Teddas I just love your Quartersawn/rift Red oak floors as they are installing. If I could have a subfloor placed into my townhouse, that is the floor I think I would choose.

jrdwyer, Your floors are just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing and explaining with pictures and words how you got that look.

Absolutely beautiful. Was not considering oak because of all those plywood stripey boards, but after seeing yours we may use it after all. Love the natural color too.

Just some floor updates for the curious!
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Teddas - very nice floor. I was speaking with a flooring owner who stocks a lot of oak and there is so much bad oak out there right now. Alot of wild, wavy grain. He told me he has stopped stocking oak from China - their oak does not look like ours. The grain is in many cases horrible. Your selection of quartersawn wood is the way to go. I build furniture as a hobby and when selecting wood, you want uniform, straight grain of consistent color. That is what you get with quartersawn wood (color can still vary).

There is a mill in Ohio that does only Rift and Quartered wood in all species. My R & Q'ed white oak came from them and I am thrilled with it!! They do not sell direct, but you can contact them and get the name of local distributors. I know Hurst Hardwoods (Internet sales) is one source. Rift and Quartered oak looks nothing like regular oak. It is absolutely beautiful!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Taylor Lumber

What is the difference between the look of red oak or white oak Quartersawn/Rift floors? I am trying to find out. I know the White Oak is a little harder but what is the difference in the overall look?

Believe it or not, there are a lot of old floors that are a mix of red & white Oak. When stained(adding color) you can't tell the difference. A natural finish(clear) can show subtle differences.

The only positive way to determine red from white Oak, is to look at an end cut. The spring wood has bigger cells with red Oak, compared to white Oak, with small cells in the spring wood.

Teddas, what width is your plank size? When you have your furniture in, can you share a new picture or two with us? Is the Quartersawn/rift Red Oak easy to keep clean?

Thank you floorguy for letting me know.

We put in quartersawn prefinished white oak two years ago and we have been sooo pleased with it. Jrdwyer's floors were my inspiration! Because we needed prefinished, we ended up buying from a Canadian co., Coswick. Our installer loved it and it looks as good today as when it went down. Use selected their Rose stain. When I needed a small piece of quarter round to put along the fireplace hearth, I used red oak with just clear poly and you can't tell the difference.

Lynn, yes it's easy to keep clean. I vacuum regularly and use Bona Hardwood cleaner every so often. Alot depends on how dark your stain is - darker wood will show more dust bunnies faster.

Here is a link that might be useful: Coswick quartersawn

My floors are 3 and 1/2 inch. I love them and can't wait to see them stained. I am leaning toward a chestnut or walnut look but hate the dark factor because of the dust show.

We won't be moving in till next year spring. Sigh.

Greetings from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
This is for " Sippimom" who posted Nov 11/08--but please -anyone -give me your opinions !!!
I just read your posting and it was definitely the one I have been searching for. We just received four samples ( 15"X 17") of the prefinished Coswick flooring. The Vancouver office told me that they so not carry the unfinished any more .
We were hoping to get 2 1/4 " strips but they do not come in the prefinished. Apparently they are even more 'stable' than the 3 &1/4 . The sample colors we got were --Walnut--Rose -Natural-and Chestnut--and are all quite stunning. I like the amount of rift with just a bit of quartersawn .
Now the question is - does the flooring you have pretty well match the samples--like nice long straight grain with an entertwining of quartersawn ? If the floor looks like the samples I think I am sold -then would just have to decide which color !!!
We have it pretty dry here so I realize that we would have to be very vigilant re humidity--have you had any issues with splitting or cupping --the bevels seem very small(good thing)to me or am I mistaken ?
Do scratches show easily--and was it very expensive ? I phoned a classy flooring company here in Edmonton and they said they could bring it in--but the Coswick Co said that our installer could order it for us -I am thinking that would be a bit less expensive .
Also --did you do any stairs with it --we have 15 -but will not use it in the kitchen -and I am a bit of a 'spiller & dropper' so I think that may not work !!
Well I have taken enough of everyone's time --Thanks
PS --Does the wood come from Germany ?

