The Basics of Oak Flooring

When it comes to selecting wooden flooring for your home, you’ll be faced with many different choices.  What style, colour, and, above all, type of wood do you want to use for your home?  You will most likely want to use the same type of wood throughout your home, although some people do use two different types.  If you go with oak flooring, you’ll be getting a gorgeous hardwood floor that will certainly last for many years.  However, if you go with oak flooring, you’ll have to make yet another choice: which grade of oak flooring do you want? 

Many people will be very confused at this point.  They will wonder what the differences between the different grades are and how it affects their choice.  Here are the seven different grades of oak flooring, listed from the least expensive to the most expensive.

The most basic oak flooring is barn grade or rustic grade.  It has many different colour streaks and deep knots in it.  It creates a pretty dark floor, and it’s often used in places where a rustic, more rural look is the goal.  Most people don’t use barn grade oak flooring in their homes.

Character grade, on the other hand, is often used in older homes.  It has a good amount of character, but it also has a bit more of a consistent look than barn grade.  The boards have smaller knots and a few fine cracks here and there.

The next type of oak flooring is select grade.  These boards have some knots and cracks, but not as many as the previous grades.  Select grade is often used in modern settings since it has a very clean look to it when it’s laid.  It also tends to look lighter than character grade.

Classic grade is similar to select grade as far as knots and cracks go, but it also features medullary rays.  These silvery looking lines are caused by genetic imperfections and viruses that infected the oak tree while it was growing.

The next grade of oak flooring is distressed grade.  These are character boards that have been artificially aged so that they look as though they have been around for years.  They actually look like they have been burned.  However, the look is completely cosmetic—the boards themselves have not been damaged in any way.  Distressed grade floors can look amazing in the right situation, but they don’t appeal to everyone.

The next to most expensive, prime grade oak flooring is made from very fine boards.  They have no knots, no cracks, and very little discolouration.  If you’re looking to create a floor that is very uniform, this is the grade for you.  Prime grade boards are the lightest of all oak boards.

Finally, quarter sawn oak flooring is the most expensive.  Each board is very carefully created so that it looks amazing.  These boards are very strong, but the cost will keep them out of all but the most expensive homes.