Malverne, NY on May 23, 2012

I have oak wood floors in my home. We wamt to refinished and stained. What finish would you recommend for a rich brown?

I want darker, but not the darkest, and I want it to have a sheen like it has been hand rubbed with layers of wax . Any suggestions on stain and should I use satin instead of semigloss? I also have a dog.

Like Clip

my floors at the bottom of my staircase as they are now, natural with a semigloss finish done many years ago.

11 Comments

Leslie D Las Vegas, NV

It's really a personal preference. Semi-gloss will scratch and show those scratches more easily, especially on a darker floor, but if you like the sheen, go for it. It holds up well enough and if you don't mind a slightly "lived in" look on the floors after a year or two of traffic, the scratches probably won't bother you. Consider the amount of traffic and with a dog, you will get more scratching. A glossy finish will also become the center of attention in the room and reflection ...»
off of the floor from sunlight, etc., could become distracting. Basically, the more matte the finish, the easier to maintain and the better it hides dust, footprints, etc., but if you're a great housekeeper and you prefer the glossy finish, it will probably work great for you. We want to see pictures when you're done!

on May 23, 2012 · Like 1
Rebecca R

Stain is not going to work on the dog. You'll have to use dog hair dye. :)

on May 23, 2012 · Like 1
Melissa K Blythewood, SC

Perfect color is on Fido's rear left leg...

on May 23, 2012 · Like 2
Melissa K Blythewood, SC

Perfect trim is on the foot

on May 23, 2012 · Like 2
Elissa C Malverne, NY

So funny!

on May 24, 2012 · Like 0
KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

Gloss finishes are more durable than semi or satin...but they also look worse quicker. One common practice is to use gloss for the first two coats and then "top coat" with satin. This will provide the extra durability of the gloss with out comprising the "look".
As far as stains go I have always been a fan of minwax's "golden oak" on red oak. Keep in mind that changing stain color requires a complete and through sanding to remove 100% of the previous ...»
finish and any underlying stain.
An advantage to keeping things "natural" is that a screen and recoat can be done without the more aggressive sanding.
On a final note I prefer to use oil based poly over any water based product. I tends to bring out more depth in the wood.
Take a look at some before and afters in this project..
http://www.hometalk.com/Kevin/project/2473
This was a white oak installation (with a owner applied water based finish) that was less than a year old...it had not held up well at all.
For a comparison of other floor finishes check out this article I wrote.
http://www.networx.com/article/exotic-wood-f...

on May 24, 2012 · Like 1
Elissa C Malverne, NY

Thank you KMS Woodworks. The only reason I am thinking of staining the floors is that I know the floors have to be sanded anyway, and I want a fresh new look. I know that very dark floors won't hold up well, and show dirt quicker. After all these years it would be nice to have a change. Thank you for all your great information.

on May 24, 2012 · Like 0
Kelly F Freeport, PA

You can use a dark stain- like walnut- but just put it on is small increments and wipe on/wipe off immediately. It gives a darker look that is nicer than say oak stain- but will not be so dark as walnut generally is. This is not hard to do- just take patience and time and a lot of old T-shirts. After the sanding is finished use the tack cloth to clean up saw dust- then get walnut stain and wipe on/wipe off. It gives a nice look- and I also have dogs- lots of big dogs. :)

on May 29, 2012 · Like 1
Jeanette S Atlanta, GA

Keep in mind that dark stain will show scratches more than will a light color. Dark is popular, but the natural color of oak is timeless. As for finish, dust will not show as much on satin finish. It is the dust that collects beneath and around furniture that drives you crazy!!!!

on May 30, 2012 · Like 0
KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

With a "sanding" and then "staining" project your floor sanding needs to be perfect if you use a darker colored stain. Natural oak is far less likely to show sanding swirls than a "dark" stain. Any good floor refinisher knows this...its the not so great floor finishers that leave these type of mistakes.

on May 30, 2012 · Like 1
Elissa C Malverne, NY

Thank you all for all your helpful comments. I will post photos when I get the floors done.

on Jun 12, 2012 · Like 0