Find your ‘forever’ look with the right wood floors
“As long as we’re ...” I am talking to DC over dinner about work we’d like — or more accurately, I’d like — done on our new house before we move in. He pauses, fork in midair. He knows that those words — as long as we’re — are the four most expensive words in remodeling.
Take just for instance: As long as we’re getting a new fence, we should put in a pool. He’s waiting. I continue, “… putting new wood floors in the master, we should refinish all the wood floors in a darker color.”
DC takes his fork and directs it straight into his chest. When he can find his voice, he says, “What’s wrong with the color?”
The 13-year-old floors are a light, straw color, great for a Scandinavian home. “Our furniture will look better on a darker floor,” I say. “I’m thinking a mid-tone brown.”
He makes a noise like a cat hacking up a hairball. “How much?”
We both know the answer: A lot. We know because, unfortunately, we had just gotten estimates to refinish the floor in our current house, where Hurricane Irma had left a small amount of water damage in her wake — so small, that at first we didn’t notice the buckling of a few planks of wood. However, an inspector armed with a moisture meter did.
What looked on the surface like no big deal became as layered as a Tolstoy play. On the scale of expensive words, right after “as long as we’re” comes “no big deal.”
Three flooring companies looked at the job. All said the same thing. After replacing the water-damaged boards, we had to sand and refinish the entire downstairs. The stain will never match unless we do the whole floor.
Good thing I was sitting when I got the next bit of news. We can’t live in the house when the sanding and staining take place, which will require a week. And our furniture needs to be out, too, because the job makes a huge, smelly mess.
That would be fine if we could move into our new house, but we can’t until it’s sanded and refinished. So next week, after we close on the new house, DC and I will own two houses in the same neighborhood and have nowhere to live.
Before I sign up for this, I ask my friend, Beverly Hills designer Christopher Grubb, if I need to change the floor color in the new house. I send him pictures. “You absolutely want to darken those floors. It will enrich the whole space.”
Because I really never want to go through this again, I gather some information and ask Grubb how to make a good forever floor choice. Here are key points:
WHY REFINISH? >> Homeowners refinish wood floors to revitalize old floors,
change their color or repair physical damage from staining, water or fire. WHEN REPAIRING, DO YOU HAVE TO REFINISH THE
WHOLE FLOOR? >> Usually, or the patch won’t match. The exception is if the damage is in one room, and if that room is separated by a narrow doorway from the rest of the wood floor. WHAT TAKES SO LONG? >> First, workers sand the entire surface past any old finish, or defects. Next they stain it, and finally they finish it with a protective coating. The project takes days to allow drying time. CAN YOU REFINISH ANY WOOD FLOOR? >> No, it must be thick enough. Most hardwood floors can be refinished 10 or more times over their lives. Engineered hardwood, however, is thinner, and may be refinished only once or twice. DO YOU SAVE THAT MUCH BY REFINISHING? >> Yes. Refinishing costs about onethird of what putting in a new wood floor does. HOW CAN I PICK A COLOR THAT WON’T GO OUT OF
STYLE? >> “We’ve all seen wood fads come and go,” Grubb says. “Bleached floors were big 20 years ago. Next espresso dark floors were popular, but we haven’t done one of those in 10 years. Today the trend is toward grayish brown floors.” But for a classic, timeless look, Grubb says, “The safest bet is midtone brown.” WHAT’S THE BEST LONGHAUL FINISH? >> Shiny gloss finishes are dated. Matte finishes are hot now, but are neither timeless nor easy to maintain. For a timeless look, Grubb recommends a medium sheen. “You get a little bit of sheen, which adds interest, and it’s easier to care for.”
HOW CAN I BE SURE? >> “You cannot choose from a business-card-size swatch on your computer monitor,” Grubb says. Ask your flooring company to make a few samples — or strike-offs — of finishes you’re considering on the actual wood you’ll be using. Put the samples in the space, and live with them.