blending old and new hardwood floors

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The trend has been to add hardwood to most areas of the home, and we are often getting calls where customers would like to add wood to places where its missing such as the kitchen, entryway, family room or 2nd floorit all varies based on how your home was constructed. Its also smart to check if your sub-floor is consistent in height to the existing sub-floor for the other wood. You can learn more about red and white oak flooring here. Ideally, a lumber yard or home and garden shop will supply you with a color of flooring very similar to the original boards. Its important that the new area where youll be installing has 3/4 plywood sub-floor. But blending older or antique flooring with new oak flooring may present a seemingly insurmountable problem. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. You dont have to use bleaching techniques to achieve a whitewashed look. There really isnt an updated parquet. All rights reserved. I think having the bullnose black would look weird on the 2nd floor. Joanne From a technical standpoint, The boards should be perpendicular to the joists. Kevin You will have difficulty matching this unless you have the exact same item. And, if you are doing the latter, it wont last, especially in the kitchen. We are inserting 8 feet of glass doors into a wall that was separating a 3-season room from the kitchen. So, you trying to stain your red oak floors white? Note: there are some homes that have engineered hardwood, and this may be very difficult, if not impossible to match unless you know the manufacturer/item (and it is still made). Also, red oak is much more common for stair treads (vs. white oak) as the you need large pieces (and red oak trees grow wider, so its easier to find those cuts). They look COMPLETELY different. What is this WATER thing?? Chances are that would make them the same direction as the other room. Its find to switch widths/sizes. There are a lot of variables at play in your specific case, but here are a few general suggestions. Any ideas what else we can do? Can you suggest any options? Once we water popped the new wood only and applied stain, viola! We are purchasing a house that already has existing hardwood floors in the living room, dining room, and foyer area. Plus, you need to refinish a larger area. Most people prefer wider planks as it is more stylish and makes the room look larger. Parquet tends to have more color variation and the floors look busier. Any other species wont match the graining and doubtful it will match the color. Love your blog-this my go to resource so I am very upset with myself that all my reading/research ended in a fail. If the heights are different between rooms either a reducer or saddle can be used. Now we want to replace the slate kitchen floor, with wood but it has a large opening/transition to the existing floor, so getting it to look good together/next to each other is critical. For many, this is not an issue as many may want to change the color and/or it may be time to refinish the existing area due to normal wear and tear. How to transition hardwood foyer to new hardwood in adjacent rooms. Maybe try heartwood pine which is harder and has similar knots. Newer wood is lighter than older wood. Have beautiful light oak floors in all bedrooms just had same oak put in hallway to match. Tim Oh gosh, Im so sorry. You can learn more about this here: Solid vs engineered hardwood, You can learn more about red and white oak flooring here, Can you change the color of your hardwood floors, most popular stain colors for hardwood floors, read this article, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Policy. You will be able to match the original color, and the difference between the older and newer flooring will not be noticeable. The fir grain looks a lot like hard/heart pine but that is very expensive. If its not, you may want to explore removing another layer of plywood or adding some, pending the height difference. Here are some times where it can make visual sense to go wider: WAIT! Its up to you if that bothers you or not. Sometimes, theres a way to do it where you dont need to leave (if you can put up with the smell), but its hard for me to say since I cant see the layout of your home. My best guess is that you have 2 different species and/or grades. Valerie It can be done either way, but bear in mind that no matter which order you do it in, they WONT match. If you get the same thing, eventually they will look more similar. Thanks. We plan to put in 2 1/4 wood floors in kitchen one day to match the rest of the house(red oak). We are trying to lay wood down in the room right next to this floor. If it is, your height should be even. Would it look strange for my stair treads to match the upstairs red oak but have a different look downstairs? Obviously, it costs more to weave in wood. 1st floor looks good the 2nd floor is so dark and thick it looks like teriyaki sauce. We are