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Espresso finish on red oak

3 years ago

I searched and read all threads on floor stains so wanted to share my finished floors. We wanted a dark brown that wasnt cold and still showed some grain. We also have 2 kids and a dog so didnt want to go too dark. We waffled back and forth between Jacobean, espresso, special walnut. I also went back and forth between satin and semi-gloss. I decided on espresso and we finished it with Bona traffic semigloss. I am so so happy we did semigloss and didnt listen to the flooring guy who said semi gloss looks like a bowling alley lol. Its the perfect amount of shine without being too glossy. We are also very pleased with how it hides dirt and dog hair, even with a yellow lab. Im shocked by how much dirt shows with our vacuum light that isnt seen in normal light! Anyhow hope this helps someone in the future !

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Comments (3)

Aglitter
3 years ago
Thanks for sharing! Looks beautiful.
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
Semi-gloss is an excellent option for people looking for a bit more glow. It looks 'clean' to many people (a lot of people believe shiny = CLEAN). When the floors are missing this glow, people feel upset. They fell their floors are lifeless and dull. And this leads to 'over-cleaning' (people try to achieve the shiny-clean look as often as possible). All of this reduces the life of a floor. And yes, someone's enjoyment of their floor is part of the 'life span'. If you hate your floor you are more likely to refinish it SOONER than is technically necessary.

So glad you love your floor. I've always said a medium-dark floor can offer the DRAMA of a dark floor without looking like a black hole. Your floor has visual impact without disturbing your cleaning schedule. That's a win-win to me!
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Then you will need to stain them and for that IMO you get a pro to the job and that pro will show you some samples . I find with red oak when you start playing with stains the red becomes a pink undertone unless you go very dark I would see what it looks like with just a clear finish fiirst since wood darkens a bit when wet .
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In my region , Satin is the dominating sheen. AT is AT, the performance will be the same regardless of the sheen. It's Loba's top of the line finish. You will be able to sleep at night. The shinier the sheen the easier to clean (wet mop). Semi-gloss seems suitable for your home, since you mentioned you do not have a lot of direct lighting and windows. The extra shine will provide a lot of bounce lighting to help brighten up the space. There is a glare factor to consider. If, you are not a fan, go with satin. The image you last posted looks like a matte. Do you like the sheen in the image?
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Oil base is available in satin, semi and high gloss. Where as water base is available in wood look, extra matte, satin and semigloss. The added film build with oil base gives it more depth to the shine. If, the floor is properly sanded and prepped. The wood will shine, even at very low gloss like extra matte.
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I am trying to match existing red oak hardwood floor. It is 2 1/4" wide, beveled, finished with Bona. So, it looks natural and has flat finish. I like to extend into an adjecant room but trying to avoid the full custom, sanding, etc process. Does anyone know of a source of such floor?
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Euro Design
5 months ago
last modified: 5 months ago
Thanks for sharing! Love the color.

Considering oil based Duraseal Espresso for our red oak floors which we are having professionally refinished. Other potential colors are Dark Walnut. The contractor will sand and apply a few stain colors to small floor areas for us to choose from. We were thinking of going with a satin finish.

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