Hardwood flooring consists of natural elements that spread warmth and bring a cozy and inviting feel to your room. For many homeowners, hardwood flooring has become an appealing and long-lasting choice to make. There must be something that makes hardwood flooring this popular. A natural, earthy vibe that gives a high-end natural look to adore for years. This also makes your home decor elegant as it easily fits in almost every interior design theme with a natural touch. Who doesn’t want the aesthetics of Hardwood to adorn their home along with the benefits like strength, durability, and long lasting flooring?
Without question, hardwood flooring costs more than any other type of flooring. Then, Why do people consider it a long term investment? When hardwood flooring starts showing wear and tear, stain it and revitalize its look and performance. Change your dull and shady floor to shiny and glossy with staining. Make no mistake and make a wise decision to rejuvenate your wooden floor.
What exactly is Hardwood floor staining?
Think staining wooden floors is similar to painting the wall, with one crucial difference. A stain changes the color of the wood, enhancing or sometimes completely changing its appearance. In painting, if you end up choosing the wrong color, it can easily be fixed, but if something goes wrong with staining, you have to start all over again, which can be frustrating and time consuming.
It is very obvious, but still many people get confused between refinishing and staining. And before you go for staining, you must be clear about the fact that staining and refinishing are different processes. Finishing is a clear and clean end coat that simply adds a protective layer to your hardwood flooring while staining colors the floor completely to get rid of faded floors. You can even change the shade of the floor’s color and get a different look.
To stain or not?
The answer to the question, should you or not get the staining is not that difficult. Although, it is a huge decision to make as staining will have a huge impact on your overall home’s look. Once you get it done, you are stuck with it for a long time, or instead, you choose to sand it and start all over again. However, there are factors that affect whether you should stain the floor or not and what color of the stain suits your home. Considering those factors can help you make the right decision.
Factors to consider:
What kind of wood are you staining?
When your hardwood floor is ready to get stained, it is important to know which kind of wood your flooring consists of. Various kinds of wood absorb stains differently. If your chosen floor is more tropical, it’ll have a harder time soaking up the stain, and the color might not turn out in the exact way you desire. Oak wood is the best when it comes to staining because it absorbs the color easily and quickly. However, you can get your desired color and finished touch with different processes or methods. You can always consult the expert to know which method will be best for your wooden floors.
The design you are seeking for!
Staining can completely change the color and design of your wooden floor. Hence it is crucial to mark the design of the overall room, which must fit with wooden floor staining. Room designed with dark painted walls will be a good match with light shaded staining. A darker stain is usually seen in houses with modern interior design. A medium shade of floor is best when there has to be a traditional vibe. These are just shades divided into three categories, although there are plenty of colors to choose from among these shades. You should first decide on the design you want and then look for the stain options which would look best.
Don’t forget the furnishings!
A perfect interior marks when everything inside the room is in sync, from furnishings to wooden flooring. Hence before the process of staining, you must know what furniture you are allocating in the room. Staining must go along with the furniture of your room; otherwise, it will completely ruin the look. The best way to decide is to study the furniture and see which stain will go along with the furniture. Dark stains work well with lighter color furniture. You can also get the color sample of the stain, hold it against the furniture, and visualize the after result. And if you are planning to have some color play in the room, it will create a more catchy design.
What is the process of staining wooden flooring?
As you know, staining is a great way to bring your dull, dead hardwood flooring back to life. Now that you have chosen the right stain, get to work and paint your floor’s blank canvas to bring back your floor’s aesthetic shine. Here are the steps to the procedure:
Ensure and test it out.
Ensure that the stain you brought will take the stain well. Certain species of wood are not good with stain absorption. You must test out the stain before applying it on a whole floor in an unnoticeable area on the floor. Although, you can’t trust the testing hundred percent. This process will definitely tell you the points to keep in mind and things you can adjust while performing the overall task.
Sanding the floor
First, you must examine the wood, how much it is damaged, and what is needed to get down the smooth, bare wood. This step must be performed perfectly as this is a base for the staining. Once the stain dries off, it often shows off the mistakes done at the time of sanding or screening. Use a sandpaper edger to smooth the surface and buffer to reach the hard-end spots. Smoothens the scratches left out by the sanding process with the screening process and ensures a more even final look.
Clean the floors
With the completion of the sanding process, there will be enormous amounts of debris and dust generated. Before you begin to apply the stain, remove every bit from the room. During the sanding process, dust particles often collect on ceilings, walls and trim work’s top edges. Every corner needs to be cleaned so that you can step forward to apply the stain. Even the smallest bit of dust can affect the perfect finish of stain, so one must wipe the floor with a deck of cloth after vacuuming for ultra cleaning.
