As others have mentioned, oak is a open grain wood specie. You can't compare the texture to maple. If, you like or want the plastic feel. You can apply three to four coats of grain filler, then apply a final coat of polyurethane on top afterwards. Aqua coat grain filler goes for around $50 per quart. It will get expensive with labor. You need to apply the filler, buff and clean X3 or X4. It has poor build up and shrinks. This is why you need multiple coats. This is what they do with pre-finished flooring.
Only your first picture does a decent job showing the surface. If everything looks as good as this area, it appears to have been done properly. In fact, it looks fantastic. The harder portion of the wood looks smooth, uniform and clean, while the deeper grain appears to have sufficient finish coverage. Your finish appears to fall within the gloss level range for a satin finish.
If you want your Oak to look more plastic like the Maple, you can contract for more coats as G&S mentions, but be prepared for it to show indentations and wear just like your Maple will.
You're welcome! Your first picture is a textbook example of how a finished Red Oak should look. Too many people think they need to apply a bunch of coats for durability and it ends up being detrimental.
You can preserve the look of your floor with regular cleaning, mats inside and outside each entry door and proper felt protectors on furniture that's moved regularly. We buy cheap washable rugs or runners to use at our sink and food prep area to absorb wear from standing and turning, and to keep harmful grit off the floor. Monitor high traffic areas and alert your floor contractor if/when you think you're getting close to wear that might affect the color. They can then prep the floor and apply another coat so it will look almost new again.
As others have mentioned, oak is a open grain wood specie. You can't compare the texture to maple. If, you like or want the plastic feel. You can apply three to four coats of grain filler, then apply a final coat of polyurethane on top afterwards. Aqua coat grain filler goes for around $50 per quart. It will get expensive with labor. You need to apply the filler, buff and clean X3 or X4. It has poor build up and shrinks. This is why you need multiple coats. This is what they do with pre-finished flooring.
Only your first picture does a decent job showing the surface. If everything looks as good as this area, it appears to have been done properly. In fact, it looks fantastic. The harder portion of the wood looks smooth, uniform and clean, while the deeper grain appears to have sufficient finish coverage. Your finish appears to fall within the gloss level range for a satin finish.
If you want your Oak to look more plastic like the Maple, you can contract for more coats as G&S mentions, but be prepared for it to show indentations and wear just like your Maple will.
You're welcome! Your first picture is a textbook example of how a finished Red Oak should look. Too many people think they need to apply a bunch of coats for durability and it ends up being detrimental.
You can preserve the look of your floor with regular cleaning, mats inside and outside each entry door and proper felt protectors on furniture that's moved regularly. We buy cheap washable rugs or runners to use at our sink and food prep area to absorb wear from standing and turning, and to keep harmful grit off the floor. Monitor high traffic areas and alert your floor contractor if/when you think you're getting close to wear that might affect the color. They can then prep the floor and apply another coat so it will look almost new again.