Red Oak Flooring in Murfreesboro, TN

Murfreesboro Hardwood Flooring fits red oak floors in homes across Murfreesboro. We check the floor underneath, help you pick the grade and the cut, and then fit and finish the boards room by room.

What red oak looks like

The U.S. Forest Service's Wood Handbook says the heartwood of red oak, which is the wood from the center of the tree, is brown with a tinge of red. It says the sapwood, which is the wood nearer the bark, is nearly white and roughly 1 to 2 inches wide.

The handbook says flooring grades are set by how the face of the board looks. It lists four main grades for oak: Clear, Select, No. 1 Common and No. 2 Common.

We bring sample boards in the grades you're thinking about, so you can see the knots and color changes in your own light before you choose.

Why red oak is used for floors

The U.S. Forest Service calls northern red oak an important source of hardwood lumber. It says the wood is heavy, hard and strong, with a coarse grain. The Wood Handbook lists flooring first among the things red oak lumber is made into.

The Forest Service also says northern red oak grows across much of the eastern United States, and it lists Tennessee among the states where it is found.

Red oak or white oak

The handbook says red oak can be told apart from white oak by the size and layout of its pores. It says white oak's heartwood pores are usually plugged, which tends to keep liquids from getting through the wood, while red oak's pores generally are not.

It also says white oak's heartwood is generally grayish brown, and that white oak is somewhat heavier than red oak. We fit both, and our white oak flooring page covers white oak.

Plainsawn or quartersawn

When we talk about plainsawn and quartersawn boards, we mean two ways a mill cuts a log into boards, and each cut leaves a different grain pattern on top of the board.

The handbook says quartersawn flooring shrinks and swells less than plainsawn flooring and wears more evenly, and the seams between its boards are less likely to open. It also says many people prefer the silver, flaked grain of quartersawn boards to the look of plainsawn ones.

Getting the boards ready

The handbook says the red oaks shrink a fair amount as they dry. It lists steps that cut down on cracks in wood floors. One is to measure random boards with a moisture meter when they arrive and again before they go down. Another is to open the bundles so every side of the boards is open to the air inside the house.

We do both. We open the bundles up in the rooms where the floor will go and leave them there until our moisture readings say they're ready. We also leave a small gap at every wall, hidden under the trim, so the boards have room to swell and shrink.

What changes the price

We price red oak flooring for your house once we've measured, and you get that quote in writing.

We set our price by the size of the rooms, how many doorways and corners we cut around, and which grade, cut and board width you pick. We also count in taking up an old floor, any repairs to the floor underneath, and sanding and finishing in your house if the boards come unfinished.

What to get in writing

Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:

• That the boards are red oak, plus the grade, the cut (plainsawn or quartersawn), the width and the thickness.
• Whether the boards are solid or engineered.
• How the moisture of the boards will be checked, and how long they will sit in the house first.
• The stain and finish by name and the number of coats, if the floor is finished in your house.
• Whether moving furniture, taking up the old floor and hauling it away are in the price.

Questions about red oak flooring in Murfreesboro

Get a quote for red oak flooring

Call us, or send the quote form with your ZIP code and the rooms you want done. We'll measure, go through grade, cut and finish options with you, and give you a written quote. To see the other flooring work we do, go to the Murfreesboro Hardwood Flooring home page.