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Rift and Quartered vs. Plainsawn White Oak: Which Cut Is Right for Your Floor?
Updated: 4 days ago
The same white oak tree, cut three ways, gives three very different floors.
Planning a project? Talk with Joe Avila: call 908-232-6600 or book a virtual consultation.
The same white oak log can give you three very different floors depending on how it is sawn. Here is how plainsawn, riftsawn and quartersawn boards compare.
The Short Answer
Choose plainsawn white oak if you love lively, natural grain and want the most value. Choose rift and quartered if you want a calm, straight-grained, modern look and a floor that moves less from season to season. It is the same species either way. Only the cut changes.
How the Three Cuts Are Made
Plainsawn (also called flatsawn): the log is sliced in parallel cuts. Most boards have growth rings running roughly flat to the face, which shows as arching cathedral patterns.
Riftsawn: boards are cut so the growth rings meet the face at a steep angle, roughly 30 to 60 degrees. The grain is tight, straight and even, with very little fleck.
Quartersawn: the log is first cut into quarters and then sawn so the rings meet the face at close to a right angle. The grain is straight, and white oak shows its ray fleck.
Flooring is often sold as rift and quartered, a mix of both straight-grain cuts. You get a linear look with some fleck here and there.
Side by Side
Plainsawn | Rift and quartered | |
Grain look | Cathedrals and waves | Straight and linear |
Ray fleck | Rare | Some, from quartersawn boards |
Seasonal movement in width | More | Less |
Yield from the log | Highest | Lower, more waste |
Cost | Lower | Higher |
Style | Traditional, rustic, warm | Modern, tailored, calm |
Specifying floors for a client or your own home? Book a virtual consultation with Joe Avila.
Stability: Why the Cut Matters in New Jersey and New York
East Coast homes go from humid summers to dry, heated winters. Wood swells and shrinks with those changes, and it moves about twice as much along the growth rings as across them. A plainsawn board's width runs along the rings, so it moves more. A rift or quartersawn board's width runs across them, so it moves less. That means smaller seasonal gaps in winter and less risk of cupping in summer.
Stability matters most with wide planks. If you are planning boards wider than about 6 inches, read our wide plank flooring buying guide and consider rift and quartered or engineered construction.
Stain and Finish
Straight-grained boards take stain more evenly, so rift and quartered floors look uniform in greys, naturals and dark tones. Plainsawn cathedrals show more contrast under stain, which many people love in a warm, traditional room. In quartersawn boards the fleck can take stain a little differently from the surrounding wood. Always test your finish on your actual boards before committing.
Patterns and Cut
Cut also affects pattern floors. Plainsawn grain adds movement to a herringbone or chevron, while straight grain makes the pattern itself the star. Our plainsawn white oak chevron shows how lively plainsawn grain looks in a pattern. Not sure which pattern you want? See herringbone vs. chevron.
Have a question about your own floor? Joe Avila can walk you through it.
Our Rift and Quartered White Oak
Our 4 inch rift and quartered white oak is solid 3/4 inch tongue and groove, Select and Better grade, milled from Appalachian white oak (Quercus alba) grown in the northern United States. Moisture content is kept between 6.5% and 8.5%, and widths and profiles are held to within .005 inch. Most flooring ships in 2 to 3 weeks, and specialty orders in 4 to 6 weeks. Call for other grades and widths.
How to Choose
Pick rift and quartered for a clean, modern look, wide boards, or rooms with big humidity swings.
Pick plainsawn for natural character, a traditional or rustic style, or a tighter budget.
Still deciding on species? Compare white oak, red oak and walnut.
Quick Answers
What is the difference between rift and quartered and plainsawn white oak?
It is the angle the board is cut from the log. Plainsawn boards are sliced flat across the log and show wavy cathedral grain. Riftsawn and quartersawn boards are cut across the growth rings, so they show straight, linear grain.
Is rift and quartered white oak more stable?
Yes. Wood shrinks and swells more along its growth rings than across them, so boards cut across the rings move less in width with seasonal humidity changes. That makes rift and quartered a good choice for wide planks and homes with big humidity swings.
Why does rift and quartered white oak cost more?
Cutting across the growth rings gets fewer usable boards from each log and creates more waste, so the price per board is higher than plainsawn.
What is the fleck in quartersawn white oak?
White oak has rays that run out from the center of the log. When a board is cut close to the rays, they show on the face as shimmering flakes, called ray fleck. Riftsawn boards show little or none.
Talk to a Wood Flooring Specialist
Not sure which option fits your project? Call 908-232-6600 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern), visit our showroom at 406B West Broad Street in Westfield, New Jersey, or book a virtual consultation. We work with homeowners, architects and designers across New Jersey, New York City and the East Coast, and serve clients nationwide.
Call 908-232-6600, email joe@hugginsflooring.com or book a virtual consultation. Explore our sanding and finishing, eco-friendly finishes and floor care services.
About The Author
Joe Avila has 26 years in the wood flooring trade. He is an NWFA-certified wood flooring inspector, installer and sander, and for more than a decade he has taught accredited continuing-education programs for AIA, ASID and IDCEC audiences, training thousands of architects and design professionals in how to specify wood flooring correctly.
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