12th And Oak Floor Co.
Distressed rift and quartered white oak floors with custom hardwax oil finish in Westlake Wendell NC, wire brushed and hand scraped
Installation

Distressed Rift & Quartered White Oak Installation, Westlake

Full demo of carpet, vinyl, luan, and existing 2.25" red oak throughout a Westlake home in Wendell. Replaced with 5" rift and quartered white oak installed with nail and glue assist over roll-on moisture barrier. Wire brushed with the Bona PowerDrive, hand scraped with custom bevels, and further distressed before water popping and a custom hardwax oil finish.

Location

Westlake, Wendell, NC

Service

Hardwood Floor Installation

Species

White Oak, 5" Rift & Quartered

Finish

Custom hardwax oil blend, buttery matte

Completed

2025

The Challenge

The homeowners wanted a floor with genuine character. Not a stain and a topcoat. Something that looked like it belonged in the house and had texture you could feel, not just see. Every room had a different existing floor: carpet in the living areas, vinyl over luan in the kitchen, and original 2.25" red oak in the foyer. All of it had to come out before a single new board went down. The floor also needed to perform at 5" width over a wood subfloor, which means the moisture and movement variables are amplified compared to a narrower plank.

What We Did

We demoed everything down to the subfloor and applied a roll-on moisture barrier across the entire field before installation began. The 5" rift and quartered white oak went down with a combination of nail and glue assist. Nail and glue together on a wide plank at this width eliminates the micro-movement that causes squeaks and edge-lift over time. Once the floor was down and acclimated, the character work began. The Bona PowerDrive with a wire brush head worked the surface to open the grain and pull texture out of every board. Each plank then received hand-scraped custom bevels. Additional distressing followed with various tools to further add to the character. Water popping before finish opened the grain one more time. The finish is a custom blend of hardwax oil products, applied to give the floor a buttery matte surface that feels as good as it looks. No plastic sheen. No build-up. Just the wood.

Before

Living room with carpet and kitchen with vinyl tile before white oak installation in Westlake Wendell NC
Carpet throughout the living areas, vinyl tile in the kitchen. Every surface had to come out before installation could begin.
Foyer with original 2.25 inch red oak hardwood and carpeted stairs before demo in Westlake Wendell NC
The foyer had original 2.25" red oak hardwood. The stairs had carpet. All of it came out as part of the demo to make way for one continuous floor.

During

5 inch rift and quartered white oak installation with glue assist and roll-on moisture barrier in Wendell NC Westlake
Roll-on moisture barrier down across the subfloor, adhesive spread in rows, 5" white oak going in with nail and glue assist. At this width, glue assist is not optional. It locks out the micro-movement that creates squeaks and edge-lift over time.
White oak hardwood installation spreading across living room in Westlake Wendell NC, adhesive and nailer visible
The floor spreading across the main level. Rift and quartered white oak shows its medullary ray fleck even raw. This cut is more dimensionally stable than flat sawn and handles wide plank widths without the same seasonal movement risk.
Bona PowerDrive planetary sander with wire brush head texturing white oak floors in Wendell NC
Bona PowerDrive running a wire brush head across the installed floor. The wire brush pulls fibers from the softer grain between the growth rings, adding depth and texture that cannot be faked with a pre-finished product.
Custom hardwax oil finish test panel on rift and quartered white oak showing raw versus finished in Wendell NC Westlake
Finish test panel on the actual floor before committing. The triangle shows raw wire-brushed white oak against the custom hardwax oil blend. Every finish decision on a custom job gets tested in the room under the actual light conditions.

After

Finished distressed rift and quartered white oak floors with custom hardwax oil blend in Westlake Wendell NC, wire brushed hand scraped detail near fireplace
The finished floor near the fireplace. Wire brushed texture, hand scraped bevels, and the custom hardwax oil blend. Matte, tactile, and showing the full ray fleck character that rift and quartered white oak produces.
Finished distressed white oak living room with furniture and natural light in Westlake Wendell NC
The living room finished and furnished. Natural light from the rear windows shows the texture across the full field of the floor. Wire brushing creates shadow that reads differently at every angle.
Custom flush mount hardwood floor vent in distressed white oak matching installed floor in Wendell NC Westlake
Custom flush-mount floor vent manufactured in-house to match the installed white oak. Same species, same finish, same distressing. Sits flush with zero visible fasteners.
Distressed rift and quartered white oak hardwood floor full field view in Westlake Wendell NC, dark custom hardwax oil finish
The full floor. Five inch rift and quartered white oak, wire brushed, hand scraped, and finished with a custom hardwax oil blend. No two boards read the same. That is the point.

Products Used on This Project

5" Rift & Quartered White OakRoll-on moisture barrierBona PowerDrive planetary sander (wire brush)Primatech cleat nailerCustom hardwax oil blend

Ready to Start Your Project?

Every project starts with a free in-home consultation. We come to you, assess the floor, and give you a written estimate before any work begins.

Get a Free EstimateCall (984) 217-1221
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