Comments from June 12, 2026.

Residential flooring manufacturers are trying to sell 2¼” and 3¼” Sel&Btr White Oak and end the steep concessions that have been required to keep volumes moving at a steady pace. In an overall market that has lagged expectations, attempts to accomplish these tasks invoke the idiom of “knowing when to say when.”

Sel&Btr White Oak flooring typically has the best profit margin of any grade and species combinations. Accordingly, flooring plants are eager to make more if demand supports the additional output. So far in 2026, White Oak lumber has been readily available at competitive prices, helping plants maintain or feel comfortable with profit margins even as Sel&Btr White Oak flooring prices have been falling. The listings have declined more than 20 cents in each producing region and for each width.

Some manufacturers are following that game plan while simultaneously acknowledging that, at some point, discounting becomes unsustainable because raw material prices eventually rise. One manufacturer says its inventories of 2¼” and 3¼” Sel&Btr White Oak are slowly shrinking. If this trend of inventory reduction continues at that plant, the pace of price concessions will slow or disappear. Other producers will likely follow that trend.

Reported information warrants further reductions to most of the listings and range figures for Sel&Btr White Oak flooring this week. Flooring plants are also offering concessions for 3¼” No. 1Com Red Oak; declines in both listings and the high-end range number align with comments that it is the only slow-moving Red Oak item. In contrast, data lift most range numbers for Sel&Btr Red Oak, which continues to move well. The 2¼” Sel&Btr Appalachian Red Oak listing also advances, as do the Southern listing and the low-end range figure for 3¼” No. 1Com White Oak. Demand for No. 1Com and No. 2Com White Oak is reportedly strong in each width, while 4” and 5” White Oak flooring reportedly moves easily at decent prices.

Looking ahead, some elements necessary for maintaining or increasing business will likely soften. School is out, the summer vacation season is starting, consumer spending will likely shift toward outdoor seasonal activities and away from interior home remodeling projects, including new hardwood flooring.