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Flooring Home Decorating Design Dilemma

Red Oak Floor Stain Help

7 months ago

Grateful for recommendations for a traditional medium brown stain color for red oak floors. Replacing carpet with new red oak upstairs and sanding and restaining floors on main level. Trying to achieve a traditional medium brown while getting rid of the honey orange color on the existing floors (shown in pictures). The wall colors are staying as is for now.

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Comments (21)

Christine
7 months ago
Get a sample of duraseal jacobean
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you!
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Well said blondelle. I would stay away from gray on red oak. It can be done....but it takes an expensive professional to get it to the level you are looking for. It would be cheaper to spend more money on WHITE oak (as much as $2/sf more) and have it stained gray then try to reverse the reds in red oak to look 'gray'. If it were me, I would look to a lighter stain that has a GREEN base to it. The green will counter act the red to offer a COOL tone brown (like a mushroom brown). Turning red oak to a cool brown is much easier and often gives the homeowner the same CONCEPT (cool toned flooring) without stretching the talent of the flooring professional. And yes, gray as a design concept is at it's end.
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We are about to do a kitchen remodel and our red wood hard floors that are in the main living room, hallway and bedrooms will be carried through in the new kitchen. I don't like the red, orange or pink hue in red oak, but I need to make the best of it. I'm looking at all the pictures posted from 2 years ago and wondering how everyone is liking their floors. We are wanting to go light, to give a white oak look, but everything we see is too pick. We may just pick a medium brown, but not sure what color is best. Any thoughts or recommendations on either? We need to make decisions soon. Any tips would be appreciated!
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tried to grab some in different lighting and with fiff wall paint. i swear its even less orange in real life- or even in my camera reel before it posts here
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Tear out Red Oak and replace with White Oak to achieve a natural look without pink/red undertones. Otherwise, look at medium-tone stain options. There are many threads here from people who tried to achieve a White Oak look with Red Oak and ultimately abandoned that direction. It is possible to bleach the floors but this is an EXPERT-level application ($$$). If you are committed to this look, I suggest you seek out a flooring professional who can show you real-life examples of successful applications. If your current flooring professional does not have examples of finished jobs that look like you want yours, chances are they will not be able to finish these floors to your satisfaction.
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PRO
G & S Floor Service
7 months ago
Medium brown or Provinicial with a water base top coat.
ShadyWillowFarm
7 months ago
Dark Walnut
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you everyone!
PRO
JAN MOYER
7 months ago
last modified: 7 months ago
You have a stair issue thread. Really helpful to you , more than anyone here? Stay in one thread.

This is all part of your carpet removal from stair, adding newel post..etc. All in the same house : )
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you, I have copied the question regarding stain color into my staircase post.
PRO
G & S Floor Service
7 months ago
The floors in the first photo looks like white oak. Second photo is definitely red oak. Were the floors put in the same time or one was added afterwards?
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you. We do not know if the dloors were added at different times. They were installed when we nought the home in 2016 and believed they were original when built in 1997. We will ask the installers to be sure they do what is needed when re-staining.
PRO
G & S Floor Service
7 months ago
The floors in the first photo is orginal to the house. The second one was added on. If, you have two different wood specie you will be subjected to dark floors only.

You already have flooring purchased. Your floor guy should have confirmed the wood species in all the spaces before purchasing, i hope.
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you. I will confirm that because I am not sure that he did.
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Appreciate input regarding the samples put down so far. Thank you.
PRO
JAN MOYER
7 months ago
Far left , here down below. Classic. Brings the warmth of the stone vs gray. Done. Don't agonize.( Middle two are beyond dreary and far left is better than far right, by a lot)
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
7 months ago
Nice chandelier. Proving my argument that they are never too big.
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you!
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
This is what the colors look like in the evening with current lighting that we do not plan to change.
Christine
7 months ago
I recommend that you do not use minwax stain for your floors. Our floor guy used minwax and we ended up having to completely refinish the floors, Use Duraseal or Bona since those stains are made specifically for floors. Also although the names of the stain colors are the same each brand color is different.
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you! The contractor never discussed the stain with us. I asked several times and he told us we pick color with the floor installers. Today they set out the stains shown in the picture and that was that.
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
We decided on Duraseal medium brown. There is no top coat yet. Thanks to everyone for your helpful input.
Christine
7 months ago
Great choice!
noreengbrogan
Original Author
7 months ago
Thank you!

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