Get some Waterlox. Great stuff. It can go on right over the rubbed oil, no sanding necessary (might want to call Waterlox and double check since your floors are newly oil rubbed, but when I did my oiled bathroom floor, Waterlox told me I could put the Waterlox right over it. I did, and it looks great!). I put three coats on the floor.

http://www.waterlox.com

I'm with you, I dont like matte hardwood flooring. Fix it now, you dont want to live with something you hate. Go satin.

DH going to stop in at the flooring place this am and ask that they come back and take a look. I'm thinking satin finish too...

Hoping they can put this on top of what's there...May as well deal with it while rooms are empty!

Hoping they can rake a look at it today. We gave some other trades booked and might need to delay until the floors are dealt with.... Here's hoping!

So sorry you aren't happy with them! It's so frustrating when projects don't work out as planned. The floors look gorgeous in your photo. But yes, now is the time to fix it if you're unhappy with them. My wood floors are quite shiny, and I have often wished they were more matte. Maybe satin will be the happy medium.

So sorry you are dealing with so many things at once. I agree with you...,the floor needs some shine. I hope the floor people can do something....you paid a lot of $ for the refinishing and shouldn't have to remedy it yourself.

I can feel your frustration - with all that's going on at the same time it can't be easy.

The picture doesn't look bad but if it's not what you want, now is the time to fix it as everyone is saying. I hope there is a remedy that doesn't involve undoing something first.

lisa_mocha, so sorry to hear you are unhappy about the floors and hope they can be changed. FWIW sitting here the floor looks really lovely in the photo. We have oiled floors, personally I like the matte look but we added a satin finish for easier cleaning.

Oaktown, my husband loves the matte look. Maybe I'm just not used to them...we have glossy hardwood on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

The guys that refinished did do a great job...

We chose the finish off a small sample and their recommendation and only in looking at the entire room now, do I wish that there was a sheen to it.

Do you find satin finish much easier to keep looking clean than the matte?

I feel for you. I hate mine, a satin poly finish. It's not matte, it's not glossy, it always looks cloudy and I cannot wait to refinish them...probably in 20 years! :( Ironically I wanted the finish you have and dislike. Wish I had advice. Mine are awful, they always look like they have a haze on them unless they are wet.

lisa, sorry I don't know about any cleaning difference since the initial satin coat was done soon after the floors were finished and before we moved in at our contractor's suggestion, with this: Rubio monocoat satin cleaner

We just did not want shiny/slippery floors due to the young kids and elderly folks in our house, and we do not wear shoes inside.

Fingers crossed the flooring folks will come through for you.

((((Lisa))))

Take a deep breath, you're floor is beautiful, and will be even more so when the flooring guys tweak it.

I have oak floors that were put down in 1952. We had them refinished last summer (first time they'd been touched.) We used a satin finish poly and are very pleased with them. Not totally matte, but not at all shiny. I have two large dogs, a messy husband, and sandy soil. I didn't want to deal with any shine.

It does have some scratches now; (one carpenter dragged an air compressor over it and another dropped a power drill; oh well; it's character!) I was raised in a very old house with very old wood floors; I have always thought that wood floors naturally have scratches and scuffs and look like lived-on floors.

My floors are light; we did not use any stain. My neighbor has dark stained floors and they do tend to show more "stuff."

Well I hope you get the sheen where you want it. As far as the color, I think it's killer. :)

I'm sorry you're at the meltdown point. I can't see a finish but I like the color. My DH always says things look fine, I learned a long time ago to trust my gut instead and you should trust yours. If you're not happy, then do what you need to do to fix them now. Maybe the company who did them needs to come back and finish the job?

I really love the color and wood species in the photo. Hope you get the sheen level to your liking. They will be stunning with a satin finish.

I wouldn't want shiny or matte. Yrs ago I had wood floors, old wood floors. They weren't shiny for sure. They were well worn and I loved them. I'd certainly want more toward the matte side than shiny. low gloss or satin sounds like the way to go.

If you like everything but the sheen, that should be easy enough to correct. Honestly I like this better than what I am assuming, was newly produced handscraped, which, apologies to people who have it, I don't think looks "real" like antique handscraped, and has little place in a typical house.

Thanks so much everyone for the encouragement:)!

Perhaps I'm being a little too fussy about this, but don't want to just be 'fine' with them. Just want a little more 'oomph'...

Will see what the refinishers advise when they stop by later tomorrow afternoon.

I'm hoping for a low lustre/satin finish...I'll know soon enough what's possible.

Thanks again:)

They are gorgeous! I had ours finished with only tung oil. We've been in almost 10 years. 2 dogs, 3 cats and 2 grandchildren. I love our floors. They don't get scratched on a regular basis and if a scratch appears, I go over it with a tad of tung oil and it's good as new. The matte finish is all I ever wanted and in the future too.

