White Oak

Q: I’d like to put in White Oak throughout 3 bedrooms, a dining room, a hall and foyer. What would that cost, in Toronto? I want HARD wood that’s dog friendly.

If something cheaper is actually better, that would be nice.

A: White oak is fairly pricey. Especially quarter sawn, which is more than $5.00 sq. ft. (in Toronto) + labour, delivery, etc. It is slightly harder than red oak. It’s real advantage is that it doesn’t expand/contract from side to side, so you should expect little to no gapping. Flat sawn red oak offers decent hardness with a heavy grain pattern that tends to hide dog scratches. Hickory is quite hard, but I don’t have a current price on it.