Hey everyone! I'm thinking about sanding and staining my red oak floors to give them a lighter, more natural look. I'm currently working with a red/golden oak finish and I'm a bit concerned about how this change will turn out. Here's a link to what they look like now: https://imgur.com/a/Ck1JXrc. And here's the look I'm aiming for: https://imgur.com/a/sBajtA6. Any advice would be appreciated!
2 Answers
It's totally doable! The second image you shared shows a sanded floor with a water-based finish, likely on white oak. Just a heads up—many pros suggest against staining. They say the sanding sometimes doesn't go deep enough for stain absorption. But you can definitely achieve a nice look without stain.
Check this out: it's an example of red oak with a water-based finish applied without stain. If you search for "red oak floor with no stain and water base finish" you'll find more examples. They look pretty good!
Those floors look amazing! So, is it really better to skip the stain and just go for the water finish?
Yeah, we're not fans of the current look, and replacing the floors just isn't an option for us right now.