Solid Hickory vs Red Oak hardwood floors

houses14

10 years ago

Hello All,

This house will be built in Hickory, NC.

I was set for red oak using select and better in grade with 3" 1/4 width, but then thinking about change to Hickory.

Would be greatly appreciate for sharing their pro and cons.

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Comments (5)

illinigirl
10 years ago
I think it is about the look you are going for. Are you talking about site finished floors or prefinished? Stained or natural? Natural Hickory will have more variation from light to dark. I don't know enough to say how well hickory takes to staining but I know red oak stains very well. Hickory is harder but both perform very well as flooring.
User
10 years ago
Hickory has so much variation that choosing select hickory is signifcantly more money than oak if you are comparing select clear. If you want a more rustic look, then choosing hikory is likely to be less than oak. It all depends on the look you are after.
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virgilcarter
10 years ago
Both woods will make durable floors for normal residential use. As others have said, the primary difference is in appearance. Hickory has highly varied color and grain markings, while Red Oak is very consistent in color and grain.

If it was my house I'd use Oak (or Maple) for a very consistent look that doesn't call attention to itself and compete with the design of the rest of house for attention as Hickory does.

Others milage may vary. Hope this helps. Good luck with your project.
houses14
Original Author
10 years ago
It will be natural look with on-site finished.

There is one website mentioned easy for insect on Hickory than oak. Is it true?

Thank You!
saftgeek
10 years ago
Houses14 = I too thought about using Hickory as I like a lot of variation in color and was interested in having floors with character... What changed my mind was when we cleared the trees to build our house we had a truck load of saw logs and I couldn't bear to see them go to waste. I thought the least I could do for imposing on them was to give them a place in my home. I had a mill cut them into rough boards then finished them out at a local kiln. They were planed, cut, and milled. I had them cut to yield, which gave me 3" - 4" and 5" planks. I asked them to leave in the knots and sawmarks. The first picture is a close up of the floor boards and the second is a picture of the room. These are site finished natural with a touch of brown in them to make the knots pop... The floors just had the final coat put on them and look even better than these pictures... We are very happy with our red oak...

I'm sure whatever you choose will be great... Good luck.

Saftgeek-