Software
Houzz Logo Print
webuser_648977066

colour dilemma for refinished hardwood floors.

3 years ago

I am refinishing the floors in my home which was built in 1908. This is upstairs and the hall is not the brightest. I really like the natural look but feel contrast of the dark baseboard is too much. I believe the floors are a mixture of pine and oak but not certain. We will not be changing baseboard colour and do not want to paint them. Eventually we will be refinishing our downstairs in same colour for cohesive look. What are some thoughts about stain colour on floors? I put picture of hall with bare wood floors and the current baseboard and colour downstairs.

Comments (14)

  • 3 years ago

    I see no oak flooring there, I see what appears to me to be Fir in the first two pics, and the 3rd pic looks to be Maple. Going to be tough sledding to get them all to match.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you I do not know my wood but was going on what has been suggested to me. Is there a colour that can give close resemblance and would go with dark base boards?

  • 3 years ago

    I would have your floor finisher make suggestions and do some samples on YOUR floor after the floors have all been sanded and the existing finish removed. If he is not willing to do this, you have the wrong floor finisher.

  • 3 years ago

    I am doing this project myself but now that you have suggested the wood is Douglas fir I am going to get a piece and try some colours. I really like the lightness and I don’t mind the imperfections but not sure it will go with dark wood baseboards which I really don’t want to change.

  • 3 years ago

    Make sure you get a piece of mixed grain as that is what you have. Vertical grain will take the stain differently. Actually your floors will take it differently regardless as this is old growth wood that has been walked on for years and will be way harder than new wood.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you for the advice I will do this and definitely realize will take differently to my floors

  • 3 years ago

    Any colour suggestions

  • 3 years ago

    Neutral or Fruitwood from Duraseal maybe. Tough to tell as cannot really see much of your house int he way of furnishings, cabinets, etc..

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Second floor could be old southern yellow pine too, but regardless it will be tricky to find a color that works well on the fir (red/ brown) or pine (red orange) and the maple (golden) Generally with wood tones contrast is your friend, so a similar color to your trim but lighter will look intentional. As far as exact stains you have to try them on the floor then sand them off prior to staining everything

  • 3 years ago

    For what it's worth, I don't care for the light colored floor with the dark baseboards. I love old houses and this isn't a look you find too often. In general, people who have light floors have white baseboards. I also think you'll have better luck trying to get different wood species to look more alike using a darker stain. Lighter floors are "in" now, but not too long ago, dark was in. Fashions tend to flip flop back and forth between the two. I am old enough to have seen this happen a couple times. :-) If you go with a medium brown you stick with it and ignore changing styles. In an older house this is more appropriate as well. If you just feel the house looks too dark, try to improve your lighting and maybe introduce some light colored rugs and/or upholstery.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    I think you need to remove the baseboards and why not just them instaed of playing around with maybe no right answer you like the trim it is everywhere make your life simple match it.

  • 3 years ago

    I am in the exact same boat, mine was built in 1904, with the same darker baseboards.

    #1: Our guy wasn't into doing a bunch of samples, but he's also the only one available willing to do the work. And I'm happy with his work. So take it with a grain of salt when people tell you what your guy should do. Contractors are scarce and they have more business than time to do it in so be gentle and flexible.

    #2: We decided it wasn't possible to match all the woods and all the trims. And therefore to just pick something we would like. Provincial is super popular for a reason, with everyone agreeing that it's a medium neutral brown. It doesn't match perfectly but it looks good so far. Our hope is that if we want to restain the trim someday (maybe) we will at least have a starting point of one stain color. If you try to match all the trim it won't be possible, and restaining every piece of trim is a lot to have to do. Here's some pics of the very beginning.



  • 3 years ago

    I like what you are saying about colour we like. We are currently choosing between a golden Oak and a Brandy. I love the look of the provincial as well

  • 3 years ago

    I just wanted to say Thank you for all the wonderful guidance I got from this forum. Here is the outcome without the top coat.