(Left-Oil based / Right-Water based finish)

Ash
(Fraxinus americana)

Appearence:

Color
Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwood is creamy white. Similar to white oak but more yellow
Grain
Bold, straight, moderately open grain with occasional wavy figuring, and can have strong contract in grain in plainsawn boards.

Availability:

Moderately available

Properties:

Hardness
1230 Janka Table, 2% harder than Northern red oak
Durability
Elastic, hard, excellent shock resistance.
Workability
Sawing: Good
Nailing: Good holding; good resistance to splitting
Sanding: Satisfactoy
Finishing: Stains well, no known finishing problems.

(Left-Oil based / Right-Water based finish)

White Oak
Quercus alba

Appearence:

Color
Heartwood is light brown; some boards may have a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Sapwood is white to cream.
Grain
Open, with longer rays than red oak. Occasional crotches, swirls and burls. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger oak, tiger rays, or butterflies.

Availability:

Commodity item, available in ALL types, styles and sizes of flooring

Properties:

Hardness
1360 Janka Table, 5% harder than Northern red oak
Durability
More durable than red oak. Tannic acid in the wood protects it from fungi and insects
Workability
Sawing: good
Nailing: good
Sanding: satisfactory
Finishing: Absorbs finishes more evenly than red oak. Does NOT bleech well

(Left-Oil based / Right-Water based finish)

Red Oak
Quercus spp.

Appearence:

Color
Heart and sapwood are similar with sapwood lighter in color; most pieces have a reddish tone. Slightly redder than white
Grain
Open, slightly coarser (more porous) than white oak. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger oak, tiger rays or butterflies.

Availability:

Commodity item available in ALL types, styles and sizes of flooring

Properties:

Hardness
1290 Janka Table (benchmark)
Durability
Stiff & dense, resist wear, less durable than white oak. Workability
Sawing: above average
Nailing: good
Sanding: satisfactorily, better than white oak
Finishing: Strong stain contrast, because of pores.

(Left-Oil based / Right-Water based finish)

Heart Pine
Pinus spp.

Appearence:

Color
Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turns deep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown within weeks due to high resin content. Sapwood remains yellow, with occasional blue-black sap stain.
Grain
Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn is swirled; rift or quartersawn is primarily pinstriped. Curly or burl grain is rare.

Availability:

Limited

Properties:

Hardness
1225 Janka Table, 5% softer than Northern red oak.
Durability
Natural resistance to insects in heartwood; dense.
Workability
Sawing: Good
Nailing: Good
Sanding: Use coarse paper for first sanding, may clog paper.
Finishing: Accepts surface and penetrating finishes, some stains tend to blotch.

(Left-Oil based / Right-Water based finish)

Yellow Pine
Pinus spp.

Appearence:

Color
Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white.
Grain
Closed, with high figuring; patterns range from clear to knotty.

Availability:

Commodity item, unfinished strip, planks

Properties:

Hardness
690 Janka Table 47% softer than Northern red oak; longleaf 870 Janka Table, 33% softer than Northern red oak.
Durability
Soft, fairly durable, not as resistant to scuffs & dents as true hardwoods
Workability
Sawing: good
Nailing: good
Sanding: Resin tends to clog sand paper, frequent paper changes are required
Finishing: Using durable finishes can help minimize wear