Musicmama61, yes, the Coswick flooring samples matched the wood that arrived, exactly. I will try to take a picture tomorrow to show you how it looks (we have the Rose stain) and post it here. There are alot of beautiful ray flecks and yes, the graining is straight. Ours is 3 and 1/4". I was afraid to go wider with the humidity in our area.

No issues with cupping or splitting. We have the opposite problem, alot of humidity in the mid-south area (think Memphis, TN) so believe me, I was worried about that aspect. But it still looks great and yes, we are very happy with it. The finish is lovely - it is a gloss but not super high gloss.

We did not do any stairs and we did not use it in the kitchen.

Now, we do have a large puppy and yes, we have dog nail scratches in the finish but we knew when we got her that we would have this issue. It's wood. It's going to get scratched over time. The thing is, the finish is more "indented" where she has zoomed around - there are no actual scratches in the wood. I have a large area rug in both the DR and LR. Long runners in the hallway. Those have helped considerably. I also have felt pads under the legs of all furniture.

We ordered the wood directly from Coswick. (This was 2 yrs ago so maybe they don't sell directly to customers now.) Delivery was excellent, on time, and the driver called us so we knew exactly when it would be coming in. I think he (the driver) told us the wood came from the Germany/Czech border or somewhere around there (he knew this from the customs paperwork).

We were careful to inspect all boxes before we accepted the delivery. It came all sealed and we set it in our garage, opened all of the boxes, and racked them for a few days before moving it inside. (Why? To get rid of the finish smell.) We then moved the boxes inside, racked them again in the rooms where they were to be installed for a week + to acclimate to the house. Don't skip that part - it's really important to acclimate any wood flooring!

It's beautiful. Our installer said it was some of the nicest wood he's installed. The only "bad" boards were ones that he miscut. ha! I think out of our entire order there might have been one board that he culled out. We still have several boxes left over.

The boards do range in size from 2' to 6'. It's a good mix.

They also had trim pieces available and extra stain (don't know if they still do)

I hope I answered all of your questions. It was very reasonably priced but I'm sure the price has changed some with the fluctuation in currency exchange. I would expect the cost for you to be lower if your installer orders it for you (or if you order it yourself.)

Good luck!

Sippimom,
Well, I was rather blown away & so thrilled to read your email where you answered our many questions & so quickly , I might add. --Bless you !!!!
We will follow your directions to a "T" ! The majority of our friends that have hardwood in their homes had them installed when the house was new so they did not have to be concerned about climatizing and such !
I phoned several dealers today in Ontario and the one especially gave me a very very reasonable quote -I was quite shocked -- so that settled it --we could not do any better with another company.
So far, in Canada-- Coswick is the only company that makes the white, rift/qusawn oak in a prefinished product. Because of lung issues in the family we cannot handle a site finished floor -even with all the new 'dustless' eqipment used .
I talked to an installer today with a terrific reputation. Surprising , he had not heard of the Company but was very interested--said that 80% of his installations now are pre-finished--such great strides have been made in the new finishes.
He made an interesting comment-said that a big part of his business now when it comes to refinishing floors, are the ones that he installed 10-12 yrs ago. Great to know that a person can have that option in yrs to come .
Thanks so much -again !!
PS. --Friends and relatives live and work in the Nashville area -and yes they do talk about the humidity--but makes for a lot of great "greenery". We lived in the US from /98 to /02. First in Elko ,NV-2 yrs--then Kansas City, MO-one yr--then in Owego, NY for year( right during 9/11) hubby oversees large construction projects--Just a bit of trivia !

Here is the floor, now 2 years old. I rolled back the runner in the hallway so you could see it. This is Coswick's "Rose" stain.

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Sippimom, I just love the Coswick's "Rose" stain wood floors in the 3.25" wide plank! I just heard that Coswick came out in November 2008 with an engineered wood floor.

