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Refinish oak floors or install new hickory???

10 years ago

We refinished our 1967 oak floors last summer w minwax stain and oil based poly, throughout the house except kitchen and family room. The smell lingered for 6 months and i got headaches and nausea for months too. Unfortunately, now the floors are peeling and bubbling!!!
We are embarking on a kitchen and FAmily room remodel and I love the look of hickory flooring! We are struggling now with weather to put down unfinished oak and sand and refinish all the oak on the 1st floor (LR,DR,foyer)or to rip out the oak and put in solid 2 1/4 hickory instead. The cost of both options would be similar.
If we refinish, we would go with the water based commercial grade Bona Traffic poly. It is much more expensive than the oil, but it has lower odor and VOC's.
My biggest reservation with putting down new hickory and ripping out the oak is that it may not lay as flat as the oak currently in place does. The house was built in 1967 and there has been some minor settling. So, the floors are not completely flat in the foyer. Over time the oak has settled along with the house and conformed to its shape. Not sure how the hickory would react to this?
Any opinions as to whether we should replace with hickory or just match and refinish? Any feedback is appreciated!!!

Comment (1)

glennsfc
10 years ago
You could find a contractor who will adjust your floor so that the new product will lay flat. Yes...this may cost $$ to do, but if a flat result is what you want?...

Why anyone in this day and age would choose outdated and old technology oil based polyurethane is beyond me. Now I can understand a DIYer going to a big box home improvement store and selecting polyurethane off the shelf...but some professionals still use the stuff and it makes no sense at all, except for the fact that it usually is the 'cheapest' floor finishing material available...so they can make a bit more money per job.
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Hi, It really depends on whether your existing floor can be refinished. If so, it's easily the better option. I have seen 3/8" or 5/16" t&g floors that can withstand one refinishing. Since it's almost 40 years old, it's a valid question whether it's already been sanded. A floor pro should be able to tell by looking. Look in a corner or at a doorway to see if there's a sign it's been sanded. You can also pull of a piece of baseboard or shoemold to see the edge. You probably would only recoup a percentage of the amount spent to replace the floor and that's assuming that buyers like what you pick. What does the $3.50 per square foot price include? Stain? What type of surface finish? Are they using dust pickup machinery? The stair refinishing price sounds high. Are the treads open on either end or do they butt into walls or skirt boards on both sides? Is there a cove mold to replace or refinish? We just finished refinishing an Oak stair stained to match a Mahogany floor so the stair and floor don't necessarily have to match.
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