Red oak vs. white oak...how do I know which I have?
jennye
17 years ago
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glennsfc
17 years agoRelated Discussions
red oak vs. swamp white oak
Comments (32)I planted a swamp white oak 18 months ago. Was just under 5' tall container, mail order from Forest Farm. I had read that swamp whites are slow growers, but mine has been very vigorous. I think buying small is a good strategy because the 10' B&B's at the garden centers will stare at your for a couple years before taking off and require a lot more watering. This guy will catch up with the bigger ones. I just watered mine weekly during the first summer, but did not water at all the second year. Generously mulched w/ leaf compost. Grew like crazy. I had to re-establish the central leader due to heavy deer browsing. After protecting, it easily put on 2-3 feet in height and a ton of density in the second summer. The trunk really bulked up quickly too. Looks like a winner. Fall color is better than expected, kind of a pale orange. In an area like NE Ohio, which is often pretty wet but also goes through some dry spells, swamp whites seem to thrive. Unlike a lot of oaks, they can supposedly handle wet or dry. Northern reds seem to prefer somewhat drier sites. Of course, Northern Reds are still very good trees. If you are dealing with wetness and/or clay soils, an alternative is the Nuttalli. They have the best form of the reds from what I have seen around here and are starting to gain traction. Guy Sternberg developed a nice cultivar (New Madrid) that you can buy mail-order. Just got one of those too....See MoreFlooring decision - White vs Red Oak, Q&R vs Select, 5 vs 7 inch
Comments (4)With the dark stain, it visually won't matter that much. White oak will tend to have tighter grain (softer texture) than red oak. It is also a slightly harder wood which is better for dents. Rift and quartered has a different look than plain-sawn flooring. It is linear looking with annual rings running more or less in straight lines along the planks. 10-20% of the R&Q lot will exhibit ray fleck, which is quite pretty. Plain-sawn produces a cathedral pattern with the annual rings, what most people think of with oak. R&Q is superior in dimensional stability and should seriously be considered if you go with solid wood and 5" or wider planks. Anything over 8' in length is probably overkill unless you have huge rooms or very wide hallways where it might show. I installed a mixed width and I don't care for the 7" wide by 1' long. It seems out of proportion. Average length is the key and look for 4'-5'. An 8' long by 8" wide is actually as large as I would recommend for a typical remodel because of access (unless the wood comes in through the windows). Here is what I did (you can zoom in on the pics to see the grain and fleck): Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox on Oak...See MoreI think it's pine, not oak..how can I make it 'more purty?' (pix)
Comments (4)I cannot see the grain well, but I agree it probably is not oak. However, it could be birch if it is not old pine. The desk looks nice enough to spend a good amount of time on restoration. You can unscrew the pulls(from the inside of the drawers) and remove them. The shadow under the pulls will remain and have to be sanded away to match the rest of the fronts. To properly refinish/protect the wood, you will need to get all the old finish off. That will be a major job, taking weeks to do properly. In fact, that process is so involved you would be better informed by buying a book on furniture stripping and restoration and finding the specific steps needed for that desk. Once the finish/dirt is removed, the color will be changed. You have several options at that point. Dye, stain, or just finish. Those options will be covered in that restoration book. If it were mine, I would use a dye(better color control/longer lasting color). But, dyes are expensive and difficult to use. An oil based stain(available at home improvement/hardware/paint stores will be much easier/less expensive. Then I would use a wiping varnish---NOT polyurethane!!!! Why? Because that finish is closer to the original(which also could have been shellac), much easier to use than shellac, can be spot repaired(poly cannot be easily spot repaired), and wiping varnish is the easiest finish for a DIYer to apply and get a really nice finish. The wiping varnish takes two applications to get the same coverage/protection as brushed/sprayed on varnish, but allows the applier to avoid runs/sags/etc. that can occur....See MoreDo I have red or white oak floors?
Comments (0)This seems to be a common question. Because my floors are so dark I'm not quite sure which are the medullary rays and having a hard time telling. Floors are probably circa 1908. Since my house is under remodel I don't have access for great pictures but here is a smattering I was able to find from various other purposes: Google photo album Thanks! Trying to match in addition but not sure which it is! Attached a few below in case you don't want to click the link....See Morejennye
17 years agojennye
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9 years ago
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