While there are many house renovation decisions that can be fun (such as choosing pillows, rugs, or other decorative items), there are many more difficult choices that you will have to make. It can be difficult to make a decision if it is costly or involves a lot of work. Also, it can be hard to reverse the decision if it doesn’t suit your tastes. It can be a difficult decision that will cost you time and money. Since we were renovating our houses, Elsie and myself had to decide on floor stains. We know how difficult it can be to make the right choice.
What is more important: room contrast or brightness?
I love a dark, beautiful floor as much as I love a light one. But, I also know that they both have their pros and cons. A dark floor is a great way to add drama and contrast to spaces with light walls. Dark floors, especially wide board floors, can modernize spaces and really make area rugs pop. Dark floors can absorb more light than a light-colored stain. This is a disadvantage. It’s easier to capture light photos in rooms with light floors than dark ones that absorb more light, especially if you’re a frequent photographer.
You have the option to choose a “safe” or “unique/fun route. You can choose to use a classic stain that is loved by many people in order to make your house more appealing for future buyers, or you can do something unique and distinctive that will make your home stand out from the rest. Elsie’s teal-colored living room is an example of how a decision made by Elsie has created a beautiful and memorable space. It’s possible to refinish solid hardwood floors again by choosing a fun or colorful staining technique. You can do it!
Are you looking for a way to help your children or pets?
Are you a homeowner with five long-haired, black cats? When choosing a timber floor staining, it is important to consider the possibility of pet hair. A light-colored floor will hide dark colored hairs better than a darker one. Dark floors are more likely to collect dust and food crumbs than light floors. If you’re an avid cleaner, you will have to sweep dark floors more often than if you had a lighter floor. Although I had to do more work to maintain the dark floors in the previous house, I still loved them so much that I chose to re-use the dark stain. We did however go lighter just for that reason.
What is the color of the wood you are staining.
It is important to understand that different wood stain colors can look completely different on different floors. It’s important to remember that a floor stain that you like may not look the same on your maple floor as it does on your red oak. Any color in the wood will show through the stain, especially if it is light-colored. If you have a reddish or orange wood color, the stain you choose will likely have a pinkish or orange hue. This is especially true if you want to whitewash your floor. A darker, cooler stain can be used to hide warm colors if you want to reduce the orange or red hue. The wood floors were left as they were before the stain was applied.
Can you do a sample area?
This is the best way to see how a stain will look within your space. After any stain has been removed, you can test the stain on the actual floor. You can also sand the area once more stain is gone. Or you can purchase boards of the same wood and use those to test the stain. Before we moved in to our new house, I needed to know what type of wood I wanted. I asked the floor refinisher about it, purchased some boards, and tested them in my yard to find what I liked. My top three favorites stain mixtures were kept in small jars. They were then tested on the floor before we closed on the house. Because I had done so much preparation on similar boards before, it made it so much easier to pick a final color.
What if there isn’t a stain you love?
The best case scenario is to open a jar and test it. Once it dries, you can wipe the excess off the wood. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the experience, as I didn’t. You can mix your own colors just like with paint. You can mix colors from different stain lines, but I wouldn’t recommend mixing them together. I wanted dark floors with grey undertones, but couldn’t find the right premixed stain. I tried many different shades of browns, blacks and greys until I found the right color. Use a measuring tool (like a tablespoon that you can throw away) to mark each stain’s ratio.
It is amazing how the right color of wood can transform a space’s appearance. The new look of our home was so much better after we had the floors refinished. Going through the process made me feel more confident about the final result. Although it may seem overwhelming to decide on a floor stain for your home, these steps will help you make the right choice.
