If you are pricing red oak hardwood flooring in Toronto and your ceiling is $7 per sq ft, three brands are competing for the same 4 1/4" wide, 3/4" thick plank: Appalachian, Lauzon and MKB. Our solid hardwood collection holds 19 red oak products across the three, priced from $5.39 to $9.99 per sq ft, and only one of them (Lauzon Authentik Nostalgia at $9.99) sits above that $7 line. This page goes product by product through grade labels, finishes, colour names, box sizes and install methods, then shows what whole-box buying does to the material bill for your room size.
Quick answer: which solid red oak gives you more for under $7?
None of the three wins outright, because the price per sq ft ties across brands at both ends of the range. What separates them is colour, grade label, box size and install method. This is how the price bands fall:
- $5.39 per sq ft: Appalachian Natural (Excel grade) and Lauzon Essential Limes.
- $5.50 to $5.99: Appalachian Walnut (Advantage grade) at $5.50 and Appalachian Safari (Prestige grade) at $5.99.
- $6.99 per sq ft: nine Appalachian colours, Lauzon Exclusive Vela and all four MKB Character grade colours.
- $9.99 per sq ft: Lauzon Authentik Nostalgia, the one wire brushed board in the set and the one above $7.
If you have already settled on a colour, order that board and use the box math further down to check the total. If colour is still open, the decision rules near the end of this page narrow the field quickly.
Solid red oak by brand: box price, coverage and price per sq ft
We divide each box price by the square feet in the box to get a figure you can compare across brands. Products that share a price are grouped, so the nine Appalachian colours at $6.99 form one row and the four MKB colours form another.
| Product | Box price | Grade or series | Coverage per box | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Natural | $101.87 | Excel | 18.9 sq ft | $5.39 |
| Appalachian Walnut | $103.95 | Advantage | 18.9 sq ft | $5.50 |
| Appalachian Safari | $113.21 | Prestige | 18.9 sq ft | $5.99 |
| Appalachian Treebark and eight other colours | $132.11 | Prestige (Excel on Amaretto) | 18.9 sq ft | $6.99 |
| Lauzon Essential Limes | $91.63 | Essential series | 17.0 sq ft | $5.39 |
| Lauzon Exclusive Vela | $118.83 | Exclusive series | 17.0 sq ft | $6.99 |
| Lauzon Authentik Nostalgia | $169.83 | Authentik series | 17.0 sq ft | $9.99 |
| MKB Epicea and three other colours | $118.83 | Character | 17.0 sq ft | $6.99 |
Prices checked October 4, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue.
Read the coverage column before you compare box prices. Appalachian boxes hold 18.9 sq ft while Lauzon and MKB boxes hold 17.0 sq ft, so the $132.11 Appalachian box and the $118.83 Lauzon or MKB box both land on $6.99 per sq ft once rounded to the cent. A box price on its own would make Appalachian look $13.28 dearer than it is.
Grades and series: what each brand's labels tell you
Each brand names its boards in its own way, so a grade from one cannot be lined up neatly against a label from another. Think of it like shirt sizes from three different stores: useful inside one brand, unreliable across them.
Appalachian: Prestige, Excel and Advantage
Our Appalachian red oak listings use three grade names: Prestige on nine colours, Excel on two and Advantage on one. Grade does not track price in a straight line. Excel appears at $5.39 (Natural) and again at $6.99 (Amaretto), and Prestige appears at $5.99 (Safari) and at $6.99 (the other eight colours). The listings do not explain those gaps, so ask us before assuming a lower price means a plainer board.
Appalachian's own grade sheet puts it this way: "The choice of grade is, in fact, a matter of appearance." For solid red oak, its Prestige sheet lists mineral streaks, nuanced coloration and pin knots, while the Excel sheet lists character marks, colour variation, micro cracks, mineral streaks, pin knots and small filled knots. That is the manufacturer's description of what each grade accepts, and it is the description to compare a physical board against.
