Maple Flooring Stain?
Hi Everyone. First time posting and want to thank everyone in advance for their thoughts.
We just bought a home and are refinishing the maple flooring and gutting the kitchen and bathrooms.
Our GC recommended we sand the maple floors down and stain them "Duraseal Silvered Grey" to get the natural palette that we are trying to achieve. I'm nervous because I know that Maple is finicky. Can anyone help weigh in on the following:
(1) Is it possible to stain maple floors to get the look we want to achieve? Photos are attached -- photo of the floors with kitchen is our actual home as it exists prior to any work being done. Photos of the floors without kitchen is the flooring color we are trying to achieve. I realize that our floors are diagonal and a different wood than in the target floor picture.
(2) If it is possible to stain maple, are there any tips/tricks you could share (e.g., don't use water-based stain, etc.)?
(3) Will the maple yellow if we have a light stain?
(4) Any other words of caution about working with maple? (e.g., maple gets blotchy when x happens)
We wish we could replace the floors entirely but, unfortunately, that is not in our budget.
Current flooring with prior owner's furniture. Note: we are gutting the kitchen.
Flooring color we are trying to achieve:
Comments (13)
kempek01
3 years agoMaple is extremely difficult to stain. This is obviously not a DIY project (since you mentioned a GC). This is probably not a GC project. It will require an experienced floor refinishing professional.
I am not a fan of gray wood.. Got over that about 3 years ago
However, the picture of silvered gray on Duraseal's website (pasted below) looks different from your inspiration picture, and doesn't seem that gray to me. So you will want to see a sample in your space with your lighting the way it is going to be. That's the only way you will know if you like it or not. Silvered Gray is so subtle I might consider no stain at all. No stain = no blotchiness = no worries. You will still have to deal with maple's ability to change color over time....
camillelu thanked kempek01Related Discussions
Maple Floor Nightmare
Comments (4)Thank you! Is Nano Shield by Parks the same thing? Did you mean "aniline" dyes? Which of those two work better? Were you able to stain the maple without blotchiness? Thanks again!...See MoreGranite counter top color help
Comments (7)Hi. I'm getting a new granite countertop myself--it will be installed on Tuesday! So I have been doing lots and lots of looking at granite-- both in person (went to lots of warehouses) and in magazines. The trend is definitely toward lighter stone countertops, judging by what I see in the the magazines. (Carrera marble is also getting more popular in those designer kitchens, for some inexplicable reason. Marble is not practical in a kitchen, so many people are trying to imitate that look with certain granites, like white river. ) This trend toward lighter granite was verified by several granite sales people at the warehouses and fabricators I spoke with. Of course, this may be a regional thing. I live in Maryland, near D.C. , where everyone and his brother, it seems, is getting granite! Have you thought about checking out a lighter stone, like a cream or white? (such as Bianco romano, white shivakashi, Colonial Cream, white river, among others.)I am getting Harvest Cream, which is similiar to Colonial cream. It has a white or off-white background with lots of golden accents that pick up the color of my cabinets, and grey/black and taupe accents and a light sprinkling of garnet(burgandy) in there too. My cabinets are honey-spice maple (installed 10 years ago with a formica countertop). We did some minor remodeling that called for a new countertop--so I was so glad I didn't spend the big bucks for the corian that was so popular back then, and that I had an excuse to now get granite! I'm not sure how dark your "autumn" cabinets are, but you should try to have some contrast. If your cabinets are dark or medium dark, I think that a very light granite would provide a great contrast with your cabinets and darker floor, but that is just my personal opinion. Are you going for a traditional or contemporary look? Black tends to look "modern". If you do want a very dark countertop, I would think that a very dark brown would look better than black with your mocha floors(which I assume is a very dark brown.) You probably already have thought of this, but when you go to the granite warehouses to select your slab, bring a cabinet door and piece of your flooring to see how it all looks together. Another thing to consider is what you want on your backsplash. If you want a very "busy" stone or tile, then you should select a granite that would not look too busy, so the darker colors would work well for that, usually. I am going to go with a tumbled white travertine backsplash. If I went with anything busier, it would "fight" with my granite. Hope this helps. Hope this helps....See MoreColor help please
Comments (6)I don't know if you saw my post on Glass Slipper, but I'm obsessing over the same thing right now. My original plan was to go with Behr Light French Gray. It's still under strong consideration, but I'm still looking. Behr Light French Gray I haven't gotten a sample yet, but I'm also looking at BM Arctic Gray....See MoreWhen did I become so indecisive?
Comments (13)Thank you to all for you replies! Definitely some great suggestions. It is also comforting to know that I am not the only one who has this problem! mercymygft - I think you are right, being TKO has done this to me! I know that I shouldn't rush this decision because it's a big deal, but at the same time I would like to have everything all done by Christmas since we host the holiday and my 1st child's birthday is the day after so we have a lot of entertaining to do coming up. And the fact that I've lived in a makeshift kitchen for 4 years is making me anxious. At least I've been able to use by Bluestar during this time! (the only thing staying in the "new" kitchen) Francoise - I do *Love* Jillandmatt's kitchen, and also Nini's recently redone kitchen with the light perimeter and walnut island. That is what is making it so hard! I think both styles would look nice in my house - Four square colonial built in 1920, but perhaps as Breezy points out, the soapstone would fit the era of the house a little better. And yes, I think I would be bummed if Soapstone wasn't even an option so perhaps that is my answer. My husband thinks I am over thinking it -which I probably am :)- and he thinks we should stick to our original design, which we might. Maybe going out to the stone yard in a few weeks will help make the decision! Until then....I hope I don't drive myself crazy!...See Morecamillelu
3 years agoSusan
3 years agoYou should research Bona Nordic Seal. I am facing the same maple floor refinishing dilemma. The floors have yellowed after 20 yrs and I am worried about about getting a blotchy effect from staining. I am looking for an updated look and have been researching this product.
camillelu thanked Susan
Sofia Akhter
3 years agocamillelu
3 years agoSofia Akhter
3 years agoSusan
3 years agoSofia Akhter
3 years ago@Susan, thank you for responding. Do you have oak or maple floors?
We decided on #2 which is Bona Natural. That’s the satin sheen which as you mentioned is too matte for our liking. Did you go with semi gloss?
Can you share the sealing and finishing part in terms of no of days. Was all done in 1 day? We r getting 1 coat sealer & 3 coats of finish.
After the final coat, how many hours before you guys went in the house?
Thank
you again.
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
Susan