Red Oak is a generic name for a number of oak species that have a reddish or salmon color. It is an open grained wood, which means that stain will readily be absorbed into the open pores and create a distinctly visible grain pattern. Red Oak is hard, durable and quite resilient and has a wide variety of applications in furniture and cabinetry. We get our red oak lumber from the Appalachian Mountains area due to the lack of mineral streaking from the soil it grows in, and its shorter growing season, which gives a slightly tighter grain pattern and more stability. Red oak will expand and contract and be generally less stable than many other hardwoods due to its open grain and ability to absorb humidity from the air around it. It will often expand during days of high humidity and contract when the weather dries a bit.