White Oak is an excellent choice of flooring material for people who are searching for a hardwood floor that is not only beautiful, but incredibly durable too. White oak, which has a botanical name of Quercus Alba, has a numerical hardness value of 1360 on the Janka Hardness Chart. This Janka Hardness Rating for White Oak is slightly harder than that of its near-relative, Red Oak. Often times people choose White Oak vs Red Oak simply because White Oak is harder, when in reality, White Oak has some other qualities to consider when comparing with Red Oak.
Not only is White Oak harder than Red Oak flooring, it is also more dense (yes, density and hardness are different), meaning it is less likely than Red Oak to dent or be gouged. Also, White Oak flooring is more dimensionally stable than Red Oak, meaning it will expand and contract (move) less during seasonal changes and changes in RH (relative humidity). White Oak is also a better choice than Red Oak for applications where you will be staining the floors any shade of brown, since Red Oak tends to cast a reddish hue altering the color of brown stain colors.
