Yes, you read this title correctly and are not seeing a misprint. You can purchase unfinished #3 grade common red oak or white oak hardwood flooring for only 99 cents a square foot. This is a great buy for those who are under a tight budget, but still desire real hardwood flooring in their home.
Check out all our current specials on hardwood flooring for your home NOW!
If you thought that you could not afford hardwood flooring for your home, you thought wrong. This flooring will require a little bit more work because it will need to be sanded down and sealed.
If you are going for a rustic or eclectic look in your home design, 99 cent flooring is a viable option for you.
Red and White Oak Characteristics
As domestic hardwoods with more than 200 subspecies found in North America, both red and white oak are popular choices for hardwood flooring in homes today. Red oak alone accounts for 50% of all hardwood floors in the United States.
What makes oak so popular is its workability with tools and its ease with sanding and staining. It is often a choice for those who seek a more expensive type of wood but can accomplish the same look through applying a wood stain or varnish.
Because of its grain and porous nature, red oak takes a stain very well. While white oak can also be stained, due to the tannins in the wood, it is not advisable to use wood bleach or water-based stain. This is because it will cause the wood to discolor to a greenish or brownish look.
The natural color of red oak is a slightly reddish tone without a drastic difference between the heartwood and sapwood of the species. As it ages, it takes on a golden tone. White oak shows more defined color between the heartwood and sapwood sections. The heartwood appears as a light brown with somewhat of a pink or light gray tint, while the sapwood presents anywhere from a whitish to cream color.
The variations in coloring in the heartwood and sapwood of each variety are influenced by the age of the tree and the environmental conditions under which it grew.
Since the heartwood is the older part of the tree it is often darker in appearance and stronger which helps it to become resistant to disease and rot.
Red oak is considered a benchmark for Janka rating, which is a measurement system for floor hardness. It comes in with a rating of 1290 for wood from trees grown in the northern area of the United States and 1060 for trees grown in the southern region. Flooring that originates from white oak trees weighs in with a Janka rating of 1210. It is suggested that the growing seasons play a part in the hardness of woods, but as you can see, the variation is not major between the two types of flooring.
It is important to note that when choosing a hardwood floor, the Janka rating should be taken into consideration, but only as a comparison and not a final determinant. Due to the nature of wood, no matter the hardness, wood can still be scratched or dented. This rating system was devised to determine how much force is required per square inch to force a steel ball with a diameter of 0.44″ into a piece of wood.
What Flooring Grades Mean
No matter the grade of hardwood flooring, the structural integrity of the wood remains the same. The wood grade refers to the appearance of the flooring itself when it comes to grain, amount of sapwood and heartwood mingled together, or knots and other imperfections that might be present.
According to the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association, which has been in existence since 1909, there are set standards for the grading of unfinished oak floorboards. Their grading system is also used for flooring made from maple, birch, and ash. The wood is sorted by characteristics such as color, knots, cracks or checking, insect damage, and or mineral streaks.
For hardwood oak flooring, there are five commonly used grades:
Clear Grade- Select Grade
- #1 Common Grade
- #2 Common Grade
- #3 Common Grade
The best grade for oak flooring is the clear grade, as the color of the wood is consistent with no variation in the grain. This, of course, would be the most expensive of all the red oak flooring. This flooring is often used for athletic or dance floors for its beauty, in addition to its durability, as is inherent with oak hardwood.
As you travel down through the grades, you will find a greater variance of colors and imperfections, but these in no way change the structural integrity or durability of the flooring. This 99 cent red and white oak flooring is rated as #3 common grade, which is often referred to as rustic grade. This means that you will see a greater variety in the coloring due to the comingling of the sapwood and heartwood.
You may see many closed or open knots. Other imperfections that may exist are streaks from minerals that were absorbed through the roots of the tree while it was growing. Additionally, you may see wormholes or bug holes that occurred during the tree’s growth.
Rest assured that the flooring does not contain insects, however, since they could never survive the drying process during the manufacturing of the flooring. The holes do add even more character to the hardwood.
Prep Work Involved
After laying this floor, whether you do it yourself or have a professional install it, it will need to be sanded and sealed in order to finish the job. Any imperfections such as cracks or open knots should be filled with an appropriate wood filler as recommended by the manufacturer.
You can then simply seal the floor with a polyurethane finish. Alternatively, you may choose to apply a stain, but keep in mind because of the extreme variations in color, you may prefer to stick with just a clear coat of polyurethane.
Where to Install
This type of flooring is great for use in home designs that call for a rustic look with minimal effort. Rooms such as family rooms that see a lot of foot traffic would do well with this type of flooring, as minor scratches or dents will be not be easily detected with regular care and maintenance.
If you are seeking a traditional or country look to your home, this flooring with its rustic appearance will serve you well in living areas, bedrooms, and dens.
As with all hardwoods, it is not recommended in areas that are more prone to moisture exposure such as bathrooms, utility rooms, or the kitchen.
Care and Maintenance
Many people are hesitant to install hardwood flooring in their homes because they are afraid of the work involved with taking care of it. When you look at what is required to take care of a wood floor, it is really not that different from other types. The number one thing to watch out for is water and moisture with wood floors because of the damage it can cause.
Your oak flooring will require regular sweeping to pick up any dirt, sand, or dust that may be present. A weekly vacuuming with a vacuum without a beater bar attachment will remove any debris that accumulates between the floorboards. An occasional damp mopping or cleaning with the manufacturer-recommended cleaning product is all you need to keep your floors looking great.
A few strategically placed mats around high-traffic areas such as hallways and entranceways will help protect your flooring from tracked-in debris or water. Little things such as making sure your pet’s nails are kept trimmed will not only protect your floors, but will also improve your pet’s wellbeing.
How to Order
You can easily order #3 Common Red Oak or White Oak flooring from our website, at the sale price of 99 cents per square foot. This flooring comes in seven-foot bundles of various lengths of 3/4″ thick, 2 1/4″ width solid oak hardwood. You can choose to order wider floorboards for a small upcharge. For more information, you can conveniently chat online with one of our customer service representatives.
These floorboards are of tongue-and-groove construction that should be installed with either nails or staples. Due to the nature of this grade of flooring and hardwoods themselves, it is advised that you order at least 30% extra of material to avoid running short during your installation. This rule of thumb is important to follow because the minimum order for this flooring is 18 cartons or 351 square feet.
Even though you will need to pay for shipping for this flooring, with a low price of 99 cents per square foot, you will still see a great savings. To sweeten this deal even further, be sure to purchase any transitions such as thresholds or reducers or underlayment materials when you order your flooring. Doing so will give you free shipping on these products, which will save you even more money and ensure you are purchasing the matching materials.
You may have thought before that you could not afford hardwood flooring for your home. Now you know that you have affordable options available, such as our special 99-cent pricing deal on #3 Common Red or White Oak flooring.
Come check out all the special deals that are available for hardwood flooring right HERE!
