Home / Wood guide / Red Oak
Wood 6 of 21
Red Oak
The classic American oak: warm, sturdy and budget-friendly, with bold grain and a slight pink tone.
Color over time
Approximate, in a normally lit room. Illustrated grain; real boards vary.
- Hardness
- 1,220 HardHigher number means harder to dent. About the Janka test
- Weight
- Medium-heavy
- Cost of the wood
- $Budget-friendly, per board foot
- Grows in
- Northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada
What it looks like
Light to medium brown with a slight pink tint. Bold grain: big arches on most boards, small flecks on some. The grain is open, so you can see and feel tiny pores.
How it changes over time
Warms over a few years: the pink tint turns more amber-brown, faster in sunny rooms.
Shimmer
Little. Some boards have flecks that catch the light.
Smell
Almost none. Freshly cut oak can have a tangy wood smell, and it fades.
With a natural wax finish
Honest and natural: matte, pinkish-tan, with grain you can feel.
With a semi-gloss lacquer finish
Lacquer gives it more shine, but otherwise it looks about the same as a wax and mineral-oil finish.
Safe for food?
Looks great with
- American Black Walnut: pink-tan against brown; a steady contrast
- Cherry: warm on warm; cherry gets darker over time
- Wenge: a dark frame that holds its color
- Hard Maple: a contrast in texture more than color
- Peruvian Walnut: a dark partner for a light top
Not the best match
- White Oak: the pink and olive tones clash more as they age