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robinlmorris

White Oak Floors: Can I keep them natural or would staining be best?

Robin Morris
hace 5 años
última modificación:hace 5 años

Hello!

Our new white oak floors were just installed. Originally, we were planning on staining the wood, but looking at our new kitchen, we love the floors exactly how they are.... the natural light wood goes beautifully with our cabinet colors.

I am worried that whatever finish we use will drastically change the look of the floors. I dislike yellowy/orangey floors.... What is the best product for keeping the floors looking natural looking? Or is it better to stain the floor more brown to prevent yellowing?

My flooring contractor is doing two samples for us in Bona Mega (one satin and one matte). Is this a good product for what we are looking for or would Bona Naturale or Bona Nordic be better (what is the difference)?

Or would it look nicer with a darker stain...

Here is a picture of our kitchen with the floor freshly laid:



No lighting installed yet, so the island looks more gray than it is in real life... it is actually BM Valley Forge Tan and the outer cabinets are BM Swiss Coffee. Walls will be BM Pale Oak.

This was my inspiration photo for the floor and the cabinets:


Sprawling One Story · Más información


Although our range will be blue (ral 5024)!

Thanks in advance!

Respuesta destacada
  • Robin Morris
    Autor original
    hace 4 años

    Here is one at night and one during the day:

    Comentarios (44)

    • PRO
      Bassett Furniture Design Studio
      hace 5 años

      Natural finished floors have become more and more popular in the past few years. Your flooring contractor can suggest a good sealer / finish that will keep the color you are seeing without adding the orange - yellow color you do not want. I always suggest samples even if you have to pay extra to get multiple samples. Getting it right on a sample will guarantee a good out come. Please post photos of the samples so that we can see where you are headed.

    • K R
      hace 5 años
      I think the color is beautiful as is! I agree, seal it and keep it! Getting the perfect stain color is often very hard to achieve.
      Robin Morris agradeció a K R
    • mark_rachel
      hace 5 años

      I love our natural floors!! We went with a matte finish & I love it!! It hides everything. Beautiful choice!

      Robin Morris agradeció a mark_rachel
    • ILoveRed
      hace 5 años

      Here is a pic of our sample colors on white oak (live Sawn).

      Our floor guy put a coat of finish over the samples for a more realistic pic of what it looks like. The natural bare wood will not look exactly like the natural with finish. But it is still beautiful. Water based products. Can’t recall the name.

      #1 is natural in my samples.

      Robin Morris agradeció a ILoveRed
    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      As I said, my flooring contractor is doing samples of the Bona Mega. I will post pictures when I get them. I wonder if that is the best product as I keep reading about Loba Invisible, Bona Natural, and Bona Nordic... I wonder if I should ask for samples of those as well to save time.

      mark_rachel, glad you love your matte floors. I hear some people don't like them matte, but I really don't want shiny.

      Thanks!

    • LynneO
      hace 5 años
      We did Rubio Monocoat in a cotton white matte finish on our white oak floors. I too, didn’t want them to yellow. They don’t look exactly like they did before they were finished, they almost look pickled, but we were very pleased with how the turned out and the Matt finish seems impervious to scratches from the dogs nails.
      Robin Morris agradeció a LynneO
    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      ILoveRed, I love #2 in your picture. Surprised that 1 was the natural.

    • PRO
      G & S Floor Service
      hace 5 años

      Loba invisible and Bona Natural is all you need for samples.

      Robin Morris agradeció a G & S Floor Service
    • ILoveRed
      hace 5 años

      Robin...#2 was something Nutmeg. I will try to find the actual name of the color. It was a very pretty color. Close to Natural with just a tiny bit of color. My samples look shiny because my floor guy uses 2 coats of finish. Floors are covered with paper until house is done then he uses 2 more coats with the last coat being satin.

      i ended up choosing the last sample which is just a nice medium brown but I love the Natural.

      Robin Morris agradeció a ILoveRed
    • Sammy
      hace 5 años

      ILoveRed: I’m sure you’ve mentioned it in a different thread, but what are the specs of that beautiful floor? Also, did the knots get filled or...how do you keep them from getting full of gunk? They’re so warm and pretty—love ‘em!

