Adding Red Oak Flooring to Your Home

When you decide to add new flooring to your home, several possibilities are available. While domestic and exotic species are both present, many in North America still tend to go for the former. But, even with maple, white oak, and pine available for homes, red oak flooring is still a popular option. No matter if it's needed for replacing existing floors or adding new hardwood, this type of flooring is the most popular hardwood in the United States. Known for a coarse grain and a reddish color, red oak flooring has a stiff and dense composition that resists wear and tear.

Unfinished is a common option for those adding new floors to existing hardwood. Adding unfinished flooring, in general, allows the look of the hardwood to seem continuous. Red oak flooring has an advantage for stains and finishes. Because of larger pores, the wood finishes and stains easily and, unlike other species, does not experience blotching problems. The larger, open pores absorb more stain or finish, and, when a darker stain is used, this allows the grain pattern to appear more prominent.

Nevertheless, giving the flooring a glossy or glass-like appearance can be a difficult task. Using pore filler is recommended before any finish is added on top.

Because of its appearance and durability, red oak flooring is ideal for larger spaces needing hardwood flooring. Manufacturers and retailers offer several options to fill this space. Both unfinished and prefinished woods are available, but one may fit your needs more than the other. Unfinished flooring is better to match the new wood to existing hardwood, while unfinished is better for a separate space. Additionally, grain options vary, and a retailer should offer this domestic species in high to cabin grades.

Red oak flooring has many possibilities, and its popularity can't be wrong. If you're looking for tried-and-true hardwood flooring, red oak is the species many choose.

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Adding Brazilian Cherry Flooring

Exotic hardwood flooring has carved out a niche in North American markets, and the most popular species out of the dozens available is Brazilian cherry flooring. Known for a distinct red color with highlighted grain, this flooring has a rating of 2350lbf on the Janka scale. The wood, despite its name, isn't related to domestic cherry species and, in fact, is not a cherry tree. Sold as "Brazilian cherry" in North America, the common name for the species is Jatoba. As the tree occurs in Central and South America, the wood may also go by such names as "Brazilian Copal," "South American Locust," or "Stinking Toe" because of the odor the tree's pulp creates.

Brazilian cherry flooring is often only available in higher grades. It's most common characteristic is the color, a tan to pink tone overall highlighted by darker red stripes. The wood itself is fine-grained and stain resistant. The wood, however, is heavy and installation procedures vary to those used for adding domestic species.

The flooring should be brought indoors to adjust to the temperature before Brazilian cherry is installed into your home or building. While all boards need to line up for installation, Brazilian cherry must be installed perpendicular to floor joints. Once the flooring has been added, it should be swept and vacuumed once a day to keep up the appearance. As little moisture should be used when the flooring is cleaned, and the boards should be air-dried afterward. Additionally, no products with wax, vinegar, or an acidic base should be used to clean the floor.

Retailers carrying Brazilian cherry flooring offer it in unfinished and prefinished varieties, in addition to engineered hardwood. As with all types of flooring, prefinished is ideal for replacing or adding new flooring to an entire area, while unfinished blends in better with existing hardwood.

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