Hardwood floors are timeless, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t switch up the style and the appearance of our wood floors from time to time. You may love your hair color, but sometimes you want to switch it up a bit. But, like changing your hair color, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about changing the color of your hardwood floors.
Changing the color of hardwood floors
Anyone who has ever tried to dye their own hair will know that it is harder than it looks. Changing the color of your hardwood floors can pose similar problems if you’re not careful. Sure, if you’re going for a tie-dye appearance, then by all means, go ahead and try to do it yourself. But, if you want the result to be an evenly applie color to the entire floor, then you’ll need to enlist the help of professionals. A professional will make sure that you go through each step necessary so that the color is applied evenly, and will also last.
Sanding floors
Whether you’re going from light to dark or dark to light you’ll need to sand your floors. The mistake that many people make is thinking that if they have light floors, making them darker simply requires an even coat of dark color. However, any color that is on your floors is going to impact the new stain, so you want to give yourself a clean slate before you apply any new color, light or dark. Sanding your floors will remove the finish and the previous stain, revealing raw naked wood and giving you a clean slate to work with.
Removing old stain
It’s not just important to remove the finish of your old floors, but you want to sand away the previous layer of stain so that the new color won’t be affected. The sanding should be smooth and even so that the new stain is going to look more smooth and even once applied. Sanding your floors will allow the new stain to take hold and last longer.
Applying new color evenly
Sanding your floors smoothly and evenly is hard enough. Now you have to apply the new stain evenly as well for the best looking results. If you don’t apply the stain evenly the floors will look patchy and weird, just like the first time you tried to dye your own hair. You may think you’re getting the stain on the entire floor evenly, but the wood may not accept the stain evenly in all places. Wood is a temperamental and organic material and it’s not going to react uniformly. A professional will know exactly where to apply the new stain so that the finished result looks even.
Finishing the floor
The final stage is applying the right finish. You can keep it natural and matte, or make it sophisticated and flashy with a glossy finish. Depending on your lifestyle, whether you wear shoes inside or you have pets and kids, a hardwood flooring professional can help you decide on the best finish to protect and maintain your new floors.
Talk to T&G Flooring about changing the color of your old hardwood floors.