Lauzon: Essential, Exclusive and Authentik
Lauzon red oak carries a series name in the product title rather than a grade. Essential (Limes) is $5.39, Exclusive (Vela) is $6.99 and Authentik (Nostalgia) is $9.99, steps of $1.60 and then $3.00 per sq ft. The listings do not print a grade, so we do not rank these series against Prestige or Excel. Authentik is also the only red oak here with a stated texture, wire brushed.
MKB: Character grade in four colours
MKB sells its red oak as Character grade in Epicea, Madero, Earl Grey and Graphite. All four are $6.99 per sq ft in 17.0 sq ft boxes, so the choice is purely about colour and the look of the grain. Character is an appearance label, and our character grade vs select grade explainer walks through what to expect from it in a room.
Finish, plank size and install method side by side
On the specs we publish, the three brands are close. Every board is 3/4" thick and 4 1/4" wide, with MKB's width printed in its titles rather than a separate spec field. The differences show up in finish wording and how each listing says the floor goes down.
| Brand | Thickness | Width | Finish named in listing | Install method listed | Origin in product title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian | 3/4" | 4 1/4" | Semi gloss | Nail-down | Not printed |
| Lauzon | 3/4" | 4 1/4" | Wire brushed on Authentik only | Nail-down | Made in Canada |
| MKB | 3/4" | 4¼" | Not named | Nail-down or staple-down | Made in Canada |
Three practical points follow from that table:
- Finish is only partly spelled out. Appalachian names its sheen in every title, and only Authentik names a texture. For the rest, ask us about finish before you order, because the photos are sample boards that show colour and grain, not sheen.
- MKB is the only listing that mentions staple-down. Appalachian and Lauzon list nail-down alone. Your installer will know which method suits your subfloor, so settle that before you choose a brand.
- Origin wording differs. Lauzon and MKB titles print Made in Canada. Appalachian titles print no origin, so this page makes no origin claim for that brand.
Same $6.99, different box: what 200 to 800 sq ft costs in material
Because the boxes differ in size, two floors at the same price per sq ft can need a different number of boxes. Here is the formula we use for the material line, with every input visible so you can repeat it:
- Add 5% waste. Waste-adjusted area = room area × 1.05.
- Count whole boxes. Boxes = waste-adjusted area ÷ sq ft per box, rounded up.
- Price the boxes. Material = boxes × box price, before HST.
The table compares Appalachian Treebark (18.9 sq ft boxes at $132.11) with Lauzon Exclusive Vela or any MKB colour (17.0 sq ft boxes at $118.83). The room sizes are examples, not recommendations.
| Room area | After 5% waste | Appalachian at $6.99 | Lauzon or MKB at $6.99 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 sq ft | 210 sq ft | 12 boxes, $1,585.32 | 13 boxes, $1,544.79 | Lauzon or MKB $40.53 less |
| 300 sq ft | 315 sq ft | 17 boxes, $2,245.87 | 19 boxes, $2,257.77 | Appalachian $11.90 less |
| 500 sq ft | 525 sq ft | 28 boxes, $3,699.08 | 31 boxes, $3,683.73 | Lauzon or MKB $15.35 less |
| 800 sq ft | 840 sq ft | 45 boxes, $5,944.95 | 50 boxes, $5,941.50 | Lauzon or MKB $3.45 less |
Whichever brand is ahead changes with the room, and the gap ranges from $3.45 to $40.53. A similar pattern shows up at $5.39: for 500 sq ft, Appalachian Natural needs 28 boxes for $2,852.36 and Lauzon Limes needs 31 boxes for $2,840.53, a difference of $11.83. Colour should still lead the decision, but run your own measurements before you commit.
These figures cover boards only. Installation, removal, trim and delivery are separate lines that depend on your home, and our hardwood flooring price guide shows how those pieces add up.