Hi, I also vote for fixing the finish now. We chose oil-based satin and for us it is perfect: a balance between new/clean looking (the shiny aspect) and real wood-looking (the matte aspect). I was very against the plastic-y sheen of too-shiny finishes, but until I saw the finish samples on the floor (we tested 4 samples), I had not realized that I did need a little bit of sheen. It reflects light ever-so-slightly and gives the wood (pre-existing Honduran Mahogany in our case) more depth. If after a good night's sleep you still don't like the finish the way it is then I would change it now. We had a sanding issue (it was unrelated to the finish choice) that was realized after the first coat of finish was on and our contractor resanded the whole thing to get it perfect. I am so happy he did. We are thrilled with the result, one year later, despite the misc scratches we have accumulated. :-)

If you really hate them, put the extra coat of finish on now. Otherwise you will be in the situation where you constantly are bugged by them. Even with the furniture back in place you will still have many, many places where there is nothing but matte floor starring up at you. Satin is a lovely compromise finish.

Six months ago we had our maple floors redone, and we had to have some of the boards replaced where they'd been cut out to make room for structural work. When I first saw the patched areas with a finish coat, they looked so obviously different than the originals that I was super upset and contacted the contractor to discuss various options. We ended up leaving them alone since some of the patches would be covered by furniture. But, those places that aren't covered by furniture still jump right out at me every time I walk in those rooms.

Finally, wait as long as possible to put any furniture in place. The longer you leave the floors untouched, the longer they will have to cure and the less likely they will be to scratch.

needinfo1, how long is an optimal time? I had my floors done a little over a week ago. Hope to begin bringing stuff in at the two week mark, but I could wait another week. I had an oil poly finish on the new and refinished red oak with a semi-gloss sheen because I like the brightness and grain and understand that satin, which has more solids, can look a bit muddier. I agree with others to get what you want now!

gramarows, I only had to wait 3 days to bring my stuff in. I had site-finished red oak, 3 coats of oil finish. We were careful.

Our current house is all hardwood floors except for the bathrooms and laundry room. We refinished the floors in a semigloss when we moved in and love it. Here are some pics. If you are seriously not happy with how your floors look, change the finish now. You'll enjoy them better.

We waited a good couple weeks for furniture and did no rugs until over a month.

Hi All,

The flooring guy was in today and we are able to add a low lustre topcoat. The add'l cost not really a factor... Another $600-$700.

From a visual viewpoint, I know I'd prefer a little sheen over the current matte finish. However, from a maintenance standpoint, he showed us today just how easy it was to cover the look of scratches. We had quite a scratch when the fridge was moved back in. He took a little stain and rubbed over the scratch and it pretty well disappeared. If we proceed with the new topcoat, we're not able to do that. So...do looks or practicality win out? It's a tough call.

He did comment that the matte look is more rustic looking and pretty much a love it or hate it thing. Quite a few if his customers have changed their minds and added a sheen topcoat in the end.

He suggested that we try the topcoat on 3 steps leading down to the powder room...they can do it this Friday. Then we can tell on our own wood if we like the look of it. If we do, will have the floors done next week.

We can certainly keep our main floor furniture in storage until all of this us settled.

I will also stop back into the showroom to look at sheen levels.

Nhb22~sounds like you're having as much 'fun' as I am, lol. The plumbing issues not so fun, but the puppy...well, they make it all worthwhile:)!

I'm thinking about getting another Lab ( we lost our choc lab 3 yrs ago...so much of the reason why these floors needed to be done!) Timing couldn't be better, right. Haha. Yup, get the floors done just in time for a new pup. ( maybe.... DH not feeling it as much as I am....but has given up as long as I remember it's "my" dog when it's 20 below and 3am and the dog wants to go out, lol)

That's the dilemma with the easy- buff matte floors... Again, pretty or practical. I want them both!!

Thanks so much everyone for the input... Will see how things look on Friday when we test the stairs.

Personally, I think your floor look stunning. Will the new puppy's claws scratch the shinier floor finish? Let us know how you like the test samples. If it really bothers you, as everyone says, it's best to change it now.

Well for me it would be a no-brainer, practicality would win hands down. Being able to touch up scratches is a big plus in my book, especially with puppy, who may not do much damage now but won't be a puppy forever... But that's just me. :)

Best of luck on your decision! (and either way, they'll still be super gorgeous!)

I think they are beautiful. Love the color. I'm not a shiny floor fan, so I would leave them as they are now. Gorgeous!

Hi All,

I'm at a complete loss as to what to do.

They're not able to test stairs today, and DH has more or less washed his hands of this so up to me to figure it out. It would be so nice to gave this resolved and get these rooms put back together again.

I'm trying to get a picture to show how dull they do look. It just seems to be a big dirt magnet and I'm concerned in the kitchen that anything spilled will just leave a mark. Let alone scratches. They seem totally unprotected and ...well..blah.