      Robin Morris agradeció a Sammy
    • Sammy
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      Ooh...a blue range. How fun! Regarding the stain: you might as well sample a nice medium brown while you’re in sampling mode. It can’t hurt!

      Robin Morris agradeció a Sammy
    • tatts
      hace 5 años

      Natural.

      Robin Morris agradeció a tatts
    • cookncarpenter
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      Best to go no stain as G&S and tatts say.
      Easy to touch up in the future, and never have to guess at the stain formula...

      Robin Morris agradeció a cookncarpenter
    • PRO
      GannonCo
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      You probably chose the wrong wood for your floor as white oak does turn an amber color although at a medium rate. A lot of time the stains look good at first and then turn an odd color as the wood does change color. Yes, UV coats will stops a good amount but the wood and the tannins will change, Its real wood and its a yellow orange wood?

      Engineered wood with a factory applied finish would be more stable and less chance of changing color and would be a better choice.

      Not bashing but i am amazed at how many people pick wood based on a color they have in their heads vs what the color of the actual wood looks like. There are posts daily of red oak that they want to look like walnut or ???

      We are so used to seeing these perfect engineered finishes that when real wood is highlighted for its tonal qualities it for some reason is though to be wrong.

      I would have a serious talk with your refinisher and have a clear understanding of what you want as if I built something out of white oak an the person told me I don't like the tones of white oak I would pass on the job. I am not sure you will be happy without a dark uniform gel type stain.

      I like most think natural oak that does age is beautiful. Understand what you have and what it will look like in five years. I say just let it age naturally.


      That inspiration photo is most likely an engineered wood as it has as look at the wood itself vs your own. You can see little to no variances vs yours.

      I

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      wannabath, I spent a lot of time considering my options as I am super picky and detail oriented. I did not want prefinished floors because I do not want any grooves at all. I love the smooth look and easy cleaning of site finished. The other important factor was hardness (Janka rating). If it wasn't for Janka, I would have picked walnut in a hot minute (I almost did anyway). I looked hard to find a wood species that makes for good durable flooring that isn't busy and doesn't have yellow/red tones... there are none! I looked for months (and talked to the flooring guy and designer), so I'm making the best of it with the white oak. That is why I'm on this site asking for advice, so I can pick the best product to get the closest to what I vision (the inspiration photo was for colors... I don't want a lot of variation).

      Are you suggesting that a dark gel based stain would work best to prevent ambering? I guess worst case we can refinish the floors when it gets too yellowy.

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      Btw, I emailed my flooring guy asking for a bunch of samples including a browner one and a white one based on all your responses so thanks!

      Here is a better picture of the room:

      I will update with sample pictures when I get them. Thanks!

    • lucky998877
      hace 5 años

      Beautiful, open space with high ceilings and lots of light cabinets. I would absolutely ground it with a medium tone flooring.

      Robin Morris agradeció a lucky998877
    • sunsoleil
      hace 5 años

      We just had our floors done and they use Bona Naturale. It virtually looks like the raw wood. It was not at all what I was expecting, but I think it was a happy accident and I’m liking the look.

      Robin Morris agradeció a sunsoleil
    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      So they finally got some samples down. They don't have the clear coat yet, but I can get an idea. So far I really don't like the natural once it has a finish... it is way too orange. We tried to pick a few other colors off the stain sheets from bona, but they look very different (DF6 is so ugly!). So far I like the Bona Birch best.

      Not sure if I should ask for more samples. It is impossible to pick stains off these stain sheets.


      https://www.bona.com/Global/Documents/United%20States/Sales%20Brochures/Sales%20Brochure%20Bona%20DriFast%20Stain%20%20Classic%20US.pdf


      https://neufert-cdn.archdaily.net/uploads/product_file/file/51923/Sales_Brochure_Bona_DriFast_Stain_US_Blends.pdf


      I do like the birch, but I wonder if I should ask for more samples since I only like one of them... not sure what to ask for though. Really rough!


      For others wanting the natural look that read this thread, I think the nordic looks way more natural than the natural.

      Here is a close up of the natural, df6 (yuck), nordic, and birch before the finish




    • Little Bird
      hace 5 años
      I like the Birch too - it looks very natural and similar to your inspiration photo. Runner up would be Nordic. Look forward to seeing your finished kitchen!
      Robin Morris agradeció a Little Bird
    • ILoveRed
      hace 5 años

      Nice! Lots of great choices. So difficult to choose.

