Advice Wanted: Wood Floor Stain
In a couple of weeks, we will be getting the hardwood floors in our new house finished. We had planned to wait for a while before doing this, but all the paint spots (from the previous owners!) and stains made the floors look constantly dirty. Also, we realized that completely moving in requires A LOT of unpacking and organizing, etc, etc and that when you get your floors redone you need to move everything back out! We immediately reversed our packing before it was too late.
After the floors are sanded down, we have to choose a stain for them. And here’s where I want your input – what should we do? I am inclined to stick as close to the original color as possible. I like to honor things like that and I enjoy the warmth of this shade. The rather classic color would withstand the test of time, I hope. The only thing that’s making me second guess myself is the fact that I don’t think I would ever choose this shade if I were doing new construction.
The floors pictured above are in the bedroom and are in the best condition of all the floors in the house. They are the best representation of what I would hope the floors would look like if we keep them the same stain. What do you think? Here are a couple other options that I think I might normally prefer, but I’m not sure if I do in this case.
We could go a bit darker like the floors above. I like the rich undertones in these floors. I get a bit nervous that if floors in this shade aren’t done right, they look cheap, flat, and monotone. Does that make any sense? I want to be sure that the different shades of the different boards still show through at this level of stain.
Or we could go reallllly dark. I love the floors above. They look so glamorous and chic! The contrast with the white walls is fantastic. Two problems with these floors come to mind. First of all, is the dark floors thing a trend? Would I still like these floors as much in 5 years? Second, everyone says dark floors are a pain in the you-know-what to keep clean. They show all the dirt and dust and crumbs. And, in case you’ve already forgotten, part of the reason we’re getting our floors refinished is because the spots on them are driving me nuts. They always look dirty. Perhaps super dark floors aren’t a good match for a girl who’s a bit obsessive about her cleaning?
Maybe we could go light? I love light, Scandinavian inspired floors. The ones above are in Kevin Sharkey’s home and were originally quite dark. After numerous coats of bleach and stain they ended up like this. If you click on the picture you can see the “before.” Again – are the classic enough? Do they fit with the style of our craftsman bungalow? Does it matter? Would it cost a lot more to do this? It seems significantly more labor intensive that just staining. Also, I’d be worried that the old stains on our floor would never lighten as much as the rest of the wood.
What do you think? Which shade would you choose/did you choose for your house? Any advice on colors that stand up to the test of time? That work well for neat freaks?
I really like the look of the 2nd pic with the darker stain, but I’m wondering if I’m drawn to it because of the wide planks with varying hues and textures? I grew up in a house with honey colored wood floors and I agree about their warmth…so…I don’t know what my advice is!!
I am a sucker for wide planks too!
I like the second pic the most too but I agree with Jessie’s comments. Can you test out a couple of different stains either on some scap wood or somewhere that isn’t as visible (like a closet) to see what you like? The floors will definitely get lighter after all that sanding so you should keep that in mind when you’re picking a color. My parents had the floors in our house refinished one year (we had honey colored floors too) and the difference was amazing! Having like-new, shiny floors will make you happy no matter what color!
Yes, I think we will test out a few different options. It just takes me so long to choose a paint color, even, and this is much, much more permanent!
Hmmmm I’m inclined to say stick with the classic honey But, the 2nd choice that’s a little richer could be a great compromise between the classic color and your natural preference.
I googled bungalow hardwood floors though and seems most are in the honey family. I think this version was my fave http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W2wvAkTr9Us/Tq3x4hUY-pI/AAAAAAAAAsc/O69NbptQjuE/s1600/Midtone+floors.jpg
Thanks Sara! I am kind of inclined to stick with what is most classically bungalow, so honey is sounding pretty good right now.
OK, I just ran across your blog. (Long story later if you want the back story as to why.) So I am wondering what you decided with your floors. I tried finding it on the blog somewhere but was unsuccessful, sorry. Pictures?
so glad you found us! I will have to post an update soon. I am a bit of a perfectionist and hate sharing things until they’re just so, but I’ll do it for you!