replacing the living and dining rooms with wood. I am thinking of a sandy whitish wood look tile called Sahara Sand or something like it. felt pads, doggie socks, Ebook What to look for when buying a home with hardwood. Should the boards run in the same direction to the existing foyer and kitchen or can they be crossways? I would see if there is a way to do your house in 2 stages so that it could be done the right way. I want to put wood-look porcelain tiles in the kitchen/sunroom. Please leave us a review by clicking here. Wish I could send pics. Yes it's labor intensive but certainly not nearly as much as replacing all. But be sure to get same species so that later, you can refinish the other area(s) to match. Wipe up your spills, wipe your feet, sweep regularly and enjoy!!! Seal the floor with a polyurethane finish. Another option is to have some kind of border and or transition of wood, maybe a frame around the entire new area. You can learn more about this here: Solid vs engineered hardwood. You may also consider installing the wood on a diagonal as well. I have carpet on the lower ground floor level (family room) and top level (bedrooms. There is no one size fits all. separate, crack, etc.). Jo Yes, you can, if you like. Pending on above decisions and areas to be done, you may need some transition strips. And, yes, youll never find a red to work with it. That may be why. Required fields are marked *, $MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["e9ba73bf-1e8b-4c4a-909e-c54efc9e5793"]); }), $MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["8a8357c5-6054-40ff-9476-b14d83c919ad"]); }). That way it blended. You can learn more about hardwood flooring grades in this article. You can choose to run them in the opposite direction if that visually looks better, but if you are parallel to the joists, you will get more separation of the boards and more creaking. Sara I dont think that anything else will match it. Sand and stain? I would just do harder species and wider planks. Dale Yalanovsky has been writing professionally since 1978. Thinking the contrast can come in width and pattern? Thats too much and wasting wood and its life expectancy. So, you may want to consider contrasting the two. Usually you would have the bullnose be the same color as the oak in the hallway and that is probably your best bet, and then maybe you could refinish the steps to match. With the stain it may not be that different. But, of course, its not as simple as that. I had some wood patching done in several areas. Often you can go lighter or darker, pending your preference. We refinished our dining room floor and stained to match the new floor we had laid throughout the rest of the first floor. Any cities outside of our service area may incur a $50 bid charge. It will look different because its a different cut. To get the best continuous match through out you need to have a good wood floor company or carpenter get matching wood to install in the kitchen and "tooth-in" where the joints intersect between the kitchen and the appropriate rooms. And, if you do something close, it will probably look terrible and it may not even fit together at the tongue and groove. Each coat of polyurethane will make the floor tougher and more durable. Much of the kitchen wood was ruined from water damage but what wasn't was used for patching. Have you ever seen that work even though theres large entryways were this will butt up? Hi there! Houzz Pro: One simple solution for contractors and design pros. But, if the wood is flowing in the same direction, you may want to consider weaving it into the existing wood as it will make your space look larger. This leads into the next choice. This site is owned by The Flooring Girl LLC, a subsidiary of Dynamo Marketers. The entry way has a transition point into living room. The take out pieces near the area to be patched and put in new wood. Also, it doesnt hold up well in entryways due to all the gaps in the wood. (Its easier when its just a mix of darker stains). Its much easier to match if you have solid hardwood. Personally I Would consider NOT using wood in the kitchen because of water issues over time then you don't have to match. If youd like to know the most popular stain colors for hardwood floors, read this article. Its the color consistency that is most important. Looking to rip up tile in entry, kitchen, and dining room. I think you could do it a couple of different ways. I am wondering if yo could help me with our situation. Ive been contemplating this for two years. I want to replace the carpet on the bottom level, 3 flights of stairs, and master bedroom suite. San Jose Hardwood Floors Carpet & Vinyl Inc. Most houses in Westchester have solid hardwood flooring which is 3/4 thick. Mix and match the old with the new. Regarding what you have now, I cant help you with that. I would avoid herringbone as it tends to look busy, and you especially dont want that in a kitchen, where you have so many other things going on (cabinets, counter