Optional: water pops the floor.
This is an optional process, and it must not be done in case you are planning to stain the floor with water-based polyurethane. In particular, this is a good idea when working with darker stains because it opens up the wood’s pores.
Apply the stain
Before starting the process, it is important to ensure ventilation is proper, so the vapors aren’t trapped inside the room. Using the liquid stain, start at the corner and apply it to the hardwood floors in the direction of the grain. Keep a wet edge by working from corner to corner, and finish the floor at once to avoid overlapping. You will be applying stain to the raw wood floor, letting it immerse for a minute or more, then wipe out the access stain that hasn’t been soaked yet. Check each and every section to ensure that there aren’t any flaws; in the end, the goal is to create a flawless appealing coat. Let the stain dry completely, it usually takes 48 hours, but 72 hours are even better. If there is humidity in the atmosphere, ask the specialist to check whether the stain is dry off completely or not.
Varnish the floor
When the stain is perfectly dry and cured, you will not want to damage the stained floor with shoes. Apply the first skim coat of varnish using a varnish painting rig. The first step of the procedure is to apply a thin layer of varnish to protect the effect of the stain finish. This process can make the floor uneven, and it might require sanding once more, a slight one. After the sanding process, thoroughly vacuum or clean the floor with a cloth before coating one more layer of varnish. Repeat the varnish coat two or three times more until and unless a bright smooth, flawless appearance of the floor is achieved.
Buff the floor
A layer of wax can be applied to the cured varnish in order to give it a buffed appearance. It is the perfect thing to complete the end process.
Until this point, you must be well aware of the staining, from what staining is to the complete process. However, if you are still not convinced that staining can beautify your hardwood floor, don’t stop here! Below are a few points that describe the benefits of staining briefly.
Highlight the lost beauty.
Hardwood planks on their own carry a unique aesthetic natural design. These hardwood planks can make the unavoidable wonderful look on your floor. Staining will glow the beauty and design of hardwood floors. The staining process will accentuate the distinct elements of the hardwood flooring, glorifying the beauty of the interior of your house.
Sunlight protection
Excessive heat and sunlight can damage the hardwood flooring. Direct revealing floor to sunlight can cause discoloration, separation, and cracks between boards. Staining coats will act as a protective layer against harmful UV rays and dark heat. Some exclusive wooden species are more sensitive to sunlight than other species, meaning your wooden floor will change color and lose its strength with time, earlier than any other wood species.
Rot prevention
If the wooden floor is not sealed properly it is prone to rot. Decay, fungi, and termites are factors that cause rotting. Rotting breaks down the cellular structure of wood, causing significant loss of strength, cracks, and even breakage. Some of the constituents of the cell walls of wood are dissolved by enzymes secreted by decay and fungi. Luckily with staining, you can protect and preserve the beauty of hardwood flooring by preventing it from rotting.
Achieve the appearance of different wood species.
Are you bored with your regular wooden floor’s color and design? But if you can’t afford to replace it, staining is your best option. Staining can improvise your floor’s appearance with the look you desire. A rich cherry stain on light wood like beech, pine or pine gives it a warm, rich effect, similar to mahogany and cherry wood. If you have a tint or dark cherry colored wood, you can experience the different color shades with staining.
Natural beauty
Hardwood flooring accentuates the natural vibe with its aesthetic beauty and natural elements. Staining comes in different shades and tints, but you can also choose the colorless shiny stain to preserve the natural elegance of your Hardwood. The house is filled with modern equipment and accessories, and the natural vibe of hardwood flooring keeps you connected with nature.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking for fresh new hardwood flooring installation or any existing flooring, hardwood floor staining is crucial. Staining not only multiplies the beauty of hardwood flooring but also coats the protective layer. A layer that prevents the loss of shine from direct exposure to sunlight, insects, and rotting. As it increases the years in your wooden flooring, it is like a maintenance fee or an investment to make, not an expense that carries your budget.
Do you also have a love and care for your hardwood flooring? Then to maintain its shine and flawless glory, keep a check on your flooring with refinishing or staining. We, Big Bro Hardwood, help you with every kind of hardwood floor service. We have a team of professionals who will inspect your flooring and guide you with the best procedure. From installation to refinishing, sanding, and staining, we do it all. For further assistance, book an appointment here at (630) 418 4139