Recommendations for white oak floors???

5 years ago

Hi! Anyone have solid white oak floors they love that didn't break the bank? Mirage has some pretty ones, but the price is more than double our budget. Any brand recommendations would be much appreciated! We like the natural look with a little character, or something with just the tinest gray stain in it. We will have lots of white and black and stainless finishes inside the house. THANK YOU!!!

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Helen

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I second Uptown's Post as I just installed Mirage floors throughout my condo.

If your budget is really $4 to $6 for wood floors, I think you need to realistically evaluate your budget because wood floors in the $5 range will not be high quality flooring.

My Mirage floors are engineered and probably what would be considered moderate quality. They were about $8.00 per square foot without installation and with the very complex installation I had, the final cost with materials for installation plus labor was about $18 per square foot.

I went with their red oak natural Select & Better because I wanted a light floor that wasn't the star of my design. It's not trendy and I know I won't tire of it because it's essentially the same floors I've had all my life :-). My floors really look very pale blonde.

I had considered white oak but I have a lot of Quarter Sawn White oak - kitchen cabinets; wall units for den/office plus a custom wall unit in my dining area and I wanted the floors to be more of a contrast. I am delighted with the result and everyone who has. seen it loves how it contrasts with the other woodwork and makes my whole place look open and airy.

ETA - And if you are purchasing floors directly, you really need to check pricing at different vendors. Even if you are purchasing through a designer, it's a good idea. When I called dealers, their prices ranged between $7.50 and $9.00 per square foot. My designer purchased the floors and obviously got a discount and then I paid for them plus her markup; sales tax so my final cost for the flooring was about $8.00 per square foot.

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Comments (13)

PRO
Uptown Floors
5 years ago
Amazing how much the rage is to White Oak, specifically prefinished. It was a tough nut to find 15 years ago in a solid 3/4 inch. It is today as well except for... some stuff that comes on boats. Some may say white oak, but it could be a mix. Bigger manufacturers unless it's a natural White Oak.

Tiniest? Do you mean greige?
PRO
Missi Smith Design Co.
5 years ago
Are you looking for engineered flooring? I like Hallmark Alta Vista line.
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Same here. I extended my carpeted area to hardwood flooring. My contractor put new red oak in place of white oak and the stain stick out like a soar thumb. I don't know what to do. We haven't poly'ed yet. Any suggestions please?
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We used Urban Floors, I think the color was Debussey. It is one of the lightest colors, very, very slightly whitewashed, but not noticeably. It is a lot like the Duchateau, but significantly less $$. I believe it's 9" wide. We went through a reputable flooring store with excellent Yelp reviews. Glue down. It's been great. About the knots and distressing: the samples they show you in the store typically have a lot more knots and distressing than you see when you look at the actual floor. I think they are trying to warn you with those sample boards! The floor is great. I don't know, with 5 dogs, there are probably scratches, but no one can see them. And no one can see the dog hair, either. We certainly don't baby it, and have been very happy.
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Lovely floor. You want to do white on the walls to go with it and the gray sofa. That’s all and good, except for one caveat….the natural light will really impact any white you choose. North light or East light: try B.M. Goldtone. South light : try B.M Gray Owl. West light: try B.M. Patriotic White. Those are my recommendations, but I think you should take a minute or two and read this great article from Domaine, where B.M. pros answer the question of which white to use for walls. https://www.mydomaine.com/benjamin-moore-paint-questions
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Just a little Heads up. Brazilian Oak is called Tauri. It is an 'exotic' hardwood (it comes from somewhere other than your continent). Like MOST exotic hardwoods it is photosensitive. That is to say it GETS DARKER as it ages. This has NOTHING to do with the finish. It has everything to do with the WOOD. The pretty, soft, velvety browns and smooth beige you are seeing WILL NOT last. Nope. They get darker and STRONGER in colour. Yah. Even though they are ranked as 'low' on the photosensitivity radar...they will still get a snick darker as soon as they are exposed to 'light'. The white oak is not something that has this issue. In fact it can fade in a medium amount of time in direct sunlight (with old windows with very little UV block on them). And the STAIRS are going to be a NIGHTMARE with Tauri. The amount of effort put into 'matching' the colouring with another species can double your flooring budget. Nope. Not kidding. And just so you know...there are PLENTY OF COMPAINTS about Shaw wood flooring products. I would suggest you go ahead and search this website to see what people are complaining about. Some of the treads are old...and some are very new (like 1-2 weeks old?) which tells me Shaw is NOT pulling up it's socks on this issue.
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Elaine K
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks! Yes, Im seeing lots of engineered white oak, but not too much solid. Right now we are considering mercier white oak in their element series. THe color just has a bit or gray in the stain which I think will look good with my white cabinets. But I haven't seen many positive reviews about Mercier!
Elaine K
Original Author
5 years ago
Solid with a satin or semi gloss finish. Love matte finish, but I think it would be a pain to keep clean.
PRO
Anglophilia
5 years ago
I've never had anything but solid oak (all white oak except one kitchen in an old house - we found it under 3 layers of tiles, plywood and linoleum!), and all have been site-finished. I wouldn't have any other kind. It's thicker and one can get the exact color one wants.

Since oak floors last for centuries, it's far better to use a standard mid-tone stain than a trendy one. Grey and stainless may not be popular in 40 years - who knows! If the floors are traditional, they will go with everything. BTW - my own kitchen is gray and I have stainless appliances (except my vintage stove, which is white), and the warmth of the mid-range stain keeps it from being a very cold, sterile room.
dan1888
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Here's a source for solid unfinished. Including rift cut and wider widths. 6" rift/quartersawn character cut is 5.15/sqft in up to 10' lengths.
PRO
Oak & Broad
5 years ago
Elaine K , maybe something like this?
Low Gloss Custom Finishes · More Info
PRO
Uptown Floors
5 years ago
If Mirage is double the budget you must be looking for something in the $4-6 square foot range? Then some Mirage dealers go overboard and mark the stuff up too high.
Elaine K
Original Author
5 years ago
The quotes we are getting for mirage are around $13 a square foot!! Not sure if it is the product we are looking at or what, but $13 for just the product without installation is HIGH. Especially when we need 2000-2500 square feet....
Helen
5 years ago
I agree that $13 per square is expensive but I don’t know if that is the going rate for your specific floor choice. You can only know by calling around. The quotes I got were pretty consistent in terms of being approximately $8 per square foot so I knew that was the going rate.

I don’t think it is necessary to spend $13 per square foot for nice looking wood that is high enough quality for most people. If that’s too high for your budget, then find something else that you like almost as much within budget.
My floors can be refinished at least once and maybe twice but I don’t foresee refinishing because of the extreme hassle and I certainly don’t care if someone fifty years from now can refinish them.
PRO
Oak & Broad
5 years ago
We have American made to order plank flooring under $9 per SQ FT with a name brand finish.

:-D
clfbmp
5 years ago
Northeast Alabama here. I had 2.25” 3/4 thick white oak in natural satin site finished, all in was 5.60 sq ft.

Recommendations for white oak floors???

Helen

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Uptown Floors

Missi Smith Design Co.

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Recommendations for white oak floors???

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