Oak flooring is a time tested and much loved type of hardwood flooring. There are two types of oak hardwood flooring: red oak flooring and white oak flooring. Each has its own charm and distinctive grain.

Oak floor patterns are often what wins many customers over. The mossy oak forest floor pattern is a definite winner as well as the mossy oak forest floor upholstery options.

When you go to purchase your oak flooring make sure that you are buying only number 1 select oak hardwood flooring. The number 1 select rating is the top of the line in the industry and ensures that your oak flooring will have no blemishes or knots.

The rating system for oak flooring is used for both red oak hardwood flooring and for white oak hardwood flooring. By using the rating system you can know without actually having to look at each and every board inside the box that you are getting the best quality materials. If you are shopping on a budget, you may want to consider buying a slightly lower rated oak flooring system. The saving can be dramatic but make sure that you allow for more waste when you go below number 1 select. Some of the boards that you get with lower ratings may not be usable as whole boards, meaning the bad places may need to be cut out and discarded.

You can also look into buying engineered, unfinished oak floor materials. Because they are unfinished you will, of course, need to stain them yourself or hire a professional to do that for you. Staining is usually done for red oak hardwood flooring and one of the best ways to decide which stain is best for your particular needs and desires is to look at pictures of red oak floor stains that have been applied to various pieces of red oak. By looking at pictures of red oak and Minwax stained floor samples, you can more easily decide which is best for you.

An alternative to the usual cut of oak flooring is the quarter sawn oak flooring method of cutting. This involves cutting the wood with the annual growth rings going vertically rather than horizontally. Quarter sawn oak flooring has a great appearance and because of its cut it resists warping much better than the horizontal cut. You will experience less cupping and twisting, and the oak flooring itself will wear more evenly and more slowly. It is worth looking into, although it does cost a bit more.