This is perhaps one of the most challenging parts of the process, and definitely one of the most important. A contractor can make or break a refinishing project, so finding the right contractor, at the right price, is key. Use online resources such as Angi, Yelp, and Google (reviews) to find a wood floor contractor that specializes in refinishing. There are many contractors that can rip out a floor and install a new one, but refinishing an existing floor is more of an artform, and experience matters.
Always get at least three quotes (more is better) and select a contractor that offers a fair price, and one that you get a good vibe from. Show them pictures and products of the look you want (from step 1 above) and make sure they understand what you want. The contractor we chose had many positive, recent reviews from previous customers (on Angie’s List), and they arrived on time to give their quote. They were also very responsive (via texts and calls) when I had questions about their quote or their services.
Unless i missed it in the article I didn’t see how you got the redo oak to look white. Did you bleach the floors with a particular agent? If the first photo is the finished product could you kindly elaborate on the process and selection of stains/sealants? That color is exactly what my wife and I are looking for.
Thank you and happy new year!
Thank you for the question! The Bona NordicSeal acts as a bleach – the more coats you put on, the lighter the floors become. No stains were used on these floors. The sealant we used is Bona HD Traffic and does not affect the color of the wood tone. Thanks!
I am selling my house, which was built in 1950. Almost the entire house has white oak flooring with oil base poly, which as you mentioned has yellowed in the sun after recently being refinished. Here’s the problem: we accidentally purchased red oak to replace the one room that had carpeting. When the contractor we hired separately came to install it, he noticed the wood was different but didn’t say anything. Now we want to refinish the red oak to get it as close as possible to the rest of the house. Sanding and applying oil base poly darkens the red oak, but you can tell the floors are different due to the red veins. Any ideas?
Hi Robin – Sorry to hear about this predicament. Honestly, you are probably not going to match white oak and red oak very well when they are placed side by side, especially with an oil finish on the white oak. I know it stinks, but the best option is to probably replace the red oak flooring with white oak. Also, the oil finish on the white oak will yellow as the months/years progress, so even if you match it initially, it will likely not match as the stain matures. The absolute best option here would be to replace the red oak with white oak and sand and refinish all the flooring, then apply a water based stain/finish. That will produce a consistent look and won’t yellow as the sun hits it. Good luck!
Hello! I love your floors! I am trying to achieve the same color in my home which has red oak floors. I was hoping you could answer a few questions…
Did you use a satin under the nordicseal?
or
Did you leave the floors natural after sanding and then added the two coats of nordic seal and 1 coat of bona HD traffic?
Thanks so much!
Thank you for the question! The Nordicseal is similar to a bleach – the more coats you put on the lighter it becomes. We did two coats of that directly on the raw wood (no stain). We then applied the Bona HD Traffic on top of that, and that’s it!
stain** not satin
Do you have any current pictures of your floor that you can share. Or have you notified the floor darken or yellow over time?
Thank you for the question! The floor color has remained consistent in the 2 years since we refinished them. Water-based products do not change color with exposure to sunlight, so these floors should remain pretty consistent for years to come. 🙂
Your floors look beautiful! Thank you for sharing your process. We just added Red Oak to our kitchen and Family Room and will be refinishing the existing floors on the first floor next week. Our contractor planned on using Bona DriFast Stain and I was planning on doing mixture of White/Natural to try to eliminate the pink and yellow tones. Did you try that before deciding to go with the NordicSeal? Sounds like your way may be the easiest way to get this beautiful natural look of white oak. What did you do with your existing banister on your staircase? Did you do this same process on your stairs? I’m considering using a gel stain on the banister and stairs in a gray/brown color, with white balitsters and risers. I would keep my stairs the light oak color, but am afraid the banister won’t match. Our house was built in 1993, so it definitely needs refinished. You ended up using the Satin topcoat, correct?
Hi Erin! We did not try the Bona DriFast stain, but we did try other white and gray stains (diluted with water). The problem with those was that it looked “beachy”, like we were whitewashing the floor. The NordicSeal is like a bleach, so it still keeps the wood feel, but removes the red tones. I highly recommend it! We did the same process on the banister and rails. And yes, we used Satin as the topcoat – the matte finish just showed too much dirt (always looked dirty) and we are extremely happy with the satin finish. Good luck with your project!
Thank you so much for this article It helped me so much in my decision making.
You are so welcome! Glad it helped you out!
we are in the process of putting new read oak hardwood floors due to water damage and sand & stain the rest of the floor which are already installed. we had darker ( antique brown) before and we would like to go with the same approach like you guys did ( bleach the read oak) and we would like to go for grey stain as well. Does this work ? Also we would like to paint walls. what type of paint and finish have you used on the walls
Thank you for the questions! I don’t know if that will work as we only did this approach on red oak and used the Bona NordicSeal and Bona HD Traffic. I suggest working with your flooring contractor to explore your options using this approach and the gray stain you mentioned. For our paint throughout our house, you can find the full list in this blog post: https://archedmanor.com/paint-for-the-arched-manor/ Thanks!
I’m so glad I can across your post! Now I know exactly what to tell our flooring contractor when we’re ready. 🙂 We want to pair the lightened red oak floor with a crisp white wall just like you did. What paint color did you use? Thanks!
Thanks for the comment! We used McCormick Super White for our walls and trim. Good luck with your project!
Hi – I see floor differences between old red oak floors having lines in between them due to them having grooves Vs. modern hardwood floors looks like flat surface, how deep did you sand them ? did you attempt to remove the grooves completely, if not possible – how will it look like after finishing, will the guests notice the floor difference between old and new ? Thanks for your comments
Thanks for the question! Our wood floors were installed 20 years ago, so in comparison to some of the older homes (100+ years, for example), the wood grain and tone match pretty well. We did not have to sand the new wood down too much to match the existing wood. Wood is a natural product and varies in look and tone depending on location, age, exposure to sun, humidity, etc. One thing to note is that our floors are sand-in-place planks, so they don’t have the gap between each plank, which may be the “grooves” you are referring to. The grooved flooring would be much harder to match and sand so that it looks consistent. But I recommend you talk to a local flooring expert in your area! 🙂
Hi – I admire the stairs and hand rail colors matching with the hardwood floor. Can you let me know the process you did to sand / refinish the stairs and hand rail. What type of paint or stain was used ? would be helpful to know – the brand name of stain / paint colors. Thanks
I am also wondering this, please. Thank you!
Just answered above! 🙂
We used the exact same products and application procedures for the stairs and handrails. Thanks!
Hi! I absolutely love your floors! I’m in the process of trying to find someone to do this to my red oak floors.
Contractors are all discouraging me telling me my floor will be pink. I absolutely want the look of your floors!
Is 1 coat of HD traffic enough? Thanks wish me luck!! 🙂
Thanks for the comment! I would suggest you have your contractors tape off a couple 3×3 areas on your floor and in the first square, use two coats of Bona NordicSeal. In the second, use three coats, and then compare the two. The more coats you put on, the lighter it gets. The Bona HD Traffic won’t change the color/tone, and one coat was OK for us. Hope that helps!