Wood Wars, Week XIII: Red Oak vs. Red Cedar
November 30, 2010Welcome back, hardwood fans! This week’s installment of Wood Wars is sticking with the color theme but switching out pale yellows for vibrant reds. That’s right – it’s Red Oak vs. Western Red Cedar! Which of these rosy competitors will come out victorious? Stick around and find out!
Red Oak
Red Oak Flooring
Hardness: 1,290 pounds
Modulus of Rupture: 14,300 psi
Modulus of Elasticity: 1,850 1000 psi
Density: 780 KG/m3
Tangential Shrinkage: 8.6%
Radial Shrinkage: 4.0%
Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar Flooring
Hardness: 350 pounds
Modulus of Rupture: 7,500 psi
Modulus of Elasticity: 1,110 1000 psi
Density: 260 KG/m3
Tangential Shrinkage: 5.0%
Radial Shrinkage: 2.4%
Strength and Durability
It is rare to see a match so unevenly balanced, but here it is. Red Oak laid the proverbial smack down in this category, beating Red Cedar out by nearly 1,000 pounds! Red Oak flooring also hands it to Red Cedar in density, coming in at over 500 KG/m3 more than its opponent. Ouch!
Movement in Service
Well, well, well, look who came crawling back! Western Red Cedar wasn’t going to just fly the white flag quite yet. Both the modulus of rupture and elasticity are way lower than Red Oak, and the differential is smaller, too. Looks like Cedar isn’t going down without a fight!
Looks
Both Red Cedar flooring and Red Oak flooring feature warm, cozy tones and soft browns and yellows. The most noticeable difference between the two is their grain patterns. Cedar has a tight, fine grain that is sometimes too fine for its own good. Red Oak, on the other hand, has a consistent yet flowing grain pattern that is slightly more distinctive and eye-catching. On grain alone, we’re going with Red Oak for this round.
Conclusion
Whew – that was a close one! Looks like Red Oak squeaked out a narrow victory this time, but keep in mind that both oak flooring and cedar flooring are great options for interior projects. See you all next week, fans!