I wonder if they would have this Quartersawn/rift White Oak floor now in an engineered version with the rose stain? I also like the Auburn stain on their website. Their website has no other information about their new engineered wood floors and only shows their gorgeous solid wood floors. I live on a slab so I am wanting engineered wood floors.

What grade of wood did you get since it is perfect! Also what is the paint color on your wall that is so nice. Thank you so much for sharing.

Lynn, the wall paint is SW Softer Tan. The trim is high gloss white (no tint in it).

This is their solid hardwood - not engineered. Surely you could call or email to inquire about this stain in their engineered flooring. I honestly have no idea. I will say they were great about sending out samples when I needed them.

Hope that helps :)

To Sippimom,
Thanks for the fantastic pics--WOW --I'm sold.

I talked to one of the managers of the Coswick line and he said that the oak is excellent , but not quite as hard as domestic(US& Canadian) white oak --it's about the same as red oak. That is is possibly why you have a bit of "denting" --not a big deal at all. He said they had just sold 4500 sq ft of the dark stain(oiled not the finish you have & we are getting) .

There is no way we could get the price we are getting it for ,if it was the domestic white rift/quartersawn--it would be at least $2-4 more a sq foot !

Thanks again hopefully in 4-6 months I will be sending in some pics --but we need to get in the new kitchen cabinets first !
All the best from Canada !

Sippimom, I just love your floors and did a search to see them again. I can't wait to call Coswick to see if they sell Engineered rift/quartersawn floors that I can choose a stain and if yes, I will ask for samples. I love how the floor under the rug was the same color.

I finally found the post so I can call Coswick to see if they sell prefinished engineered 3.25" wide hardwood flooring in their rift-sawn oak product with that Rose Stain or Auburn Stain depending on how the stamples look in my home. I LOVE the Rose stain on Sippimom's floor.

Somneone from Coswick Flooring in Canada wrote me back and wanted my address to send me samples of their prefinished engineered 3.25" wide hardwood quarter sawn oak flooring. I wrote back and asked for samples of a few stains. I will post pictures whenever they come in and then make my own decision to go with quarter sawn oak engineered wood stained or natural or Brazilian Cherry Engineered wood flooring or Amendoim Engineered Wood Flooring. I have one more deadline to finish due 5-15-09 and then I have to make a decision on what I want in my home office. I really wish the Brazilian Cherry Engineered wood flooring would have none of the dark brown pieces and not have such a dramatic color change despite loving the grain it has that is not busy like rotary peeled oak but beautiful and coloring that I find rich and beautiful. The Amendoim I fear if I can't see it in person since I do not like Knotty pine and I do not like a lot of knots in a floor. The pictures on our forum I find beautiful but I need to find this wood in person in someone's home before I can make that type of decision.

I also requested to know what the MM of real wood on top of heir 3.25" wide 1/2" thick engineered wood flooring is. The price is $5.25/sq ft plus $300 shipping up to 1000 square feet. But I only need about 620 square feet that included the extra waste 6% amount so I wonder if I like the flooring if they will give me a break on the shipping.

Sippimom, I love the samples Coswick Sent in the Rose Stain the best out of the Rose, Chestnut and Auburn. I love the Auburn Stain but it seems to darken the lineal grain making the floor busier while the Rose seems to warm up the White Oak and is pretty giving a nice contrast with my desk.

I wish I had a plywood subfloor since your pictures are prettier unless they sent me two Quartersawn samples with no Rift sample? On the Coswick Flooring site it says the floors are Quarter Sawn White Oak Floors but your floors have a mixture of Rift and Quarter Sawn. Were your floors labeled also only Quarter Sawn Oak flooring?

The engineered construction is very nice that I requested and Coswick sent to me. I like the 4 MM real wood on top and I like the 9/16th sturdy thickness and how well it looks to be made.

