I'm need some help identifying the wood species in my home. It's a 1949 Denver home, I'm pretty sure it's oak, but cannot tell if it's white or red. I know for sure I see zero knots in it. It has an orange color from old poly. What is the best way to ID the wood?

You could show us a picture. It's not a perfect solution and it can be tricky especially looking at web pictures.

Hi Redpoint,

This is not going to probably be the most ideal way to tell but you can always use Sodium Nitrite. When applied to White Oak, Sodium Nitrite will turn White Oak a dark green to black color after about 10 minutes. Red Oak will not turn. Sapwood will also not turn so you need to watch out for that as well. Below is an example.



This is what happened after 30 minutes. ( I had to go back to the office for a little while )

You can buy Sodium Nitrite in a 5% aqueous solution from grainger for around $40