I asked a friend (who will remain nameless) who's a buyer of lumber for commercial and retail market. This is his reply: ItâÂÂs really hard to say. If the lumber is white oak it will be far more valuable in the present market than red oak. Many mills are not even cutting red oak right now since there is virtually no commercial market for the lumber. What inventory is in the market is being sold at or below replacement cost. I have seen truck-load quotes in the last 90-days at below $1.00/bf for both 4/4 and 5/4 #1 common, the lumber most frequently sold to manufacturers. White oak is another story, though the market there is nowhere near historical levels�"the greatest value is in quarter-sawn material. I would also suggest that, while theses widths are nice, they are not exceptional, especially for flat-sawn lumber. The fact that the lumber is 12/4 is also a mixed bag, The commercial value of oak this thick is limited�"more so if we are talking red oak. White oak may have some appeal among boat builders; but, âÂÂup to 12â longâ implies some shorter boards and that limits the appeal in this market. There is also the matter of condition. Oak, white and red, are highly subject to sticker-stain. Depending on how this lumber has been stacked it could be anything from desirable to firewood. For example, I was recently offered (and rejected) over 700 board feet of 4/4 quarter-sawn white oak with an average width of nearly 9â (quite good for Q-S) that had been improperly stacked for air-drying. The resulting sticker stain goes completely through the boards resulting in a rather odd and very noticeable âÂÂstripeâ across each board at regular intervals. Even at 0.60/bf the lumber is little more than firewood for us. It may have value to box builders; but, 700bf will make a lot of boxes. The bottom line is that if this lumber was within a Saturday or Sunday drive of my home I would probably go and look at it. If it is white oak, grades at least F1F (First one face), has no sticker stain, and there is no evidence of powder post beetles, I might to as high as 1.20. Even so, assuming âÂÂstandardâ bunks, we are talking 800 to 1000 board feet per stack. ThatâÂÂs a bunch of 12/4 lumber�"without a market for these thicknesses I would be tying up a fair âÂÂinvestmentâ for a long time.

@Robin Morris, Im a bit confused between the terminology of "sealer" and "finish coat", but I love the look on your floors! Are they glossy or completely matte. I like the look in broad day light better than at night! Just to make sure, you applied one coat of Bona Birch and then 3 coats of another stain which is Bone Mega? (Looking at your samples picture, bone mega looked darker and orangier...) I'm trying to get my white oak cabinets to have a neutral look as well!

"oak trim clashes with everything". why is painting it now not an option?? it's the one thing in that room that doesn't go w/anything. painting all that baseboard white, as well as the trim, will look so much better. The staircase could also look 10X better with either a new stain, or paint it black. at the very least, do the risers in black or white. Using your rug as a jump-off point, here are some other decor elements. you could use your camel leather sofa, ottoman, and just add some other black/white elements. Gravity is a purple gray. you need to find more of a neutral gray shade that works w/the flooring. (but you'll still need to paint out that trim! ) . Crushed ice is a nice gray, but very light. I love these color combos in your room. they would look great w/your wood ceiling and white trim if you feel you have to have orange trim work and baseboards, try a warmer gray in this color family. bring in some other warmer shades, as long as they work w/the gray floor. also, if you want to keep all the wood along the stairs, it might be worth stripping off the clear coat finish. over time, the clear coat yellows, giving you the orange tint. if you took it back to raw wood and finished it in the same tone of your ceiling, it might look a bit better. but I'd still do the baseboards in white. Here they are against a polished concrete. so much better looking. notice the oak in more of a natural finish. your could look like this.

ngifford87, my use case is much lighter than yours - I don't have kids or pets (it's all older adults here). If you haven't already done so, you should check out Mommy to the Max's blog / more specifically, check out the reader comments on her Loba install there may be some relevant comments for you. https://www.mommytomax.com/natural-looking-white-oak-floors/ Also, check with your regional Loba rep - our rep, Adam Morin, was extremely helpful. He even made a visit to my home during the floor installation phase and showed me the different Loba products on some of my wood floor samples. Adam recommended the installer (very important to find a trained and experienced Loba installer). Back to answering your questions: The finish has been very strong with no issues on delamination or peeling/uplift. It has been resilent to food and household chemical droppings/spills. No stains at all (I have wood floors in my kitchen). I'd say it is a tougher finish than the Bona commerical finish I had on my previous floors. I've had no need for touch ups. It is very easy to clean (I use the Loba spray product and a bona mop). I don't allow shoes in my home - so, it's bare feet, socks or house shoes only. Workers must wear shoe protection or take off their shoes/boots. I don't believe shoes would be a problem for the finish, it is just so much easier to keep the floors clean when people aren't tracking in dirt and grime. Do know that this Loba finish leaves a slight feeling of texture from the wood - it is not a glass smooth finish. I like the finish and feel of the finish quite a bit. I've had some very slight fading - which is only noticeable when furniture or rugs are moved. I waited almost 1 year to put down a rug in my front bedroom. After a few months, I lifted the rug up and I can see a very, very slight difference between where the rug is and the rest of the wood floor. I also had a Chilewich door mat at the entrance and there is a very slight difference there as well. I do have a lot of large windows in my home / and the front door has large glass inserts. Possibly it is the Loba product or it could be the lighter color (and no stain) - or maybe it's a combination of both. Again, I don't believe anyone coming into my home would see the difference (somewhat looks like a slight shadow on the floor / if the Chilewich mat is moved) If you don't rearange your furniture or rugs often, I'd say it isn't an issue. BTW - I have seen MUCH, MUCH worse fading on other wood floors (e.g., sunlight rays burn-in. None of that happening on my floors). All finishes do fade when exposed to lots of sunlight, I expect. I'm very, very pleased with my Loba floors and would definitely use the product again. If going with the same Loba product, I recommend 3 coats vs 2 coats (I have 3 coats on my floors).