify oak wood once it s been cut.

What does white oak wood look like.

Many customers don t even realize they have a choice between red oak and white oak floors and just buy what s available or what they see. Oak is another common type of wood in north america. Of the more than 600 species of oak that exist in the world the most readily available are red oak and white oak. At least with the whitewood pine and poplar pieces.

White ash finished to look like red oak. What does the grain pattern of oak wood look like. Oak is one of the hardest trees which is why its wood is a popular choice for furniture flooring and other household amenities. Golden oak is a great medium color to use when you don t want to go too light or dark.

Red oak will almost always have very short rays usually between 1 8 to 1 2 long rarely ever more than 3 4 to 1 in length. Pictured above on the right. One of the most challenging decisions to make is what color to stain your white oak hardwood floor or simply leave it au natural with a clear finish. Colors ranging from sapwood that is nearly white in color to the brownish gray heartwood are found in white oak wood.

Another good way to differentiate white from red oaks is the shape of the leaf lobes. The white ash received a second coat to further enhance the grain. Both species are light brown in color although red oak usually has hints of red and both have visible growth rings and straight grains. And to be honest on the pine it looks like a true brown without as much gray.

White oak is a magnificent wood and it provides a lot of advantages in terms of durability higher resilience to water and more flexibility on stain colors than red oak does. White oak acorns take one year to reach maturity while red oak acorns take two years. White oak left red oak right look closely at the picture above click on it to enlarge it if you have to and note the length of the rays in both types of wood. Hand scraped techniques are done by hand for an authentic look and feel just like the original pine floors were over 200 years ago.

For example white oak s water resistance lies in its pores. You ve got to give this stain a try. However there are other aspects of oak s grain that makes it quite unique. White oak color options.

Oak wood is generally straight grained and has an uneven texture. If a tree has been felled cut and split you may need to consider characteristics like the color the smell and the look of the grain. Red oak leaves usually come to a point at the end of each lobe while the lobes of white oak leaves tend to be rounded.