Q: I have natural cherry wood floors. Today I got them sanded and polyurethaned, and now the stairs that we’re previously done look darker than the floor.
Choosing a Stain Color
Q&A About choosing a stain color. We’ve done our best to answer these but recommended checking in with an interior designer or even Pinterest boards.
We have been told that a dark stain will show scratches
Q: We are considering having our natural (no stain) red oak flooring (3/4″ thick) refinished with a dark stain and 3 coats of premium oil urethane. We have been told that a dark stain will show scratches (from the dog), and marks far more than the current natural floor does, and that we will always be touching up the scratches (if that’s even possible to do.)
Staining to hide dark pet urine stains
Q: I am refinishing my 45 year old oak floors. When I removed the carpet there were 3 dark stains. I figure it is pet urine. Sanding is finished, but the stains are still visible. If I apply a darker (perhaps cherry oak) stain, will it hide the urine stains or will they just get darker?
Staining white oak floors dark
Q: ..what color of stain should you use for staining white oak floors dark? Such as an ebony color.
Dark grey floor stain
Q: We are looking at purchasing an engineered hardwood floor for our kitchen – maple / graphite dark grey floor stain. I was told by a someone that dark grey stains don’t wear as well as they don’t penetrate as deep as other “lighter” stains.
Molding and doors
Q: My husband and I are building a new house. We are putting hard wood floors in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms. We are putting in cherry color floors. Should I do the oak doors and all the molding in the same color?
Dark grain
Q: I just had my pre-finished red oak floor refinished with what should be the same color (gunstock) and 3 coats of oil-based poly. The wood grain is so much more noticeable than it was in pre-finished form, and I don’t like it as much. Will this difference fade some over time and will the ambering of the poly affect it?
Matching darker, older floors with bright new floors
Q: After sanding down our 50-yr. old hardwood, we put 3 coats of poly on them and they turned out great. However, we decided we wanted to put the same hardwood in our kitchen. So we bought unfinished white oak, sanded it after installing, and then put 1 coat of poly on. It does not match the colour of the old hardwood which is much more orange.
Stain too light and red
Q: I just had my hardwood floors redone professionally and the stain came out too light and too red (we did tests but for some reason the floor came out differently). Is there any way to darken the floors and/or get them to be a darker brown without totally redoing them?
Hardwood colours
Q: I love hardwood floors, yet I cannot find the color I’m looking for. I want a gray or black floor. Any suggestions on a different material or a manufacturer who distributes this?