Oak floors are absolutely gorgeous, even if they do cost both arms and a kneecap. Houses are designed to hold 40 pounds per square foot of everything from furnishings to people to the puppy. Commercial properties are generally concrete.
Most boxes of hardwood planks, at 22 square feet per box, weigh 60 pounds. You need more than one box to floor a room or room, so the boxes can’t be stored inside the house. You could always trot up and down stairs to get another box from the basement.
That Sounds Heavy. What Other Alternatives Are Available That Might Not Weigh So Much?
Alternatively, there are other types of oak flooring such as vinyl, laminate, engineered flooring, and tile made to look like wood. There is also a difference between actual wood planks and the layers of processed hardwood flooring. Let’s take a look at the myriad ways oak hardwood flooring can be made and how much it weighs.
1. Laminate Is By Far The Most Versatile And Affordable Flooring Type, Making It The Most Popular
Laminate is impossible to scratch (don’t tell the puppy,) waterproof, and heated laminate floors are an option. They’re pretty, the grain looks like real wood (cherry, mahogany, oak, pine, and maple,) easy to install, a snap to keep clean, and the most popular of flooring options. One box of laminate oak flooring planks is six planks that weigh 28 pounds.
2. Vinyl Flooring Is Much Like Laminate In Its Benefits And Choices, Isn’t It?
It is. It’s made from multiple polymers, durable, waterproof, puppy-proof, and stain-resistant. Vinyl is great for high-traffic areas, it’s great for wet rooms like bathrooms, the kitchen, the basement, and the laundry room. You can peel and press vinyl down or use the tongue and groove method, and the wear layer is designed to, well, wear well.
Keep an eye on that, though, because every few years, vinyl floors need to be refinished to repair or replace the wear layer.
Vinyl comes in either planks or tiles. Boxes contain 16 planks and weigh 52 pounds. Boxes of 20 tiles per box weigh between 30 and 35 pounds.
3. You Expect Tile To Look Ceramic, But Nowadays It Can Look Like An Exotic Stone Such As Marble. It’s Always Amazed Me That Tile Can Be Made To Look Like Hardwood
Tile floors are a staple in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, and basements. They’re durable and take less maintenance than other forms of flooring. Called porcelain tile, it can look like any kind of flooring you wish, from granite and marble to oak, pine, or cherry wood.
Its non-porous nature makes it water resistant. It’s also the most expensive of tile floors.
A box of 18 square feet of porcelain tiles, 18 to the box, weighs 67.8 pounds.
4. I Understand That Bamboo Is Being Made Into Everything These Days. How About Bamboo Flooring?
Bamboo is a sustainable material in that it takes just days to grow bamboo. It takes years to grow a tree. Bamboo is just as hard as wood, although treating it to make the grain look darker makes a softer material. The finished product has a soft golden color without the grain you find in wood.
Bamboo is hypoallergenic and water-resistant, although it does become damaged when wet. Bamboo gets scratched easier than wood does. Humidity affects both bamboo and wood floors. Both are cleaned easily with a broom and a damp mop. Boxes of 20 to 30 square feet of planking weigh between 50 to 90 pounds.
5. I’ve Always Thought Of Wood Floors As Solid Wood. Is There A Difference Between Solid Wood And Hardwood Flooring?
There is. Solid wood is a plank cut from a tree. It can be sanded and refinished as many times as homeowners wish. You can see the grain plainly on solid woods like oak, walnut, maple, and cherry. You have to nail the wood plank to the subfloor.
Solid wood planks come in various sizes and weights when you factor in how much moisture the planks can hold. Planks are measured in square feet, so a box of planks will contain 20 square feet and should weigh between 56 and 76 pounds.
Hardwood flooring is actually engineered flooring. The reality is that engineered hardwood planks have a plywood base, layers of polymers, and a thin veneer of actual wood on top. Engineered hardwood floors are either glued to the subfloor or laid with the tongue and groove method.
Engineered hardwood can’t be refinished as much as solid wood, but it will last upwards of 40 years without too much trouble. Twenty-two square feet of hardwood planks weigh 60 pounds.
How Much Does Oak Flooring Weigh FAQs
How Much Does One Square Foot Of Oak Flooring Weigh?
Oak flooring weighs 3.6 pounds per board foot.
How Many Feet Are In A Box Of Hardwood Flooring?
Oak flooring is usually sold by the box and contains 20 square feet.
Is Oak Dense?
Oak is one of the densest of hardwoods, along with cherry and maple.
Why Is Oak So Heavy?
When wood is green or unseasoned, it holds more water. Oak is heavier than other solid woods because of this.
Is Oak The Hardest Wood?
No. According to the Janka scale of hardness, hickory holds that rank. Oak comes in third at a hardness of 1,290.
Is Oak Water-Resistant?
White oak is. It might not be completely foolproof, but it does make for a better flooring option.
Does Oak Warp?
Considering the early days of boatbuilding, oak was used the most due to its water resistance. It didn’t warp then, and floors using oak won’t warp now.
What Are Oak’s Properties?
Oak makes excellent furniture and flooring because it resists water damage, pests, and requires little maintenance. It’s hard wearing and lasts the life of the house.
How Much Does Oak Shrink As It Dries?
That depends on the humidity level in the rooms with oak flooring. Generally, red oak shrinks by 12 percent. White oak is quite dense, so expect about 16 percent shrinkage.
Do The Seasons Affect Oak Expansion And Contraction?
It’s perfectly normal for solid wood floors to expand in summer with the moisture in humidity. They will contract in winter due to the lack of humidity. There might be a slight gap between the boards, but not to worry, this is normal and no cause for alarm.
