A photo of the poly

I googled espresso mini wax on red oak and i liked the results. How much darker does the poly make it?

I don't know...the photo didn't load. Again, each polyurethane manufacturer has different results with stains. And each poly manufacturer has rules about how it is used over oil based stains or water based stains...etc, etc. etc.

And finding out if the stain was applied over a water popped wood or not...very different outcomes if the wood has been water popped. Lots of things to know BEFORE you chose your colour. And espresso is VERY dark....it can appear almost black in some situations.

The pic is on my feed. I’ll repost.

Here it is

I was wondering if there were pots of finish in that photo. Sorry but I can't read the pot. But my guess is Minwax oil based polyurethane.

Oil based turns ORANGE...even over espresso. That's why you REALLY have to have a coat over top. The orange + green/brown = different colour than a raw stain sample.

And to be clear, Minwax has very high VOC content which makes it illegal in 11 CARB complaint States (California state requirements). Oil based polyurethanes can STINK for 30+ days. People who have migraines or chemical sensitivities will suffer horribly during the time it takes to get rid of the smell. Most people (ahem...normal people without sensitivities) find they have to stay in a hotel for many more days/weeks than they had planned.

And then at the end of the day, Minwax is a DIY level product. I'm always suspicious of any 'professional' who uses a DIY level product and then charge professional rates for the work.

If I'm right, the Minwax finish is going to change the colour AND it will cause air quality issues.

Personally I would run as far away from the Minwax finish as possible. But that's me. I suffer from migraines due to odours and I HATE the orange tones the oil based products produce.

If I chose espresso green-toned brown (almost black) as my floor and found an orangey brown mess I would have a BIRD!

Please be aware of what you are walking into without a coat of the finish over top and if that finish is Minwax "nosebleed" VOC content stuff what it means to your health while it off-gasses.

Again, buyer beware.

You won't see much change with poly over Minwax espresso. It can still have a red hue under yellow lighting.

He laid our floors about 20 years ago and what I remember is the sanding. I’ll probably have to keep my 5 lbs dog at Mom’s.

G and S Floor, please tell u r teasing about the red hue. I use soft white lighting in living room.

I don’t think he uses an oil based poly.

Minwax espresso is a super dark brown. The brown contains red. Put oil poly on that and you will see a red hue.

" I don’t think he uses an oil based poly. "

OK. It is your home and your health.

I'm a former cork flooring professional who only worked with Loba water based products out of Europe. The oil based finishes are illegal in Europe and California.

I once had a professional (his term not mine) tell me he uses all water based finishes for the last 25 years. He HONESTLY thought that the OIL based finishes were water based because they were LIQUID. Right. He equated "liquid" with water so therefore all of his oil based finishes HAD to be water based....because they POURED LIKE WATER.

As you can imagine he RUINED 2500sf of glue down cork flooring. That was a $35K mistake that he had to correct.

Double check before you assume. Buyer beware.

Take a look at these older posts

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5274886/light-finish-no-red-for-red-oak-floors

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4190147/need-help-choosing-a-floor-stain-for-my-red-oak-floors

@kristinhallett - The espresso reads pretty dark to me, and looks a bit cold. What is the one directly to the left of it. Still dark, but with some warmth to pick up the warm tones in the fireplace. Don't mind the one on the bottom left either.

Try three parts grey and one part ebony mix.

@G & S Floor Service - OP doesn't like gray.

@kristinhallett - I was HU-978 above - don't know why it posted that way. To reiterate, the espresso reads pretty dark and a bit too cool for your space. I like the one directly to the left of the espresso. What is that color? I also think the bottom left one can work also. I never had the floor guys put poly over my samples. The poly will darker the floors a bit, so something to keep in mind. I used dark walnut with 10 percent ebony mixed in. I think I can finally upload a photo.

The grey will help darken the ebony. It will be ebony with grey hue.

If, your finisher has the skills. S/he can use sports paint to create a custom color. Paint will block out the red hue.

The deal is done. I hope and pray I like it. The 2 in the middle were my favorites. Espresso won out. Thanks for help and advice. I truly appreciate it. I’ll post pics when completed.

Design girl, your floors r beautiful. My floors r getting stained tomorrow. So u think the espresso is to dark. To me the one beside it looks the same. The bottom left is a blend which I like too.

@kristinhallett - I think the espresso may be a bit too dark when the poly goes on. It also reads on the cool side and the one to the left of it to me leans a little warmer. What is the name of color to the left of the espresso? I know you're staining the whole house. Are they going in the kitchen? If so, what color are the cabinets?

Yes, they stain is being applied in kitchen. Cabinets r sage green.

@kristinhallett - ok , so there will be a contrast with the cabinets which will be nice. Good luck.

