Best known of all the American hardwoods, it was the prime building material in the earliest Colonial days. It was, and is, a fine choice for furniture, domestic flooring and interior millwork. Red oak is available as veneer, but is especially abundant in the full range of grades and sizes of lumber. In an upper medium price range, it is an excellent value. This is because it is nearly as beautiful, strong and useful as white oak but is far more available and considerably more affordable.
Red oak is extremely versatile.
It is appropriate for all tastes of interior finish work and all styles of furniture, from traditional to modern. It bears repeating that northern red oak is the primary hardwood flooring milled today. A historic grove of northern red oaks still stands in Manassas, Virginia on the site of the two Battles of Bull Run. They were young trees during the Civil War years of 1861 - 1865. They survive as witnesses to the clash of armies which opened the War Between the States on Sunday morning, July 21, 1861.