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Flooring Design Dilemma

Red Oak, Dark Stain, Low Natural Light. Semi-Gloss on hardwood?

last year

Old red oak that has been patched many times so a lighter or natural stain color isn't ideal and we will be going with a Jacobean, Dark Walnut, Medium brown type mix to mask 90 years of incongruencies.

The house is limited on natural light and windows. Would semi-gloss help in this situation? This isn't a question of maintenance, per say, but one attempting to brighten up the home. Can lighting and sconces will be added, and a more neutral paint.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I dislike sconces but yes to much more lighting that is how you brighten a space along with good sized windows for daytime brightness. IMO wall color has little to do with brightening a space . As for what you should do we need pics of the spaces posted here in a comment do not start another post. I had these very dark floors in a small house but lots of natural and nightime lighting
kempek01
last year
Semi-gloss on the floors is not going to brighten the room. You might get some marginal increase in reflectiveness, but not enough to matter.

Improving your lighting is the only way to make the room brighter
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We got a kick out of Tim's post (above). Call me immature --- I'm the daughter and sister of interior designers/textile weavers and they are knocked out by my glossy floors. I initially had some doubts but now I'm so glad we went with the high gloss. The light in the room is amazing with the glossy reflection of the honey oak floors. We have gotten no less than 3 requests for the name of our floor contractor because they look so gorgeous. Most people don't know why they look different --- it's because high gloss is not trendy and hasn't been for some time. Most people go with the matte or satin finish. I had concerns about the glossy floors showing dirt but it's the opposite. My floors were less glossy before we had them refinished and there really is no difference. We are still in the middle of our remodel and have had workers coming and going --- the floors are frankly filthy but you wouldn't know it until you drag a wet rag across the floor. This might be a problem with darker floors but not with the oak. I also think the high gloss has an elegant, more formal look while the matte finish is more casual/earthy. To each her or his own!
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Amy, this isn't the best pic - but my camera battery just died. We had all of the floors in our house redone, except for the family room. They are red oak. The man sanded them, then put a sealer on which really brought out the color, then two coats of a oil-based poly. I love them. I know darker stains are in vogue, but I do like the natural look of the red oak. They do look red in this photo - but are not so IRL.
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semi gloss hardwood in kitchen okay??
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Definitely get a matte finish if you are choosing a darker wood... I have a whole house of prefinished satin Braz Cherry which I love. Last year, I couldn't get hold of the same wood for my kitchen so I used semi gloss pre finished Braz Cherry. It is the worst mistake I have ever made. Every scratch and smudge shows. I have to wipe down my kitchen floor every few days compared to maybe monthly in the rest of the house. It looks really pretty when it is shiny and clean but it doesn't last long. I plan on ripping out the kitchen hardwood in a few years and reusing it in a rental when my kids are older and have finished abusing the floor.
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Comments (17)
I recommended the Rubio as opposed to the linseed oil, for a safer alternative to an oil rubbed look. You do need a contractor with experience with this product. Rubio conducts training sessions and offers support to flooring contractors. Rubio Monocoat Training As for the Bona Traffic, that is a great finish, different appearance. You are headed in the right direction looking for a water based (or waterbourne) product. If you are going with a dark stain, I am going to steer you away from Bona. The Bona looks like skim milk when you pour it out. It actually lightens the color of the floor. We love it on natural oak for a European finish. For darker colors, we recommend Pall-x 98, two component finish. This finish has an amber finish and resembles an oil modified finish. These options are more expensive than the traditional oil modified finish, but the durability can't be beat. Duraseal also makes a good 2 component finish.
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Susie .
last year
Semigloss will reflect light more than satin, but if there’s no light to reflect that won’t help you. It may also accentuate any defects in the floor. If electrical upgrades aren’t an option can you bring in more lamps? Even with overhead lighting, lamps improve the ambiance significantly. Lighter paint also reflects light, but again you must have light to reflect. Whites really need natural light to look good in my opinion, otherwise they accentuate shadows and make the room feel dingy.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Matte finish on floors. It is not the side of a boat, and it won't help.

Show pics of your spaces..........as is
PRO
G & S Floor Service
last year
If, you are use to a smooth oily feel, use a satin or shinier sheen. A matte or invisble sheen has a more dry, textured, natural like feel. Which takes getting use to.
Brad Wayne
Original Author
last year
@G & S Floor Service out of curiosity, how does something loba invisible compare to something like Nordicseal on red oak? I found NordicSeal to be very candy pink. Pinkblocker only made it more filmy. Does Invisible bring the color out of wood the same way poly enhances the color you see when unfinished?
PRO
G & S Floor Service
last year
Nordicseal is more white, so it bring out more pink. Since Loba Invisible has less white in it. It allows more yellow and orange to come through. Gives you more of the salmon pink. Everyone sees color differently, that's the way I see it.

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