@kristinhallett - They look great with the fireplace. I'm glad your happy.

Thank u, Design Girl. All doors will be painted same as walls but in semigloss.

That's a warm brown that has tone-on-tone compliment to your door trim. Very nice. What's the final stain choice? Is there poly on it?

SJ McCarthy, thank u. I like it too. It is the exact opposite of want I wanted but still very pleased with the results.

It’s a blend of walnut and provincial. Three coats of poly with a satin finish.

Very nice result Kristin. I did my floors jacobean, and love the darker finish. It's very grounding to the space. Yours compliments your fireplace and will look great with painted trim and doors.

I don't think it is completely different. It is deep, rich, classic and complimentary to what you already have (fireplace, doors, wood trim, etc). I know it does not match the MANTLE...which is the ONE THING in the space that is out of sync.

The floors will appear DARKER as you add furniture. They will give you the DRAMA of a dark floor without the HORRORS of a dark floor.

I think you will be VERY happy you went in this direction. The floor is completely in keeping with the house's style.

The floors look great. The trend has been for really light, grayed out wood floors, but they do not belong in every house style. A light colored oriental rug will look amazing on the darker floors.

SJ McCarthy, to me the mantel and floor go well together. It is stained walnut and the floors r walnut and something else which I can’t remember. In another post, I stated it was provincial but I might be mistaken. What is off about it.

@kristinhallett - I'm not sure I agree with SJ above. It's hard to tell in the photos (in some the mantle looks black), and perhaps that's what she was referring to. If it is indeed stained walnut, it should blend nicely.

Your floors have an orange-brown tone to them (some cool tones but many warm tones) whereas your mantle appears black (in the photos). Out of all of the wood trim, the mantle does not match the tones/colour of anything else (which I can see).

It is mini wax walnut. I conditioned the wood before staining. This might have darkened wood. But black goes with everything.

Yes...black often does...so long as the undertones are the same. Black is a combination of many tones. They are dark, but they are there. Some blacks are green based, others blue. Some are purple based. It all depends on how the light hits everything.

I'm going to guess the mantle was the reason why you wished a very deep (almost black) coloured floor.

What I wanted was a natural stain. In fact my steps were already cut and stained off site. But when Design Girl pointed out the pink undertones, I realized natural was not going to happen. Steps had to get refinished.

When they applied sample stains, the super dark really highlighted the grain beautifully. I changed my mind 4 times. I sent last text around 10:00pm. Mantel wasn’t deciding factor but I did and still do think they work together.

So the undertone doesn’t work for u

The painting does have purple

Now that I can see a photo with natural lighting and with all three elements in place, the floors work well with all three elements. All I was pointing out was the UNDERTONES of the floors and the mantle and the stone and the wood trim. So long as all work, you are good.

I’m glad u think so. I buy things haphazardly not thinking how they will relate to other items and I’m trying to fix it. I definitely have an eclectic outlook on decorating.

It’s gorgeous!!! Great choice.

Kristin, do what feels right for you. Eclectic is my way too, and somehow it all comes together because it's all a reflection of me. You do you! Mine are dark as well.

Your floors are beautiful.

Dawn Martinez, thank u. I’m trying to control my eclectic style.

I love your rug.

Thank u, Shady Willow Farm:)

Thank you. Embrace your style and enjoy the next steps of decorating in that beautiful space. Perhaps post a few pictures for us along the way.

Dawn, I will post pics. A Console table is in my future. I’m also looking at window coverings.

Keep it light. Dark shows every bit of dust. Also, little to no stain (I prefer non) shows the beautiful wood grain that gets rather lost with a stain. It has a multi-dimentional look that you don't get with a stain - stains rather "flatten" the look. If using no stain, with time it will darken a bit to more of a warm honey tone. That warmth is priceless! Dark stains are cold.

When I re-did my floors in my last home - a condo - the guy above me did the same. I did the no stain, he went with a "gun stock" stain. They must have had a surplus as it was a bit cheaper. He said to me afterwards that he wished he went with the one I got. And after my aunt got flooded in the Sandy storm she got the same floors I went with.

If you want the warmth of wood, stay away from stains, especially the dark colors!

(Note: I did the L/R floors before the kitchen reno. We used a dark stain on the boards separating the rooms/different direction of the wood. I thought it worked better than trying to match up ends of boards....

@Lynn G - You're a little late to the thread. OP did her floors dark and they look great. Your orangey color floors posted above would not have worked with her fireplace and kitchen cabinets, but work in your space.

@Design Girl - I guess they keep recycling these stories. Glad she found what she wanted

Nice

We use Sansin interior stains and created custom colours as well as from the colour chart. They are 0 VOC - so pleasant to use.