We had our oak floor sanded and refinished with a two coats of Jacobean (dark) stain with two or three coats of a satin sealer. The rooms get a lot of sunlight and we don’t notice any scratches and only notice dust at just the right angle which is actually nice because it’s a reminder to clean the floors. We would never go with anything more glossy than satin for any hardwood floor.

If we were starting from scratch we would splurge on either quarter sawn or rift sawn white oak of a higher quality with tiger stripes and a lighter stain because they look incredible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would get engineered or prefinished. Sanding is a huge mess.

It is a new floor. We are not refinishing existing.

Yes, get a new real wood floor if you possibly can. Engineered and pre-finished just aren't the same.

White oak is your best bet. It is graded by how many knots are in the wood. But it takes whatever stain you want without the underlying "red" of red oak. FWIW, I've refinished and stained old red oak before to counter the red. But you definitely need someone who knows what they're doing.

Anonymous wrote:I would get engineered or prefinished. Sanding is a huge mess.

It is a new floor. We are not refinishing existing.

If you want light, go with white oak.

Anonymous wrote:What color do you want in the end? Red oak does have a lot of grain, but it doesn't really stick out as much in a darker color.

OP here. Probably lighter, rather than darker, but not transparent.

We have had red oak with Ipswich Pine and do not want that again.

Anonymous wrote:I’d do a dark glossy finish. Looks so rich.

We have a maple in a dark gloss installed a few years ago, and it reflects surface scratches very easily. Wouldn't be my first choice again.

What color do you want in the end? Red oak does have a lot of grain, but it doesn't really stick out as much in a darker color.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d do a dark glossy finish. Looks so rich.

Only go dark if you can keep it very, very clean. You will see every bit of dust, lint, etc.

Agree- we love our friends cherry floors but they hate it because it shows everything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d do a dark glossy finish. Looks so rich.

Only go dark if you can keep it very, very clean. You will see every bit of dust, lint, etc.

I've gone medium dark and the dirt isn't much more visible on dark wood than it was on light wood before.

Anonymous wrote:I’d do a dark glossy finish. Looks so rich.

Only go dark if you can keep it very, very clean. You will see every bit of dust, lint, etc.

I’d do a dark glossy finish. Looks so rich.

I would get engineered or prefinished. Sanding is a huge mess.

White oak is probably what you want. Try this website - they have a lot of close out sales

https://www.hursthardwoods.com/contractor-specials/unfinished-solid.html

And info on saving money here
https://www.lumberjackflooring.company/blog/whats-the-cheapest-type-of-real-hardwood-floors_ae15.html

What are some affordable hardwood floor options other than Red Oak, which seems too grainy?

How would white oak, European oak, maple, or such like compare?

Our budget is limited, so prestigious, expensive, or exotic options are a no-go for us.

We are looking at buying unfinished hardwood strips, to be stained. We are not looking at Bruce and not looking at engineered flooring (we do understand those are lower cost).

Thanks!