top, backsplash) and way too many joints between the pieces. I might look to contrast the color as it will never match not matter what you do. Are you about to sand your floors? You can see in these photos the issue we were facing. If you notice, you can clearly tell the difference between the new and old hardwood flooring. Nobody wants to see where replaced boards are throughout their home. Color after color and we couldnt get any to blend the two floors together. Even the dark stain colors you could tell the difference between the two floors. As you can see in the photos: The secret, water popping. I feel like the right thing to do is go with something completely different so it doesnt look like a bad match. I dont know enough to diagnose the exact problem so its hard to argue with. They say it looks like youre trying to match and you might as well go with a wider width. The graining will be different and the color will be slightly different. I have Pecan Wood flooring on my main floor (covering foyer, living, dining/kitchen/sunroom). The dining room floor, like yours, was laid in the wrong direction. If you go dark, virtually all types will work as dark is much more neutral and you dont have a many competing colors. if its an open floor plan from kitchen to family room or dining room), this may look a bit odd. The next step is to identify the grade of wood. But, the color will probably not match 100% because newer wood hasnt aged the same amount as older wood. This "water issue" that comes up all the time is absurd. Vilko This really depends on the stain of your floors. Then refinish all the areas that are affected. Gaynell Oh good. Looks fine. The old wood was much darker from all the years of wear and tear, so when we applied the stain you could see a significant difference between the two woods. Keep in mind this often to lead to extensive refinishing unless there are good transition points as joining old dry poly and newly applied poly can lead to an unattractive visible line. I found a matching color but porcelain tiles are 6X24. Importantly, if you are adding the same species of wood to your floors, you have the option of refinishing all the floors and changing all of the colors so they are uniform. Also the old floor will be sanded down and both floors will be stained with Rubio Monocoat pure stain. All that aside, Id be remiss if I didnt mention that I think it would be MUCH SMARTER to do solid hardwood, especially in a kitchen where it will wear down and need to be refinished. I would be more inclined to pick out the kitchen floor first and then test stains on the maple next to it to see what you like. They look great but have lightened and become more golden. Hi Kimberly. We want to put hardwood in the entryway and kitchen, but can we chose a completely different wood type and darker stain? Im of course assuming the room will be heated thoughout the year. The challenge was that we had to water pop the NEW wood only and not the old wood. DOWNLOAD YOUR FLOOR TIMELINE HERE! I now want to do living, dining, and hallway (all on the same level) the bedrooms used unfinished and I am considered pre-finished for white oak for the new areas because leaving my house is not an option. I even had the contractor come back to screen and recoat the original flooring bc the sheen looked way different. 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So my question what might look best wider planks, maybe herringbone in a different species stained on sight to match? Avoid these common pitfalls that can impact your floors durability! Multiple coatings can be added to darken the stain to the precise color that you are looking for. And, a 4th reason for changing direction may be to avoid weaving in the hardwood. Its important to look at height, type, species, grade, width, color and direction of wood. I have 2 1/4 red oak select grade floor in living room. Then it all is sanded, stained, and finished. Each floor still looks so different. (Note: Its very challenging to weave in new wood if you have pine floors since the woods are milled at different widths vs 100+ years ago so the pieces will not line up). Assuming you have solid hardwood, sanding and staining may solve, but she may also need to do a transition piece (same wood) so that its safer. Im hoping to have them all stained a medium walnut stain (after sanding the existing floor). This will more commonly occur with more modern types of flooring. and, of course herringbone is more expensive. Should you weave in the hardwood to the existing wood? Another reason for this could be if one wants to change the width of the wood in the new area. New floor boards purchased to replace damaged or broken ones are probably not going to match the old flooring precisely. The stairs and 2nd floor are so far apart. We are changing the diningroom from carpet to wood floors. (This assumes you hire a professional hardwood sanding company). Most Westchester houses, especially those built before 2000 have the standard 2 