Pros and cons: Oak vs. Maple flooring

When installing new hardwood floors, the choice of a hardwood species for many homeowners comes down to Oak vs. Maple. Both species offer floors with distinct personalities, warm hues and excellent durability. But there are distinct differences that can make deciding on Oak vs. Maple flooring a challenging prospect.

The clean look of Maple floors

Maple floorboards have creamy, blondish hues and feature fine, subtle grain patterns with occasional swirls. The light color and clean complexion of Maple make it a strong choice for contemporary hardwood floors. While Maple floors can be fashioned from both hard and soft species of maple trees, most floors today are made with hard Maple.

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The classic appeal of Oak floors

Oak is among the most popular choices for hardwood flooring. When installing Oak floors, you’ll have the choice of Red Oak or White Oak.

Red Oak is the lighter of the two, with pinkish, salmon tones in the heartwood and medium to heavy grain patterns. White Oak is slightly darker, featuring light, nutty brown and cocoa hues with dramatic grain patterns that range from simple and sleek to intricate swirls.

Staining Oak vs Maple

Oak is a more porous wood than Maple, which makes it easier to stain. It can be difficult to achieve an even stain with Maple, which is why this hardwood is often finished with light or neutral stains or with a natural finish.

Style differences

The subtle grain patterns in Maple floorboards work well in spaces of any size and are an especially good match with modern décor. The lighter, cleaner look of Maple will give a uniform look to larger, open spaces.

Oak wood floors feature floorboards with more personality in the grain. As one of the classic hardwood floors, Oak works nicely with both contemporary and traditional interior design schemes.

The Durability of Oak vs. Maple

Both Oak and Maple floors are considered among the most durable wood floors and can last for generations.

Maple is among the harder wood species, with a 1450 rating on the Janka wood hardness chart. As one of the densest wood species, Maple is ideal for high-traffic areas.

Oak is slightly less hard – White Oak has a 1360 rating and Red Oak a 1290 rating. Both Red and White Oak are considered to be strong and highly resistant to scratches and dents. White Oak is more resistant to decay and is often used in boatbuilding and in outdoor projects like decks.

What’s the cost of Oak vs. Maple?

Oak is generally slightly more expensive than Maple, the cost of the floored depends on the width and length of the floorboards, the grade of the lumber and several other factors.

Oak vs Maple engineered flooring

Both Oak and Maple are excellent choices for engineered flooring. Engineered floors are made with a top layer, or “wear layer”, that’s glued to multiple layers of backing material. The result is a floorboard that’s exceptionally strong and resistant to changes in moisture, temperature and humidity.

Engineered Maple and engineered Oak hardwood flooring are perfect for installation in basements, over radiant heating systems, and on concrete slabs, or in any location where temperature and humidity may fluctuate a great deal throughout the year.

Oak vs. Maple: which makes the better floor?

When choosing between Oak vs. Maple, the decision really comes down to personal preference and cost. A White or Red Oak floor is a little costlier, but it offers a wider choice of grain patterns and it stains exceptionally well. Maple provides a harder surface that’s a bit more durable, but it can stain unevenly and provides fewer choices when it comes to grain patterns.

At Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, our design consultants can walk you through the benefits of Oak vs. Maple floors and help you with all the choices involved in designing a one-of-a-kind wide plank floor.