Red Oak vs. White Oak: 6 Key Differences

Red Oak and White Oak are two of the most popular choices for wide plank floors today and hardwood floors in general. So, when consulting with customers, we often get the question: “What’s the difference between Red Oak and White Oak—and which one is better?”

Of course, deciding whether Red Oak or White Oak Flooring is “better” for your project is a personal decision, but here are a few facts that can help guide you toward the hardwood best suited to your needs.

First off, a little background about Red and White Oak.

Red Oak is commonly found in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. At Carlisle, we harvest Red Oak timbers exclusively from the ample forests of New Hampshire and Vermont, where cold winters make for slow-growing trees that produce tight, consistent grain within the floorboards, allowing for exceptional widths and lengths.

White Oak is also found in the Eastern US, though not as abundantly as Red Oak. We harvest White Oak from the best regions in the world—the Ohio River Valley and Western New York—where colder climates nurture tight growth rings. More impervious to moisture and rot, White Oak is often used to make boats, wine barrels, and stunning hardwood floors.

What are the differences between Red Oak and White Oak flooring?

Red Oak color is lighter than White Oak.

The color is the most significant difference between Red Oak and White Oak flooring. Surprisingly, White Oak tends to be slightly darker and has more beige and brownish hues, while Red Oak color has more salmon and pink undertones.

White Oak is better with gray and lighter stains.

Both kinds of wood take stain easily when it comes to staining Red Oak vs. White Oak. However, lighter white and gray stain colors are popular today, and White Oak is better suited to these hues. However, when using a medium to dark color, Red Oak vs White Oak staining will look virtually the same.

Red Oak is slightly softer than White Oak.

Red Oak has a Janka hardness rating of 1290, while White Oak’s rating is 1360, making it slightly more impervious to dents and scratches. However, these numbers are so close that both hardwoods will perform equally well once installed, finished and sealed.

White Oak has a smoother grain.

White Oak grain patterns tend to be more moderate, while Red Oak grain is often stronger and more dramatic. That means, even though White Oak flooring is slightly harder, dents and scratches may be more easily hidden by the grain patterns in a Red Oak floor.

Both are affordable, but Red Oak is less expensive

Both Red Oak and White Oak are popular partly due to their affordability. While prices fluctuate, Red Oak tends to be less expensive as there are more trees, and they grow faster than White Oak trees, which are rarer and have higher shear strength, making them more in demand for other uses such as wine barrels.

The main appeal of White Oak: it isn’t Red Oak

Red Oak has long been the most widely used species for commodity hardwood floors. Consequently, many people choosing a wide plank hardwood floor will go with White Oak simply because it isn’t Red Oak.

Ultimately, when choosing between Red Oak vs. White Oak, it comes down to your instinct about which hardwood species has the color and grain pattern most appealing to you.