1/4 strips. If you weave in new hardwood, you must sand and refinish the existing room where the new unfinished wood has been woven in. There is a guy here in Tulsa that does this with turn of the century homes all the time, like where a grate has been removed, or damage has occurred. Alternatively, if you are not crazy about the color you have, then do a large color contrast. (And, by the way, you will never find tile planks that match the size of the wood, especially since most wood varies in length and tile just cant be that long to be practical. If the wood is the same height, you may be able to do a flush saddle. I recently added new red oak hardwood after ripping up the tile entryway and kitchen to my existing hardwood floor. Thank you so much for responding to my question. This is generally the simplest to figure out. That isn't necessarily the case, however. Anytime you have a room that may get below 50 degrees, most flooring surfaces can get ruined (e.g. This is yet another reason to stick with more tradtional woods. Best way would be to go to many hardwood stores. This is a job where an experienced pro will make a difference in the final look. Also if you do a high grade water based poly (such as Bona Traffic), it wont smell as much, especially if you are doing natural, and it will dry faster. I agree, I would contrast it. The good news is that its usually fairly easy to match your existing hardwood for a harmonious look. Vicki -Im not sure what to advise you. This is such an important visual point because they are next to each other right in the middle of the house I am not sure what to do Than you for any advice! (quartersawn will not give you the look). Once the stain dries, apply a finish coat of sealer to replicate the original flooring. Will it work? Sand the new piece smooth and apply the stain. Its a house on the water in NJ. Please note that these are products I know/use and recommend to my customers. For more info, check out my Ebook Top 6 Hardwood Refinishing FAQs. So, most likely the newer wood would be a bit lighter than the existing wood. Hi! Also recognize that most prefinished oaks are red oak, so you will definitely need to shop around to find white oak and the shade you currently have, so it may be a bit time consuming. Both would look good in your home especially if it is Victorian (hoping it is). First, it will probably never match exactly, no matter what you do. (Note: if you have a concrete sub-floor this will make it much more difficult (and likely more expensive) to install solid hardwood. Do you have any recommendations on what might look nice? I dont know what spruce floors even look like, so I dont know a wood that would be similar. This is a judgment call both in terms of aesthetics and budget. Is my flooring contractor bad at what he does or is this an expected downside of trying to match new and old floors? We just got our first and second floor done in Bona antique brown with a satin finish. That is one of the problems with the woods that are photosensitive. Wood has been in kitchens for eons if you have a flood no matter floor you have there will be need for replacement. From a previous project, I have about 100 sq feet of 3/4 x 5 hand-scraped Hickory. Some people say its impossible to get the exact same width in new wood. This technique works well if only a few boards of the old flooring need to be replaced. Gaynell Yes, unfortunately pecan flooring is very challenging to match. Yalanovsky also writes a bimonthly column that provides home improvement advice. So, I would change the species and the width. Clean and vacuum the floor. Do you have ideas? We are remodeling a house with 117 yr old maple flooring in the living room. Tips on Connecting an Existing Hardwood Floor With a New Hardwood Floor, How to Repair a Wood Floor That Has Been Oversanded, How to Bleach Dark Spots From Wood Floors, Minwax: Tips and Pitfalls of Stain Matching, Hometime-Additions: Golden Rules of Remodeling, The best air purifying plants for your home, How to Change an Existing Wooden Floor Color, How to Have a Wood Floor Refinished Without Chemicals, How to Match Wood Finishes to a Wood Floor. The good news overall is that wood is pretty neutral and people mix woods all the time and it looks good/fine, but if you can go darker with the wood, it will generally look better. If you have tile below, then yes, you should match the wood with what is upstairs. Most homes in Westchester County have hardwood floors, at least in some areas of the house. Image: Right sample (water popped new floor only) Solution!! We have a house in NJ from 1895 and our contractor was just told that we have spruce floors downstairs. Amy Oh yes, I think that can work very well and will look better than the 2 1/4 as long as you do same species/same color. But, I suppose spruce is a type of pine, and probably not very durable. If you want to separate it, do something different (e.g. In my opinion "almost" matching can lead to something looking like a mistake while a