Week 3: One Room Challange - White Oak Floors Are In

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Into the 3rd week, I’m happy to report that our new floors are in! Since not much else happened this week, this post will be dedicated to details about our new European white oak floors. Read on to learn about our decision process.

Why did we select engineered hardwood floors?

• It’s slightly more affordable than solid hardwood
• It’s note fake wood – it’s a thin layer of your our selected species of solid hardwood on top and then layers of plywood underneath
• It’s less prone to natural movement due to weather, temperature and humidity changes because of how it’s manufactured with all the tight layers of construction
• You can still get 1 or 2 refinishes out of it if you want to correct damage or update the stain
• It can last 20 – 30 yrs with proper maintenance

What floors did we select?

We selected engineered European white oak 7 1/2″ wide planks in Champagne from Allwood.

According to Allwood, “Champagne is a lightly charactered European Oak, engineered, hardwood flooring with a subtle finish. The “ghost” finish gives the floor a neutral color that compliments the clean, sharp lines.”

Why did we select European White Oak?

I admit that white oak is super trendy because it can easily take on a lighter stain to create a beigy greyish undertone, which is the look that’s so hot right now. It also has long and straight grains – giving it a clean and modern look.

But I honestly believe that it’s also a very timeless and classic wood that will never go out of style. It’s light look creates airiness and brightness, making a space look more expansive. It also can match any decor or style so if I decide to change my furniture or design in the future, I can feel safe that I don’t need to change my floors to match the new style.

In addition, lighter floors show less dings, scratches and dirt than dark floors, so functionality wise – it’s perfect.

Look how beautiful the white oak floors look in these different kitchens:

Once I decided on white oak, I needed to select the actual engineered wood plank. I looked at so many options and ended up with these final four (samples below). My original natural maple floors are on the bottom as reference.

Although I loved my maple floors, they had a lot of variation – both in color (yellow to pink to orange to brown) and grain. For my new design, I was looking for more uniformity and consistency.

See the difference between maple and white oak:

So for this remodel, I was looking for something a little bit darker, less varied and more seamless between the planks.

Although our kitchen is still a work in progress, at least the floors are in! I love the soft vibe of these floors and how they support the kitchen in a subtle way – even though there’s debris, dust, and scraps everywhere!

Hang on for next week when we hope to get the rest of our island and our stone (countertops, backsplash) installed!

Let’s recap what’s happened so far:

• Design of new kitchen
• Sourced and purchased materials including quartz, sinks, faucets, hardware
• Selected paint colors
• Confirmed and coordinated with all contractors to optimize remodeling schedule (I will share my project plan with you at the end)
• Demo demo demo
• Built and installed base cabinets and drawers
• Prepped electrical for new LED lighting
• Added plumbing for new prep sink/faucet
• Install new European oak floors and baseboards

What’s next:

• Install new countertops, backsplash
• Create new hood design
• Install new shelving
• Install new LED lighting
• Install new butcher block countertop and cabinets
• Install new sinks/faucets
• Install new hardware
• Paint cabinets
• Install appliances
• Final cleaning

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | The Reveal