"blueman" wrote:

I am planning on building a built-in bench and paneling for our
small
entry hall which we use for putting on & taking off shoes and coats.

I plan to finish the bench and paneled walls (up to a height of
about
5 ft) with stain and poly.

This may sound like a stupid question... but I like the look of oak
paneling; however, as a newbie, I don't know the difference or
pros/cons of using Red vs. White Oak or Flat vs. Quarter Sawn for
the
paneling.

Any suggestions or is it just a matter of tast.

For an interior application, you could use either red or white.

Red should be less expensive.

To compare the difference between red and white, take a look at the
end of freshly cut pieces and you will see the red has open pores,
white does not.

Personally, I like white.

SFWIW, white oak treated with BLO/turps followed by a 50/50 cut of
bees wax/turps rubbed out has a fond spot for me.

Doesn't offer much water protection, but looks nice to me.

YMMV


Have fun.

Lew