Colour names: 12 from Appalachian, 3 from Lauzon, 4 from MKB
Appalachian's red oak colours are Natural, Walnut, Safari, Amaretto, Auburn, Gunstock, Honey, Jasper, Latte, Medici, Sable and Treebark. Lauzon offers Limes, Vela and Nostalgia, and MKB offers Epicea, Madero, Earl Grey and Graphite. Among the four photos on this page, Treebark is the deepest brown, Epicea a warmer amber-brown, Limes a muted grey-beige and Vela the lightest.
Screens change colour, and a sample board is a small piece of a floor, so treat the photos as a shortlist tool. If you are matching an existing floor or a cabinet tone, bring the details to us before you order. For a wider look at what those two brands offer beyond red oak, our Appalachian and Lauzon overview is the place to start, and the two-brand Lauzon and Appalachian comparison covers how those lines differ as brands.
A four-step way to shortlist from the 19 boards
- Start with tone. Use the photos to pick two or three colours, whatever the brand. Cabinets, trim and furniture will tell you more about which tones work than any price table.
- Check the label that comes with each colour. Appalachian gives you a grade, Lauzon a series and MKB a Character grade. Judge the grain and the marks on a physical board rather than relying on the name alone.
- Run the box math for your room. Use the formula above with your own measurements. Where two colours tie on price per sq ft, the box count can decide it.
- Confirm the install method. Match the listing's method (nail-down for Appalachian and Lauzon, nail-down or staple-down for MKB) to your subfloor with your installer, then ask us to quote the boxes together with the labour.
Which brand fits which project?
- Budget of $5.39 to $5.99: choose between Appalachian Natural, Walnut or Safari and Lauzon Limes. Pick on colour, then check the box count for your room.
- Most colour choice at $6.99: Appalachian offers nine colours at this price, MKB four and Lauzon one.
- Need staple-down as an option: MKB is the only listing that states it.
- Want Made in Canada printed on the product title: Lauzon and MKB.
- Want a wire brushed texture: Lauzon Authentik Nostalgia, at $9.99 per sq ft, is the one option in this set and sits above $7.
- Small room near 200 sq ft: in the table above, Lauzon or MKB came out $40.53 lower; near 300 sq ft the result reversed.
Solid red oak FAQ
Which solid red oak brand is the better buy between $5 and $7 per sq ft?
That depends on the colour you want, because prices tie at $5.39 and at $6.99 across brands. Once the colour is fixed, compare box counts for your own room size. The gap between brands in our examples ran from $3.45 to $40.53 on material.
Do you carry Appalachian Gunstock red oak, and what does it cost?
Yes. Appalachian Gunstock is a Prestige grade, semi gloss board at $6.99 per sq ft, sold in boxes of 18.9 sq ft at $132.11. It is the only red oak in this comparison with Gunstock in the name.
Is there a white washed red oak under $7?
None of the 19 red oak listings is named as a white washed colour. Vela is the lightest of the four photos on this page, and Natural and Limes are the two entry-price colours. If a white washed look is the goal, send us a photo of what you have in mind so we can tell you what fits.
Are Lauzon, MKB and Appalachian red oak floors made in Canada?
The Lauzon and MKB product titles both say Made in Canada. Appalachian listings carry no origin line, so we cannot confirm one here.
Can solid red oak be stapled down instead of nailed?
The MKB listings state nail-down or staple-down. The Appalachian and Lauzon listings state nail-down only. Ask your installer which suits your subfloor before you choose.
How many boxes of solid red oak does a 500 sq ft room need?
Add 5% for waste to reach 525 sq ft, then divide by the box coverage and round up. That gives 28 boxes of the 18.9 sq ft Appalachian size or 31 boxes of the 17.0 sq ft Lauzon and MKB size.
Get a red oak flooring quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room measurements and the colour you are leaning toward, and we will price the boxes for your floor plan. You can request a quote online and we will follow up with installation and removal as separate lines.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819