Old Red Oak flooring (assuming) Finishing Ideas
L C
last year
Help! I have been working on redoing the flooring in my house. I’m assuming it’s old red oak (pre 1960). For reference, I have a child and two dogs and need something that can withstand that. I saw a post of someone talking about putting 2 coats of the Bona Nordic Seal and then 3 coats of Bona MegaONE (which I loved). On the other hand, I heard someone use the Bona Classic instead. I’m trying to avoid the floors being orange/yellow toned. I heard the Bona Nordic is difficult to DIY and can leave streaks, so I’m unsure of what to do! Photos of my unfinished floors are provided for reference.
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PROlisedv
last yearI have no experience with the mentioned products but maybe consider this regarding your choice on the finish:
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Help! Red Oak flooring finish
Comments (5)Thanks to both of you! I'm going to see what I can find out about the Bona Naturale this morning! Wish I would have found that before buying 5 gallons of the Polywhey. I never even thought about searching for a matte finish, but I think I would love it. We're very happy with how well the planing and reinstall turned out, so glad we decided to salvage it all instead of just ripping it out and throwing it in the dumpster! And I LOVE the mixture of the wood and seeing all of the variations, it's just the glossy (even though I bought satin) and yellow/pink that scare me. I just keep telling my husband I wish we didn't have to put anything on it because I love it just as it is. Ya know, I was pretty sure that was a mixture of red/white oak, but my father gave me a very funny look when I told him that's what it was, lol. Thanks for confirming that for me ;) Hopefully I can find the Bona Naturale around here (near St. Louis, MO) and they will sell it to me without having to use a contractor....See Morered oak floor finish?
Comments (2)Hmmm, we have a brazillian walnut in our kitchen that has a satin finish, and that floor looks very rich. In the rest of the first floor we have Gunstock oak with a high gloss and that looks more casual but I honestly don't see any difference when it comes to scratches. Like you, it's just my DH & I, and we use a little caution to keep them nice, so the scratches are minimal. I think you should just go with what you like the best, because the differences aren't enough to justify the compromoise. Know what I mean? Personally, though I love that satin finish, it's really pretty on darker wood. :c)...See MoreMost natural looking satin finish on old red oak?
Comments (7)The colour variation between the old and the new could be for several reasons. First it could be the wrong species. Your first posts indicated that you *might have white oak. Now you know you have red oak. If the installer laid white oak (because that was an assumption at the time) it could be a species mis-match. The second reason could be the wrong 'cut' or selection of grade for the wood. Without seeing more of the old floor up against the new, it is hard to say. The third option, which is MOST likely is the AGE of the wood. The old floor could be from older, denser trees (older at time of harvest) which could account for higher amounts of tannins in the wood. The only other thought I have is the old floor has NOT be sanded down yet. I'm assuming it has been....but again this is an assumption. The only other thing I can think of (to get away from this mis-match) would be to harvest old flooring from a second bedroom/den, etc and lay it in the area where it is going to be most visible. Then lay the new material in the out-of-the-way room and hope for the best. Personally I love the look and feel of the Loba 2K Supra AT. If you lay down three coats of the satin you are going to have one of the toughest floor finishes available on the market. I'm not sure why you would use 2 coats of Invisible AT and then switch over to 2K Supra AT for the final coat. Traditionally you start with 2 coats of GLOSS (2K Supra AT Gloss) and then FINISH with one coat of Satin if you wish to have a satin finish. The additives in the finish (that create the matte finish) can cause the floors to look hazy. This is something you will want to avoid. Unless the Loba rep. can GUARANTEE that the matte additives in the Invisible WILL NOT be a problem (ie. s/he guarantees you will NOT get a hazy looking floor) then I would stick with three coats of the Loba 2K Supra AT (2 gloss + 1 satin). If the two coats of gloss scare you, then go ahead and work with the semi-gloss. The Loba 2K Supra AT comes in three finishes: satin, semi-gloss and gloss. You want to avoid the "haze" of matte finishes as much as possible....See MoreBest finish for red oak floor?
Comments (2)IMO you refinish all the floors to match and before oing that make sure all the lighting is the same in every space so LEDs 4000K bulbs in every fixture . Red oak is red so going light just makes it pink ....See More- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
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