Natural Oak

bigbrew

I have oak floors that need refinishing. Right now they are stained a medium color. A friend of mine is trying to convince me to sand all the old stain off and just poly the floor, leaving it natural. Keep in mind that the floor is 50 plus years old. Will this look good? I am not expecting perfection.

mtnfloors

I try to "talk" people into going natural alot of times on floors like this. For one it saves a little time but I think it helps hide scratches and places that just cant be sanded out. Stain tends to collect in these places and makes them stand out a little more. It really just depends on the shape of the floor. If you go natural and have any sanding marks left, it will be hidden more than if you stain. Even a medium stain tends to magnify the spots.

fast pasquale

In my opinion... Going natural or "no stain", with a floor that's 50 years or older... it seems the floor is still dirty when you apply the poly.. One way to hide this completely is to stain. I believe staining brings out the natural beauty of the wood.. especially red or white oak. IMO a stained floor sticks out and is much more appealing that an unstained floor.
MTN is correct in saying that your sanding must be flawless in order to achieve a evenly and "swirless" floor.. especially where you are working the egder.. One way to somewhat foolproof this is to put a thin white or maroon pad under the edger.. This will also allow you to use all of the sandpaper and not just the outside inch and a half. I really don't believe that hardwood floor refinishing is a DIY project unless you are constantly asking questions from a pro. Good Luck!

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Chris Frate
Pasquale Floors