Every piece of art begins with a white canvas. The same can be said of hardwood floors. Today, people are looking to customize their hardwood floors to match the style of the home, as well as, the personal style of the homeowners. Of course, you can look at different species of wood to find the one that suits you best, or you can start with the ever popular and classic White Oak wood flooring, creating a blank canvas to customize and personalize your floors.
White Oak Flooring
T&G White Oak Balboa wide plank hardwood floors.
A popular hardwood flooring trend is White Oak. This sturdy and reliable wood is great for all climates and all homes. White Oak is a tough wood but has enough flexibility to be perfect for commercial spaces, as well as, homes with kids and pets. The light creamy and beige coloring of white oak make this a creatively versatile wood. You can leave is light and natural, or you can use color and stain to make it darker, richer, or more rustic. Because White Oak gives you a light canvas to work with, there are almost unlimited color possibilities. However, White Oak is never just one color.
Sapwood vs. heartwood
Every species of wood is going to vary from board to board. If you are looking for one consistent color across all boards, you will need to talk to your flooring contractor about the right stain and finish to create the color you want. However, if you like to highlight the natural characteristics of White Oak, giving your floors a little personality and some texture, then White Oak gives you many possibilities. All species of wood floors will be created using either sapwood or heartwood, and both have different characteristics.
Sapwood
Sapwood is the younger wood on the outer edges of the tree. It is the living part of the tree filled with cells that produce bark for the outside and wood for the inside. As the tree ages, sapwood turns to heartwood, and the characteristics begin to change accordingly. The young sapwood tends to be lighter and creamier in color, with a coarse prominent grain.
Sapwood has high moisture
Naturally darker, richer White Oak Daiquiri Flooring.
Because sapwood is the living part of the tree, it has a high moisture content. If you’re having White Oak floors installed using the sapwood part of the tree, be prepared for a longer acclimation period. Although moisture is great for a living tree, it’s not good for your hardwood floors. If you don’t acclimate, there is a good chance your floors will start to shrink and warp as the moisture dries out.
Heartwood
The heartwood is highly sought after due to the darker, richer, and sometimes, gray tones that it gets with age. Heartwood is also more sturdy than sapwood. Heartwood is older and has to be stronger to support the growing tree, and this reflects in the sturdiness of the wood.
T&G Flooring is one of Colorado’s largest hardwood flooring retailers. We carry our own line of White Oak wood flooring, as well as, leading hardwood flooring brands. Schedule a free consultation with a flooring craftsman to talk about the best wood floors for your Colorado home or business.