new hardwood should I do white oak or match my red oak downstairs

last year

Hi, I just purchased a home that was built in 1999 and so the downstairs has nice red oak hardwood flooring while the upstairs had dingy old carpeting. Pulled the carpeting now need to put in hardwood. My flooring guy recommended doing unfinished hardwood. I might refinish the stairs and will be doing a new runner. As of right now my red oak downstairs is sealed but not stained so it’s natural colored. I don’t really like the red oak though feels too orange red. I’m also trying to modernize the home because the previous owners didn’t do much since 99 so it’s still stuck there. I really like the look of natural white oak floors but I’m not sure if it would be odd to have red oak downstairs and white oak upstairs. Many have said this is a personal preference which it is but I just don’t know. Also some may recommend refinishing the downstairs red oak too but that’s just out of the budget at the moment and the floor is still in really good shape. Also to note my current downstairs is 2 1/4 hardwood and the new upstairs floor will be 3 1/4 it’s just what my family and I preferred. So basically is it okay to have an entirely different floor color and look upstairs or is that potentially a bad thing/bad look overall.

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Comments (4)

arcy_gw
last year
I THINK you don't prefer the red oak--your first sentence compliments it but then you spent the rest of the time pointing out its flaws....SOO NO do not put in anything YOU don't prefer!! Think of it this way if you were 'updating to sell' you would choose wrong 99% of the time!!! Which is why you do what you are at the front end so SOMEONE enjoys it!! Also two floors different floors is pretty normal. Sort of like what you have now.
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G & S Floor Service
last year
Stick with red oak. If, you do go light, at least it will match when you do the stairs, then the downstairs. If, you are going dark. It doesn't matter as much.
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dan1888
last year
There are refinishing products to lessen the red in oak. Ciranova has a Pink Blocker L ink. Bona has Red Out. Here's another-

You can finish with zero gloss water poly that does not yellow the wood. Cranova has Ecofix Plus and Woodlook Plus. Bona has Traffic HD and Nordic. The look that is popular is flat cut Western European quercus robur Oak. This species is denser without the open grain of domestic red and white oak. You can see lots of sources for this product, including Monarch Plank Link. And Forestry Timber. Link. 7 to 12" wide engineered planks can show off the wood structure of flat cut. You can't get that with solid wood planks 4" wide.

How do you get the best looking floor? Here's a plan. Test your red oak to see if when sanded and dered and finished with water ploy, you like the look. Now comes the hard to evaluate part. I'd consider carefully pulling the 1st floor wood and lightening and refinishing it for use upstairs. Then get a wide flat cut rustic or prime European Oak engineered plank for the 1st floor. DIY may help in budgeting. The Flooret direct to consumer $5.50 7" wide Silvan option may help. Link. Stairs are Silvan Lyon.
grapefruit1_ar
last year
How fortunate you are to have a home with beautiful classic floors. I woukd not change them at all. The color works with everything.