different color or design looks like an intentional choice. Want to see the floor cleaning products I recommend? Change direction, add the flooring , sand all and finish and RELAX. Shannon Oh yes, this and you will NEVER get it to match, even if you used douglas fir. First, recognized that unfinished will probably look better and certainly match what you have; prefinished wont match and you have microbevel edges, so it will be shaped differently. And, if you do engineered now and later switch, you will have a LOT of height issues with appliances. Get samples put down to make sure the color is right if you do try to match. Alternatively, you can also hire a professional contractor to do the job. Id recommend that she call a professional for this. Jen, I think Jan has a good suggestion. What could have happened? And we even went with wider boards in the new section. All of these should be made of matching hardwood so that they look like they belong. Downstairs I have tile that I want to replace. Replace the damaged flooring with the new piece, and no one will be able to tell the difference. If the new wood is parallel to existing wood, this is a non-issue as wood does not need to be woven in; rather, it would just be laid next to existing wood. The standard sizes for solid oak flooring is 2 1/4, 3 1/4, 4 and 5. That's ridiculous! I dont think Ive ever seen Spruce floors here in NY. If your house was built in the 1920s or before, there is a good chance that you have one of these species. Most homes in Westchester and the East Coast have oak flooring. Normally all the stair treads would be the same as the floor color. And, width would have nothing to do with this. Copyright 2011-2022 | All Rights Reserved. But, porcelain could work as its frost resistant. We have parquet flooring in living/dining room. Once you choose, you cant easily undo your decision years later. If you had oak on 1st floor and some sort of pine/douglas fir on the 2nd, that could explain the difference. He has been published in "Woman's Day," "New Home Journal" and on many do-it-yourself websites. Sanding and restaining a floor is a very labor-intensive job and may not be a suitable alternative for everyone. The slight variation in colors will give the flooring character, forming a kind of custom pattern. I agree with feeny, why waste such a desirable element as existing hardwood floors. Kitchens wear down faster, so they usually need to be sanded more often. The kitchen and 3 season room floors are the same level. Since 2013, we've been refinishing and installing hardwood floors in homes and businesses throughout the Kansas City area with an unmatched level of service and quality. They just want you to buy all new floor. Its also very possible that the old wood was white and the new is red oak. Or, tile can work too, but its cold and hard on your feet. Although they were done approx 8 months apart, my existing floors and newly installed floors were applied the same stain (jaco/grey custom) and same finish (water based satin). Theres much more to it so peep this! Any suggestions? Sorry about delayed responseI get a lot of comments and somehow this one got buried. Please note that this article may contain affiliate links. I have red oak floors in my great room upstairs that currently are the old orange red color that red oak often is. Thank you so much for sharing this useful tips. I have hardwood floors throughout my house except the kitchen and connected sunroom. .."new" wood won't patch in and blend very well with old wood unless you're sure you can get an exact match. My contractor is refusing to negonize the difference and blind to issues. You can learn more about the most common flooring species here. You could find a flooring specialist that will take the time and effort to lace the old and new together before refinishing, it may still be evident, but not noticeable in a negative way. Alternatively, you can consider adding a flush saddle (or a full saddle) to separate the new and old areas. We will need to put hardwood floors in the kitchen and family room and to avoid replacing the existing hardwood what would you suggest to have a more uniform flooring throughout? Or something else. The older woods have a shine to them at certain angles. On steps, you will probably want to do oak hardwoodif you try pecan, it will probably be next to impossible to find treads in pecan and prohibitively expensive. I am thinking about adding wood to foyer (to replace tile and minimize flooring types). We want to get rid of the carpet in the living room and would like to match with the adjacent family room wood. Classysass. my house is 100 years old and the wood in the kitchen was damaged from water sometime before I owned it. No, I dont. Will a wider, more stylish plank still work? Would it be odd to have different size planks where the floor transitions from dining room (old wood) to kitchen (proposed new floors) and foyer (old wood) to kitchen?

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