For those with a matte finish ( oil rubbed), how do you find the upkeep?

I was so looking forward to having these done and am still feeling a little let down. As my friend says, first world problems:)... Guess I should be grateful. Perspective, huh.

Will a topcoat protect them that much more and give them a little more depth/richness?

Thanks for any more insight:)

Beautiful! I love the matte finish, but then I prefer a more rustic, lived in look.

Top coat the floors! Seriously, touching up with a stain marker isn't going to be any different--maybe slightly more noticeable with a sheen but not much. You'll have to have your floors screened every so often with a pup anyway--an extra coat of finish can only help.

Also, you don't like it. And I'd like it a little shinier too. (Not high gloss like my dad always does though. His floors are silly.)

Start the puppy young with nail clipping and filing and hope for the best.

I would put the top coat on. What are you going to do walk around and fix scratches all day long? That's silly. We have a low luster sheen on our dark walnut floors and it is so pretty, we never notice scratches. I cannot stress this enough, FOLLOW YOUR GUT! It really does know best.

Floor really are not that easy to scratch. Like I said above, almost 10 years in our home with tung oil finished oak floors. I've touched up twice, and not all over, just a couple of scratches. 2 dogs, 3 cats, DH who is like a big kid and 2 grandchildren.

I'm sorry you're not liking your floors. I'd put the topcoat on. If it's bothering you now it will probably bother you later. The topcoat will probably help add more depth. You can call any scratches character marks. :)

I am in love with your floors! I do understand wanting a bit of sheen. We used an engineered wood floor that are wide boards and uv oil cured finish. So, they are oil finished but cured with UV light, I guess? They are super dull.

I have a protector that helps bring about a slight sheen when I use it. I still would love to rub the floors with some oil, but the manufacturer says not to do this. I am at a loss myself.

I just got dark hardwood installed, so I'm feeling your pain. Mine has a slight sheen, but it shows every single speck. Wish I could have budgeted for the walnut I wanted.

I can offer one suggestion. I'm applying leather I bought at a local leather tanner shop to the bottom of furniture legs. Small bags of scrap leather from their previous jobs are sold for $5/bag. You apply it with contact cement.

You could search for it online. I've done my couch and two chairs so far. Noxious stuff to work with, so wear gloves and have good ventilation.

Hi Everyone,

I've been unable to decide what to do, so ignored it all and did outside work/ gardening yesterday instead:)

I stopped in to see our flooring guy on Friday. As it turns out, he was there chatting to a Sales Rep from a Flooring Mfr. ( the company we used do both on site and pre- finished)

The Sales rep was showing their newer factory oil finished matte flooring. Then, another Rep showed up...what are the chances I decide to stop in then! They both indicated matte is the new trend and very easy for maintenance. They all love the look of a more natural/ rustic looking floor.

So....the 3 of them strongly encouraged me to live with the floors for awhile.

I've not yet moved furniture back in and they said it will make a difference. They're more than likely right on this as I'm looking at 2 rooms that had glossy floors before and now 2 empty rooms with nothing but matte/ dull floors staring back at me:)

I have to admit, I'm coming around to them...

The flooring co would gladly put a satin finish on for me, more $ for them. However, he really wants me to end up loving these floors. My DH sure does.

I'm still a little on the fence so anything could happen over the next few days decision-wise. I do have DH's word that if I live with them and have a change of heart be it 6 mths or a year, he hauls everything out and we have them buffed and top coated in a satin finish. I will remind him of this:)

DH left on a business trip to Atlanta today, and I've said by the time he arrives home Tues. pm, decision will be done!

Thanks again for all of your feedback....enjoy your day:)

I'm guessing my red oak floors have a semi-gloss finish. They don't seem super shiny, but at some angles I can see things mirrored in them, so that must be the case. This floor doesn't show anything, neither dust nor black and white cat hair. Generally I prefer more matte or satin finishes, but I'm quite happy with semi-gloss on my floors.

Sounds like the hand of providence at work with two sales reps showing up. And yes, they usually would jump at making more money, so I am believing they are honest in telling you the trend is now towards matte. (of course you have to live with it, trend or no) I say put some furniture down and see what happens. :)

I think that sounds like a great compromise! I would do just that - try them out for 6 mos and if you still dont like them, then add the satin finish. As I said earlier, I think your floors are beautiful!

We're having our red oak floors sanded, stained a medium/dark brown, and wire-brushed. I am choosing between a matte and satin finish now, and I totally understand your dilemma. The matte floor is beautiful and looks great with the wire brushing, but the satin sheen shows a little more depth in the color of the wood. It seems to me like the maintenance is much easier on the matte finish - scratches, dirt, and drips show less. I am told the matte finish is just as durable as the satin and it has the same number of "topcoats" as a satin finish. I have some reservations about the matte just because is looks so different than what I am used to seeing, but that doesn't make it a bad choice.