Please Help Identify Hardwood - Is this red oak?

last month

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The contractor just installed "white oak" and it looks like it has a pink cast. He tested Bona Nordic and Bona Mega, and they both made the floor look pinker.

I took some magnified photo of the end grain/cross section of some leftover boards because from what I’ve researched, the open pores and shorter medullary rays seem more consistent with red oak than white oak.

Can anyone experienced with oak identification weigh in? Does this look like red oak to you, or possibly a mixed batch?

Thank you!

Featured Answer

rwiegand

last month

last modified: last month

Color is pretty well meaningless for distinguishing oak species, despite the names. The dozens of different species in the red and white oak families vary quite a bit, the wood also varies depending on where it was grown and in what kind of soil.

Examining the end grain or testing the porosity of the wood is the most reliable method. You need a clean cut with a plane or sharp chisel on the end grain to assess the pores visually. Yours looks like white oak, but it's a bit hard to tell. If you have a short scrap of wood put some soap solution on one end and blow on it, red oak will bubble at the far end, white oak won't. (That's why you always want white oak for liquid storage barrels)

For an extensive discussion of the differences see: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak/

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Comments (7)

PRO
JAN MOYER
last month
last modified: last month
White oak STILL will have variation, and will often include a bit of pink. You can neutralize with some green in the stain.

Yours looks white oak to me
flippernutter thanked JAN MOYER
arcy_gw
last month
It's white oak. Your end grain pics are interesting. Never heard "a wood guy" look at that aspect to identify wood by.
flippernutter thanked arcy_gw
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PRO
Norwood Architects
last month
Red oak can appear pretty white. Have you asked your contractor who his supplier is? If so, you should be able to contact them to find out exactly what he was supplied with.
flippernutter thanked Norwood Architects
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
Looks like white oak to me and I have no clue what the other pics are showing but Norwood is right check with the supplier
flippernutter thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
chispa
last month
last modified: last month
My third generation wood floor guy used a testing kit for a proper/final identification. Make some shavings of the wood and put a few drops on it. Color change identifies red or white oak.

You might be able to get some at a local hardware store or order online.
flippernutter thanked chispa
flippernutter
Original Author
last month
Thank you to all of you who responded. I truly appreciate you taking the time to help me. Thank you.