The floor is a little shinier than I like floors to be but the coating on top seems to be scratch resistant that I like.

What is the backing of the carpet that you have on top of the wood floors to not be damaging the floors? The Engineered Wood floors are not in stock so it would be like 7 to 8 weeks to wait if I want to order the floors. I sure wish the dollar was stronger like it used to be.

Any close up pictures where there is more of the figuring in the wood? I read that the white oak was less porous than the red oak so I think that would be good for moisture.

lynn - does the pricing (with shipping) seem in line with engineered of that quality here in the states?

I looked on their site - at regular oak flooring and they had info on it about engineered flooring also. site linked

Here is a link that might be useful: engineered oak flooring

desertsteph,

Their pricing was very good for their 4 MM product and if you get close to 1,000 square feet of the product, the shipping is $300. That is the only downfall since I only need with the 6% extra about 620 Sq. Feet of the product. The layers on the floor of the plywood were very sturdy and well made and click together very tightly. The coating on top of the sawn layer of wood was like a commercial grade that resisted scratching better than most of my samples I have here.

I do not know the price of their regular oak engineered flooring but it probably is less. Their Quarter Sawn White Oak stained is $5.29/Sq. Ft. If I get the BR-111 Brazilian Cherry Locally for $4.99 (right now the price is close to the $5.29 at the cheapest place) if someone comes back down in price, then with the 7% sales tax that is $5.34/Sq. Ft. But the BR-111 only has 3 MM on top of the wear layer and is only 3/8th inch thick while the Coswick appears to be much better made with the thicker wear layer and the sturdy Birch Wood underneath that is I think about 9/16th inch thick.

$300 shipping divided by 620 Sq. Ft = $.48/Sq. Ft. If someone needs about 1,000 sq. Ft, then $300 divided by 1,000 sq. ft = $.30 Sq. Ft. The Mirage Engineered Wood Flooring was quoted so much higher with the 4 MM Sawn Cut.

The Terra Lango White Oak Plain Sawn was very reasonably priced and if I did not want a stain, this is very nice. The Terra Lango Red Oak was pinkish Orange and the grain was very busy and I did not like it at all. Their White Oak Rift & Quarter Sawn flooring samples were nice but they only sent me them in solid and in Engineered they do not have any stains at all.

The Terra Lango Brazilian Cherry is nice also but the grain does not look as pretty as the BR-111 but maybe it is just the two samples sent. This has only 3 MM on top.

I still love the Brazilian Cherry but fear the color change.

The Coswick White Oak Quarter Sawn samples of the Auburn are also very nice and remind me of the Brazilian Cherry samples.

I am waiting for a few more samples to have 4 of each of these two colors and then I must decide.

Lynn, I will try to answer your questions as best I can ;)

I have the solid flooring from Coswick so I'm afraid I can't compare it with the engineered. However, I do know that with engineered, having a thicker top layer is good in case it ever needs to be lightly sanded and refinished.

As for the difference between rift and quartersawn, it was not a critical issue to me. Both are dimensionally stable, which was the important element for us. I love the ray flecks in the quartersawn but I also like the linear look of the rift. So as far as we were concerned it was win-win. The Coswick samples looked like all other samples of "quarter-sawn" that we received from other vendors so this must be common to mix them.

The carpet padding I bought at a local carpet store. I told them it was to go under a runner, on a wood floor, and this is what they said to use. It's about 1/4" thick and has held up quite well. (I have some under a large area rug also)

We're still very happy with the floor! As far as a color goes, seems like just about every wood out there darkens a bit as it ages. One reason we went with the lighter stain. Good luck with your project!

Thank you Sippimom for replying so fast. I can't wait to get the few more samples so I can have four foot long boards together to see how it looks in my home. The product is very well made and very pretty in the engineered version but of course not as pretty as the solid wood version that I can't have in my home since I am not installing a subfloor which will lower the look of my ceilings that are not that high to begin with in my home office. I do love the ray flecks. I just would love a mixture of rift and quartersawn but you are right that both are dimensionally stable.

