What kind of hardwood is in most Washington, DC row homes?

Most DC row homes built between roughly 1900 and 1940 have 2 1/4-inch strip red oak on the main level, often with a decorative border in the front parlor. Homes built before about 1910 frequently have heart pine, and higher-end blocks in Georgetown, Kalorama and Capitol Hill used white oak. Upper floors and back bedrooms sometimes have maple or a secondary softwood that was originally meant to be carpeted.

Can 100-year-old hardwood in a DC row home be refinished?

Usually yes. Original 3/4-inch solid strip flooring has roughly 1/4 inch of wear layer above the tongue, which is enough for several sandings. The limiting factors are how many times it has already been refinished, whether face-nail heads are exposed, and localized water damage near radiators, bathrooms and English basement stairs. A moisture reading and a sample cut at a floor register tell us quickly whether refinishing or partial replacement is the right call.

How do I tell red oak from white oak in an old DC floor?

Look at the end grain and color under the finish. Red oak has open, visible pores running along the grain and a pinkish cast; white oak's pores are plugged with tyloses, giving it a tighter appearance and a warm gray-brown tone. On a finished floor the easiest tell is sanding a small closet area — the difference is obvious once the old stain is off.

Common Hardwood Floors in DC Row Homes: Species, Widths & What's Under Yours

Pull up the carpet in almost any Washington, DC row home and there is hardwood underneath. What kind depends almost entirely on when the house was built and which block it sits on. After years sanding floors across the District, here is what we find most often — and what each species means for refinishing.

Original hardwood floors in a Washington DC row home

Sanding original strip oak flooring in a DC rowhouse

Hardwood repair and installation in a DC row home

Red oak strip — the default DC floor

Roughly two out of three row homes we work in have 2 1/4-inch solid red oak strip flooring, face-nailed or blind-nailed over pine subfloor. It was cheap, abundant and hard enough to survive a century of foot traffic. You'll see it in Petworth, Brookland, Columbia Heights and most of Capitol Hill. Red oak's open pores drink stain unevenly, which is why so many 1990s "dark walnut" refinishes look blotchy today. Our red oak vs. cherry oak comparison walks through the differences in detail.

White oak — the better blocks

Georgetown, Kalorama, Dupont and the larger Capitol Hill houses often used white oak, sometimes quartersawn with visible ray fleck. It is more stable in humidity and takes stain far more evenly, which is why it dominates new installs too. See our full white oak floors guide for stain colors and 2026 pricing.

Heart pine — pre-1910 houses

In the oldest row homes, wide old-growth heart pine shows up as both finish floor and subfloor. It's beautiful, dents easily, and is genuinely irreplaceable — worth saving whenever the boards are sound. Sand it lightly; it is much softer than oak and shows drum marks fast.

Maple and secondary woods upstairs

Back bedrooms, hallways and third floors were frequently laid in maple or a plainer softwood on the assumption they'd be carpeted forever. These floors are thinner, tighter-grained and often in rougher shape than the parlor level.

What actually decides refinish vs. replace

Species matters less than wear layer and moisture. Original 3/4-inch solid stock still has several sandings left unless a previous crew took it too far. The National Wood Flooring Association's installation and sanding guidelines are the standard we work to, and DC's humidity swings make moisture testing non-negotiable before any work starts. If your house sits in a historic district, review the DC Historic Preservation Office guidance before changing anything visible from the street.

Water damage near radiators, kitchens and English basement stairs is the usual reason we recommend patching before sanding — covered in our DC rowhome flooring and English basement guide. If someone floated vinyl over your originals, our LVP over hardwood guide explains what's recoverable.

Next steps

We handle hardwood refinishing, new hardwood installation, water-damaged floor repair and stair installation throughout the District. A free in-home visit gets you a species ID, a moisture reading and a straight answer on cost.