Red oak flooring is one of the most commonly used hardwood floors, mostly because it’s (relatively) affordable, and durable. We chose white oak floors for our previous new build. We are currently renovating a home that already has white oak floors so we are matching those. I get questions all the time about red oak and my thoughts on making the flooring look up to date. Show
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Using Red Oak In 2022Red oak was very popular during times when certain stains and finishes were trendy (hi orange floors of the ’90s!). That being said, red oak isn’t out of style and orange floors aren’t your destiny if you have red oak floors. There are ways to stain the oak to minimize or even hide the orange undertones. Keep reading for trendy stain finishes and ways to make red oak look great! sourceRed oak floors refinished with a light stain What Is The Best Stain For Red Oak Floors? Can We Stain or Seal Red Oak And Remove The Pink?You can stain red oak floors to get a beautiful light and beige color that’s all the rage right now (white oak is the new popular kid on the block)… but not without going through some headache! Red oak just doesn’t take as well to lighter colors as white oak does. There are strong pink or yellow undertones that will pull if you simply whitewash or give it a light white stain. We tried a few samples on red oak: The herringbone floors with the blue tape around it is red oak. The straight narrow floors in the back are white oak. In the photo above the red oak has two coats of the sealer on them. This photo is from a flooring mistake – my installer put in the wrong type of floors, so I had red oak sitting next to my white oak. Impossible to match! This is had to be corrected. But I wanted to post the above photos because they could be helpful. Here the coats are again, this time with 3 dried coats of the sealer. The Bona Natural Seal looked the best in my opinion and would have been my choice! Natural had more warmth and less pink. The Nordic seal showed some salmon pink, and it was a touch Scandinavian, but it’s worth considering because it looks nice! Classic was beautiful but slightly red. Red oak unfinished floors. Read all about our herringbone floors in this post, here! Staining Tips and IdeasUsing no stain and just a clear sealer (like we did) is an idea to keep the wood light, but be aware it’s not going mask the natural pink tones in the wood. Adding a clear top coat (I prefer water based!) will give you a light look but at the same time deepen the natural undertones in red oak. If you are wanting that perfect “natural” wood look that’s everywhere in new construction right now and you want a stain, I would mix a few together. Below are a few different stains I suggest for trying. These are light and should cover up the pink enough and bring out the warmth of the wood:
Above: red oak flooring stained Duraseal 60% Fruitwood and 40% Country white If you are choosing a medium to darker stain, you have no worries. Those darker stains get soaked right up and hide the salmon color, leaving you with the same end result as a dark white oak. sourcesourceProtecting Your FloorsLastly, I recommend sealing your floors with a high traffic water based finish, as opposed to oil polyurethane. Oil will amber over time more aggressively than a water based finish. With a wood floor that already has strong orange undertones to start, better to play it safe! Matte is preferred in the trend world right now, but it can be hard to make it look clean. I used satin and I’m so happy with it! Red Oak Flooring Vs White OakWhite oak flooring is similar in many ways to red oak floors; both are similarly priced, durable and have similar graining. To the untrained eye, you can’t usually tell the difference depending on the stains used. Related: Read about our white oak flooring and our experience finishing it and buying new here. The Color of Red OakThe most significant difference between the two floors is in the color of the wood. Red oak has strong pink and yellow undertones that certain stains can bring out and darken more than others. White oak naturally has more beige and brown undertones, but red oak doesn’t take as well to beige stains. The GrainingRed oak floors have a heavier and more dramatic grain and pattern. The advantage to this is that red oak floors can hide scratches and dents more than white oak, within the grain. White and Red Oak Flooring CostOverall red oak is just about as costly as white oak floors overall, but price fluctuations are common. Currently in my local NC area, red oak is just slightly more affordable. HardnessAlthough there is a slight difference in the hardness level, with white oak being of harder density, my flooring installer told me it was so slight that it’s inconsequential. He told me better to choose the flooring that appeals to you more for personal reason, but don’t base it on density. source: HouzzAbove: 5” plank #1 red oak with minwax weathered oak stain with water based sealer sourceAbove: Red oak flooring with a Duraseal Country White Pros and Cons
Above: a medium stain on older red oak floors, made of a custom mix white oak floors in our previous bedroomShop: Rug | Bench | Bed (similar) You Will Also Love: My White Oak Flooring Guide Our Most Asked About Quartz Countertops Tour Our Home I would love to have you follow along with me below: Insta | Facebook | Pinterest Join the Blues, Rattan + Decor Facebook Group. Over 25k home and interior lovers sharing ideas or Q+A about home design! Can you stain red oak white?Red Oak wood flooring can also be White in color. Most frequently, with Red Oak, to go light or white with the color, bleaching is a necessary prerequisite. Bleaching should remove most of the Red tones, which tends look much better with a really light stain color like White.
Can you refinish red oak floors to look like white oak?If we wanted to rip up the existing red oak and replace it with white oak, it would easily cost six figures. Instead, we did our research and found out that we could get close to the look of white oak by sanding the red oak and applying a white wash. We decided to go for it and spoiler alert, we are so glad we did!
What color stain looks best on red oak?The best stain colors for oak. Early American by Varathane.. Dark Walnut by Minwax.. Briarsmoke by Varathane.. Puritan Pine by Minwax.. Classic Gray by Minwax.. White Wash by Varathane.. Walrus Oil cutting board oil.. Weathered Oak by Minwax.. How do you whitewash red oak?Stain Formula For Whitewash For Red Oak Floor. 1 gallon of Varathane classic water-based white tint base wood stain.. 6 teaspoons of green craft paint.. 1 cup of Behr white flat ceiling paint (no colorant added — just use it right out of the can). 1 cup of Floetrol.. 1 cup of water.. |