Did you know you can change the color of your hardwood floors when you refinish them? You can go lighter or darker and add red tones to any color in between and the good news is that it doesn’t really matter if you’re going light to dark or vice versa. Floors can be sanded and refinished many times unless they are older and have been worn down to the tongue and groove, but this generally takes generations. So, the good news is that your floors can be refinished. The possibilities for the new color you want may be limited by the type of wood your floors are made of. Lighter materials like oak, pine and maple give you more room to work with when choosing a new color and darker hardwoods like walnut and mahogany will be more limited. If you have engineered hardwood, you may or may not be able to refinish the hardwood. It will all depend on how thick the top layer of the hardwood is.
What to Expect when Refinishing Hardwood Floors
The existing finish will need to be removed with floor sanding equipment. This involves sanding off the bulk of the floor with a drum sander and then sanding the edges with a flooring edger. If the existing stain isn’t too thick and comes off easily there are oscillating flooring sanders that are less aggressive in the process. When the old stain has been removed a new one can be wiped on or the boards can be left unstained. Two to three coats of oil or water-based clear finish are applied to finish the job.
1. Sanding hardwood floors. Typically sanded three times and each time finer grits are used. This will ensure that the wood is smooth, will accept the stain better and provide long lasting results. This process will have the wood looking like new, raw hardwood.
2. Add stain to hardwood floors. Test 3-4 different colors. This is an important step because every floor is different based on the species, grade and age of wood. Remember that wood is a natural product and there will be color variations. This means that the wood will accept the stain differently, so testing on one piece or going off a stain chip is irrelevant. You need to look at it on your floor and test it on several boards before making your final choice. Testing will not damage the floor or wear them down in any way.
3. Apply polyurethane to hardwood. Applying 2-3 coats will help smooth the floors and it comes in different sheens; matte, satin, semi-gloss or glossy. Satin finishes are popular because they tend to minimize the appearance of scratches. The glossier you go, the more the light reflects and shows dents and imperfections.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing & More in Charles Town & Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley & Jefferson Counties in WV | Winchester & Frederick County | Round Hill & Loudoun County | Berryville & Clarke County | Herndon & Fairfax County VA
Staining hardwood floors can be difficult, finicky work, with results that can be unpredictable. There are dozens of variables that can make the staining process go wrong and when it goes bad you’ll need to start all over again! It’s best to hire professionals. For hardwood flooring installation or for refinishing processes, contact Mike’s Custom Flooring. We use a dustless sanding process too that minimizes dust levels.
