The Difference between American Walnut and European Oak

American Walnut and European Oak are two of the most popular flooring choices. Every day, people choose to put one of these hardwood flooring options in their homes. But when you’re choosing a type of hardwood flooring, how do you know which type is right for you? What are the differences between American Walnut flooring and European Oak flooring?

American Walnut flooring

American Walnut flooring ranges in color from a light honey to a dark, rich brown. This color variation depends on which part of the tree the wood was cut from. As you get closer to the center of the tree, the wood gets darker.

American Walnut can be a gorgeous dark flooring choice. The downside of this flooring choice is that it can make small rooms look smaller.

European Oak flooring

European Oak flooring naturally ranges in color from a golden to light brown, but has gray undertones. One of the things we love about European Oak (and specifically French Oak) is that it reacts wonderfully to stains. European and French Oak make it very easy to fully customize your flooring.

Since the Oak flooring can absorb stains well, your flooring can be any color you want. We love this aspect, since it lets you make sure your flooring is exactly what you want it to be.

The main differences

Durability

Walnut is rated at a 1010 on the Janka Hardness Scale. European Oak is a 1360 on the same scale. This means that Oak is more durable than Walnut and will stand up better against constant use and daily wear and tear. Walnut isn’t the best flooring choice for high-traffic areas of the home.

Oak, however, is an extremely strong and durable wood. This is a great choice for homes with families and pets since it can stand up to more activity. In general, we recommend European Oak flooring instead of American Walnut flooring since the Oak is more versatile and can adapt to any lifestyle.

Maintenance

We recommend regularly cleaning your hardwood floors, whether you choose American Walnut flooring or Oak flooring. If you choose an Oak engineered hardwood floor, we also recommend using a finish that will protect the floor from wear and tear. As always, it is important to use only products that won’t harm your floors. Make sure your products are safe before you use them.

Price

Walnut typically costs more than Oak. Since Oak is more readily available and Walnut is more rare, Oak is generally cheaper.

While both European Oak and American Walnut engineered hardwood flooring are more expensive than laminate flooring, but the upside is that engineered hardwood flooring will last longer and can be refinished.

Are you ready to purchase your engineered hardwood floor?

PurezaWood carries both American Walnut flooring and European Oak flooring. Make an appointment to stop by our showroom and see some samples! If you’d like to see examples of our flooring, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook pages for project photos.