The Basics of Oak Flooring

<font size="3" color="#990000"><strong>The Basics of Oak Flooring</strong></font> <p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">What is a hardwood? Contrary to its name, ‘hardwood’ does not mean that the wood is harder than any other, however, hardwood is considered denser compared to other species. The most common uses for hardwood is for building materials, particularly for flooring. The popular hardwood species include cherry, maple, and alder, but the most widely used among them is oak.</span></p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">There are basically two ideal types of oak for flooring use: Red oak and white oak. The characteristics of each will be discussed in brief here. </p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Red Oak Hardwood Flooring</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Red oak is probably one of the most popular picks for hardwood floors</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">. First, because it is abundant and, second, because it has a rather reddish hue that appeals to most interior designers and home owners. Red oak is also a comparatively dense type of hardwood so it is more resistant to regular wear. Its texture is a little coarse but it’s nothing a little sanding won’t be able to fix. </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><img src="../images/red-oak-woodfloor.jpg" border="0" alt="Red Oak Wood Floors" title="Red Oak Wood Floors" width="424" height="283" /></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>White Oak Hardwood Flooring</strong></p>   <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">White oak is more resistant to moisture than red oak but the latter is more widely available. Because of its general strength and durability, builders even use it to make barrels and ship timber. In addition, various kinds of stains and finish tones reflect beautifully on white oak. It has a medium to coarse texture, so deciding if you’d still want to sand it is up to you. </p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Oak is one of the best materials to make floors with, but surveys say that its popularity is only next to that of cherry and maple, which are a lot less expensive. But if you’re looking to impress your visitors with your red or white oak hardwood floor, then, by all means, make that investment. Oak takes a century to mature, and it can last by about the same number of years if properly maintained.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/12a.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/12a.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>About the Author</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Visit the <a href="http://www.gardeningcentral.org/" target="_blank">Gardening Central</a> website to learn about <a href="http://www.gardeningcentral.org/curly_willow_tree/curly_willow_tree.html" target="_blank">curly willow tree</a>, <a href="http://www.gardeningcentral.org/dwarf_weeping_cherry/dwarf_weeping_cherry.html" target="_blank">dwarf weeping cherry</a> and other information.</p>   <p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/the-basics-of-oak-flooring-1091327.html" target="_blank">http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/the-basics-of-oak-flooring-1091327.html</a> </span></p></span>