Red Oak Prime Rift Sawn Lumber

Taking a consultative approach to best understand the needs and desires of our customers, we are committed to Delivering the Difference with our specialty lumber products. Please Contact your Sales or Specification Representative for a consultation to identify the best product for your application.

Historically found in church pews, restaurants, flooring and cabinetry, the distinctive and durable Red Oak is an architecturally foundational lumber. Red Oak is the ideal choice when strong appearance and tested durability is needed. It can be stained to mimic the appearance of White Oak or painted to match any design style. Prime Red Oak is the strong choice for doors, furniture, and mouldings. Prime Rift Red Oak is the ideal choice in applications where its straight, uniform grain with no fleck and stability are valued.

Why Rift Sawn Red Oak?

• Rift Sawing increases dimensional stability
• Accepts paint and stain well
• Reduced shrinkage and swelling
• Machines well, finishes and glues easily
• Prominent straight grain with little fleck

See the Red Oak Kauffman Center Case Study for inspiration on how to use Rift Red Oak Lumber.

Rift Sawn Lumber:

Rift Sawn Red Oak is produced by cutting the boards perpendicularly to the growth rings of the Rift Sawing creates a straight, narrow grain pattern without a prominent fleck. Rift Sawn expands and contracts across its thickness rather than width, creating a more naturally dimensionally stable product.

Lumber is a living product, responding to its environment as a tree does to its forest. Humidity, age, area and cut will slightly alter the appearance of the lumber product. The product images on this page are a sample of this species, not an exact depiction of the product you will receive.

Contact your Sales or Specifications Representative for more information on how to configure Red Oak for your project.

Prime Grade Lumber

Using the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) Grading standard, Prime Lumber is a premium grade. Developed for the European export market, Prime captures grades within the Select and Better and FAS 1 Face and better grades and ensures only the very best production, drying and packaging standards are used to meet the demands of that market.

Prime Rift Red Oak includes a range of boards with minimum yield of 83 1/3% clear-wood cuttings on the best face. It allows boards 4” and wider before kiln drying by 6’ long.

Please consult with your Sales or Specifications Representative to guarantee you receive the product that best meets your requirements.

Color/Appearance:

Rift Red Oak is straight grained, with a relatively coarse, uneven texture. Staining is easy due to its exceptionally porous quality. Beautiful medullary rays which define the Oak species are less pronounced in Red Oak but are still prominent. The Rift Cut minimizes fleck. With a natural finish of a light, medium brown and reddish-pink undertones, Red Oak can also be painted easily to achieve a different appearance. Wide variation in tone and texture does exist within different growing regions. To determine the best source region for your application, it is important to consider region (Northern, Appalachian, or Southern), mill, sort and specifications.

Workability:

Red Oak produces good results with hand and machine tools. It glues, stains, and finishes well and responds well to steam-bending. Rift Red Oak’s straight grain increases dimensional stability which makes it an ideal flooring, cabinetry and furniture material.

Sustainability:

Red Oak trees are native to North America and are widely dispersed throughout the East. In the United States, it is the most common hardwood species, representing 19% of standing hardwood timber. Harvest rates versus growth rates based on US Forest Service census data show that 47% more Red Oak is growing annually than is being harvested. Red Oak is a sustainably sourced and common lumber.

Visit our Knowledge Center for further information on the carbon impact of lumber.

We recognize the importance of ethically harvested lumber. As our most valuable resource, sustainably harvested forests increase the rate of carbon sequestration and significantly cut carbon emissions. Wood is a renewable and sustainable material for the built environment, requiring less energy than alternatives like concrete or steel. From harvesting to recycling, lumber is the most carbon-efficient choice for building materials. Wood is of the few elements that can increase sustainability in a building’s life cycle, reduce waste, and create positive biophilic health benefits. Increasingly, architects and designers are calling for a return to wood as the prominent basic building material.

As an early adopter of FSC®, we recognize the importance of sustainably harvested lumber. FSC® Certified lumber is available upon request. Contact your Sales or Specifications Representative for more information.

• Boat Interiors
• Drawer Boxes
• Kitchen Cabinets
• Kitchen Cabinet Doors
• Railings
• Window Frame
• Window Sills
• Vanity Cabinets
• Vanity Cabinet Doors
• Wall Paneling
• Passage Doors
• Closets
• Garage Storage
• Interior Millwork
• Treads
• Risers
• Residential Indoor Furniture
• Commercial Indoor Furniture
• Floors