European Oak in Bel Air, CA
Posted on
4/20/2022
A temperate hardwood, it has deep roots and favors heavy, wet soils and full sunlight at lower to moderate altitudes. It grows to 65 - 130' in height with trunks that are generally 15 - 30" in diameter. European oaks typically grow fairly rapidly for the first 80 - 120 years.
European White Oak (Quercus robur) is indigenous to much of Europe including places like France, Germany, Finland, Ukraine and Romania. Quercus is the Latin family name for all oaks; robur means robust and describes the strength of this species of wood.
A temperate hardwood, it has deep roots and favors heavy, wet soils and full sunlight at lower to moderate altitudes. It grows to 65 - 130' in height with trunks that are generally 15 - 30" in diameter. European oaks typically grow fairly rapidly for the first 80 - 120 years. After that, their growth gradually slows down. Along the way, the tree develops from a slim sapling with smooth bark to a deeply fissured, rough-barked tree of exceptional girth. Decline begins setting in after around three centuries or so. This slow maturation results in a fine, tight grain revered for wine barrels and flooring. European White Oak is a particularly heavy and strong wood. The fact that it is so hard makes a lovely and durable wood floor. It also does not expand or contract a lot in reaction to weather conditions. Because it has fairly thin sap timber (.4 - 1.5"), it provides especially long and wide boards.
This species of oak measures approximately 1360 on the Janka hardness rating which describes a wood's relative hardness when compared to other types of wood. European White Oak generally has a tighter grain, smaller growth rings, and more uniform shade than American White Oak (Quercus alba). It varies in color from light brown to a rich, dark brown. Perhaps most often, it's a warm honey color.
It reacts especially well to different finishing methods, including fuming. Fuming is the process of exposing wood to ammonia gas in a sealed chamber. This process demands a timber, like European White Oak, that is high in tannins. Fumed European White Oak produces a rich, deep color comparable to walnut.
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