WIDE PLANK OAK FLOORING & MILLWORK
FIRST CHOICE WORLDWIDE
White Oak is a very strong and heavy wood that produces beautiful and durable wide plank flooring. However, it is used in virtually every area of the wood industry. It is now and has always been, the entire world’s first choice for all types of flooring and millwork. European White Oak (shown at right) is native to most of Europe including France, Germany, Finland, Ukraine, and Romania. The best American White Oak comes from the Appalachian range in the eastern US (Shown in 3 room shots below).
Many believe that the best White Oak is the European variety. It has a different color and many different characteristics than the American White Oak. This special white oak reaches heights of 130 feet+ and diameters up to 30 inches+. European oaks generally grow fairly rapidly for the first 100 or so years. After that, their growth rate gradually slows down. Along the way, the tree matures from a slender sapling with smooth bark to a deeply fissured, rough-barked tree of impressive girth. Decline starts setting in after about three centuries or so. This slow maturation results in a fine, tight grain much sought after for wine barrels and flooring.
European White Oak (at upper right) yields especially wide, longboards and generally has a tighter grain and a more uniform color than American White Oak. Typically it’s a warm honey color but ranges from light brown to a rich, dark brown. European White Oak has a tannin content higher than other oaks and thus responds well to fuming (the process of exposing the wood to ammonia gas in a sealed chamber).
Wide Plank Flooring in American White Oak ranges from 6″ to 16″ wide and comes standard in from 6′ to 16′ lengths. Show above is our Clear Plainsawn Grade in 16′ lengths.
Shown above is our Select Plainsawn Grade of American White Oak in 3/4″ x 7″ widths and 16′ lengths. The cabinets and millwork in this kitchen are made of Appalachian Hickory.
American White Oak (Above) in character grade wide plank flooring has a special appeal for many. Other cabinetry and millwork in this room are made of Appalachian Hickory. The combination of these two extra-durable species is a popular one.
Shown above is American White Oak that has our “smoked” or “fumed” process applied. This process does not produce as dark a color on American White Oak as it does on European White Oak, which becomes quite dark.
Shown above is fumed European White Oak. The greater tannic acid in this specie makes the fuming color much darker, almost the color of Walnut. The samples at right are natural European White Oak.