Comparing Red Oak vs. Maple Hardwood Floors

When it comes to hardwood floors, Red Oak and Maple will produce stunningly beautiful surfaces – but with significantly different personalities. From coloration to grain personality to the way they accept stain, these hardwoods are a picture of contrasts. When selecting Red Oak vs. Maple floors, it’s best to compare these two species side-by-side.

Red Oak vs. Maple: The Color of the Floorboards

With deep salmon-toned hues in the heartwood that darken with age, unfinished Red Oak flooring offers a rich color palette that brings warmth to any room. Maple floorboards offer a cleaner and lighter complexion. Its hues range from creamy blonde to amber and brown in the heartwood. It is possible to request White Maple which virtually eliminates the brown heartwood often seen in older Maple trees, or you can request Brown Maple which will contain a darker brown heartwood, in contrast to the light white sapwood along the edge.

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Personality in the Grain

While Red Oak has a tight but fairly prominent grain pattern, the grain in a Maple floorboard will be more subtle and consistent with the occasional swirl. This subdued grain personality allows Maple floorboards to have a more consistent and uniform appearance in large, open spaces.

Is maple harder than red oak?

On the whole, Maple makes for harder and more durable wood floors than Red Oak. With a Janka rating of 1450, Maple is one of the denser species of hardwoods and is ideal for high-traffic areas. Red Oak hardness is 1290 on the Janka scale but is the most widely used species for wood flooring so has proven its durability over generations of traffic.

Red Oak vs. Maple engineered floorboards

Red Oak and Maple floors can be installed with solid hardwood planks or engineered planks. There’s no real performance difference in Red Oak vs. Maple when it comes to engineered boards – both will have a highly stable core made of multiple layers of material that are glued together and top with a veneer of hardwood. Engineered floors are perfect for locations where higher levels of moisture and humidity are present – places like basements or other locations below grade. Engineered floors are also excellent options for kitchen hardwood flooring and for installation over concrete slabs and radiant heating systems.

Which wood accepts stain more easily?

Maple is notoriously difficult to stain. It’s less porous than Oak, which makes it harder for the stain to seep into the wood. The stain on a Maple board can often have a blotchy, uneven appearance as in the photo below.  It’s the main reason why most Maple floors are often treated with lighter stains or with a natural finish. Red Oak accepts stains quite easily and can be finished in a wide range of hues that complement the natural tones of the hardwood.

Which floor is easier to keep clean?

It’s fairly easy to maintain Red Oak and Maple floors.

• You can clean most dirt and dust away by sweeping or vacuuming.
• Mopping with a mild solution of water and vinegar can help to cut through any remaining grime or dirt.

Because of their lighter hues, Maple floors may be able to hide dust and dirt more easily than Red Oak floors that are finished with a darker stain.

What’s the cost of Red Oak vs. Maple?

While prices vary, at Carlisle Red Oak flooring is slightly less than Maple, though the actual cost depends on the grade of the wood, the length and width of the floorboards, and a variety of other factors.  With the increasing popularity and rising costs of White Oak, Red Oak or Maple are cost-effective options worth considering.

Deciding on Red Oak vs. Maple floors

Despite their many differences, the choice between Red Oak vs. Maple floors is not always an easy one. Red Oak is arguably the most common type of hardwood used for flooring. In part, it’s because this hardwood offers a nearly ideal balance of beauty, durability and affordability. Maple floors, on the other hand, offer a lighter and cleaner color palette with a more refined grain structure that exudes elegance.

At Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, our design consultants can walk you through the pros and cons of Red Oak vs. Maple flooring and help you explore other options as well. From new Birch or Hickory floors to distressed White Oak surfaces designed to look like vintage French Oak flooring, you’ll discover a wealth of options at Carlisle. Whether you’re looking for new ideas for living room, kitchen or bedroom flooring, or you’re interested in your choices for texture, pattern, color and finish, our consultants will help you design a floor that will perfectly reflect your sense of style and sophistication.