Coswick did send me two more samples of the Engineered Quartersawn White Oak with the Rose Stain (just warms up the wood but I don't see any pink or rose color in it) and I now have both Rift and Quartsawn Samples and they sure look nice. I am now liking the semi-gloss finish a lot and it seems to never look dirty even when my little dogs walk on the floor.

I am going to see if Coswick will send me two more samples of the Auburn Stain since I am going back and forth between these two White Oak floors from Coswick versus the Brazilian Cherry. I like the Brazilian Cherry still the best but I fear the many areas under all my file cabinets may never catch up with the rest of the floor if I ever get an outside office or try to sell my home. Also the Brazilian Cherry floor samples have to keep being cleaned. After my deadline I must make a decision so maybe the nice saleslady at Coswick can help me by sending me two more samples. The Coswick Product is made the nicest out of any of my samples.

Hi Sippinmom. I am getting ready to buy coswick engineered wood possibly in the rose stain thanks to your beautiful pictures. Quick question, my house is really dark and small. Do you consider the coswick you have a light or medium colored floor. I'm also looking at the vanilla stain which is very light but I do prefer the rose stain.
The samples of the rose I have look medium colored, however, the pictures on the coswick website look lighter. So I thought I'd go to the source someone who actually has the floor in person to get my answer. Thanks in advance.

Lauire, the samples of the rose stain I have here in their engineered wood are very light and beautiful.

HI Laurie,
I would consider the Rose stain a light-medium stain. (as opposed to a true medium or dark-medium) It's not as dark as the oak stain that was so common back in the 80's or that you see in oak kitchen cabinets. Our hallway is quite dark (no windows) so those pictures were with the hall light on. (Sorry I had to take those pictures down.)

It's definitely not as light as say natural maple or a vanilla stain. We like it because our darker wood furniture pieces look good with it and yet it doesn't make the house feel dark.

If you are unsure, order a box of it an lay it out. I did that when I was first looking with several brands/styles of wood flooring and it really helped me decide which way to go color wise. It's hard to envision a whole room of one color with one little stick or two. Take the Rose sample into a big box store and see if they have a box of wood or laminate in a color close to it...take it home and lay out the whole box! They will let you return it if you have receipt. It sure helps!

Hope that helps! :)

Sippimon, thank you so much for the reply. Knowing that it is a light-medium stain gives me the confidence to make that call to Coswick. Thanks again.

"The only positive way to determine red from white Oak, is to look at an end cut. The spring wood has bigger cells with red Oak, compared to white Oak, with small cells in the spring wood."

Poor size is a bad indicator since it depends on growing conditions.

Cross cut a section of wood about 1/2 inch long.
Look through it against a bright light.
Red oak will allow light to pass through the pores, while white oak has tylosis in the pores blocking them.

This is why red oak cannot be used for tight cooperage.
Whiskey uses white oak barrels.

Since the cross section is short, some white oak pores may not be blocked, but in a short piece of red oak almost all will be clear.

Brickeyee, I had to go back to this post since a neighbor of mine wanted to know the difference between white oak and red oak. I love my Brazilian Cherry Floors but due to lack of overhead light in my interior townhouse, I now wish I went with the beautiful Quartersawn Engineered White Oak floors in the Rose tain that I fell in love with but they could only be glued down and I wanted to float the floor but I see now, that it would not have mattered.

Due to water damage of my 5" wide Brazilian Engineered Wood Floors the other day, I am considering installing a plywood floor and going with the solid Coswick Quartersawn/Rift White Oak floors in the 3.25" wide size in either the Rose or the Vanilla Stain. I am going to call for samples tomorrow. Thank you Sippimom for all your help. Dark wood shows every scratch and the wider boards warps too easily.

ak, with its warmth and character, is a popular hardwood species for flooring and furniture. While Armstrong manufactures both white oak and red oak, red oak has emerged as the most preferred type.