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Home Decorating Flooring Design Dilemma

Satin, semi gloss or gloss and how dark should I make the wood floor?

last year

last modified: last year

I just bought all new red oak 6 inch select flooring for a house I'm having remodeled. I would have gotten white oak but the price for red was too good to turn down. The downstairs is in, though unfinished, and looks gorgeous. But I don't know what color to do it. I don't want it to go yellow or orange and although I love the richness of a dark floor I also like the expansiveness and reflectivity of a lighter floor. I don't want it matte but don't want it super shiny either so it looks like you could go roller skating on it. My style is transitional, eclectic, in other words I like what I like regardless of whatever style it is. I lean towards rich colors and am a maximalist. But I love light and want lots of light in my home. Don't have pictures yet. All help and advice will be so appreciated!!!!

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Comments (3)

tracefloyd
last year
You love the red oak in its raw unfinished state. Why not just clear coat it? The color of the wood would be preserved. Whatever you do, I would not recommend a dark floor, it shows every speck of dust. I guess a satin finish clear coat would give a nice hand-rubbed look to the wood.
greenprincess thanked tracefloyd
kandrewspa
last year
Red oak tends to look pink if it doesn't have any stain at all. If your finisher is using Bona they have a color called medium brown that you could look at. Jacobean also seems to be popular with people on this site. Ask your finisher to do some samples. I like a medium brown because you can stick with it while everyone else is following trends and flip flopping back and forth from very light to dark. But look at the samples against your furnishings as that is what will help you choose. Stains, just like paint, have undertones and there are likely to be some undertones that won't work with what you already have in the house.
greenprincess thanked kandrewspa
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PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
Agree with @tracefloyd A satin clearcoat would work best.
greenprincess thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiors

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