All About Hardwood Floors

Stained red oak
Price: about $3.30 per sq. ft.
Highlight: It's the most common wood-strip flooring in American homes.

White ash
Price: about $5.60 per sq. ft.
Highlight: This blond wood has a prominent grain pattern.

Black cherry
Price: about $4.90 per sq. ft.
Highlight: Under a clear finish, its natural cinnamon tint darkens with age.

Heart pine
Price: about $4 per sq. ft.
Highlight: Rusty-hued and knotty, it's been in Southern homes since colonial times.