If you think that everything will be easy once you have decided to choose oak doors for your home or office fixtures, then better think again. With 295 types of oaks the world over, deciding on which specific type of oak to use for your doors can be a challenging job not to mention a frustrating one. However, you can always get a good advice from your local construction shop when it comes to choosing the best type of oak.
Majority of the hardwood that the United States produces is oak wood. These oaks have different characteristics depending on the type of soil and weather where these oaks were grown. If you want the toughest oaks then choose those that came from humid but occasionally flooded lands. If you want oaks with fine grain, then choose those that are grown from lands that are well-drained
What is oak wood?
When you think of hard timber, among the first types that come to mind is of course oak wood. This is probably why oak doors are a favourite among those who want sturdy doors that can last for a lifetime. Aside from doors, oaks are also the preferred wood type for ships, musical instruments, mouldings, vehicles and even for gates.
Those in the woodworking industry know that when it comes to oak doors, there are only two choices: American oak wood and European oak wood. Each one has proven to be attractive for people all over the world as a choice material for their doors. But which of these two general types of oak wood is ideal as a door material?
American Oak
The American oak wood is mostly grown in North America and is made available commercially as White Oak or Red Oak. When you see oak doors that have larger growth rings and grains then chances are they are made of American Oak. Choosing a specific American Oak wood can be tricky because there are many variations of this type of oak wood, resulting to different colours and textures for the wood. If you must choose between these two types of American Oak woods for your door material, then opt for the closed-grained White Oak as it is not easily penetrated by water compared to the open-grained Red oak which can easily shrink. It is also easier to work with when it comes to the use of screws, nails and machines. Choosing a specific White Oak variety can be frustrating too as it has eight commercial species but it is more similar to the looks and colour of the European Oak.
European oak
The darker European Oak is highly in demand not only for oak doors but also for wooden shops and churches. European Oaks are known for their strength, stability, overall quality and availability especially in Europe. When choosing oak wood for external doors, nothing beats the European Oak wood. This type of wood is harder although there are species that are difficult to work with. For best results, choose the Austrian or Slavonian species.