      Robin Morris agradeció a ILoveRed
    • ILoveRed
      hace 5 años

      Sammy...sorry, I just saw your question. My floors are Live Sawn White Oak. Very rustic. The holes were filled with epoxy and are very smooth but you wouldn’t know it without actually touching them. An Amish gentleman did our floors. He got them from the following...

      http://alleghenymountainhardwoodflooring.com/


    • Mid America Mom
      hace 5 años

      I like that matte nordic and birch too :-)

      Robin Morris agradeció a Mid America Mom
    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      Thanks! You all lessen my anxiety. It is such a big decision!

      The nordic is my second favorite as well...

      Oddly I discovered the birch stain because when I did research I found this blog:

      https://www.mommytomax.com/natural-looking-white-oak-floors/

      And I really loved the before pictures with the birch stain way more than her after pictures. To each their own!


    • PRO
      Oak & Broad
      hace 5 años

      Those are really beautiful floors! I'm a big fan of Live Sawn White Oak. We did a similar project in Indianapolis.

    • Keiko Childs
      hace 5 años

      My favorites are also Birch then Nordic. I wonder what a 50/50 mix would look like?

    • netska09
      hace 5 años

      Hi Robinmorris - What did you end up choosing? I'm deciding between Birch and NordicSeal. I heard Birch covers up the wood grain more - could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference. It might look more uniform then.

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      We are going with the Birch as even the Nordic was too orangey. I do like a more neutral grain... I originally wanted maple, but was told that it will not take stain well, so white oak it was.

      It is being stained now. Should be able to post a few picts sometime soon!

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      So I saw the floors through the window on the weekend, but couldn't step on them. Yesterday they were so covered I could only see them under the fridge, dishwasher, and stove area. From what I could see they look great. Here are the best pictures I could get:

      Leaning into the house from the laundry area:



      From the front door:



      Under the fridge:



    • jellytoast
      hace 5 años

      Beautiful!

      Robin Morris agradeció a jellytoast
    • K R
      hace 5 años
      So pretty!
      Robin Morris agradeció a K R
    • byac
      hace 5 años

      This discussion was so helpful...we are looking for the same look with our white oak floors. Love the unfinished look and the birch stain looks amazing.

      Robin Morris agradeció a byac
    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      Thanks byac. Glad it was helpful. We have been living in the house for a bit and still love the floors.

    • hawami
      hace 4 años

      I realize this is an old posting but do you need to put a sealant such as nordic seal before applying the actual stain (in this case Birch)?


      How many coats of sealant and stain are recommended?


      Thank you!

    • PRO
      G & S Floor Service
      hace 4 años
      Última modificación: hace 4 años

      No sealer if, applying a stain. One coat is all you need.

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 4 años

      You wouldn't use nordic and and a stain as the nordic had a tint, but you absolutely need a sealer. After the birch stain was applied we used 3 coats of Bona Mega matte. My GC said he would never use a flooring company that does less then 3 coats of sealer because he'd get complaints that they don't hold up.

      Our floors still look great.

    • hawami
      hace 4 años

      @Robin Morris Thank you so much for your response! So just to recap do stain and then 3 costs of sealer. Any reason why you used Mega Matte vs Traffic HD? Do they produce differing effect on the stain?


      Thank you again!

    • PRO
      G & S Floor Service
      hace 4 años

      Don't be confused between sealers and finish coats (polyurethanes). Most manufacturers only recommend 1 coat of sealer, unless it is a film building sealer like Nordic or Amberseal. Manufacturers will recommend 2-3 coats of finish coats (polyurethane). More than one coat of a non-film building sealer will cause adhesion issues.

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 4 años

      I'm not sure about the terminology, but I do know that Bona recommends 2-3 coats of Mega or Traffic after staining.

      I think I went with the Bona Mega because it is what the contractor recommended and showed me a sample of... I also was concerned the Traffic would not have as much of a matte finish as the Mega. The traffic is probably better, but as we are a no shoes, no pets, and no kid (except for visitors) household, it wasn't a big concern for us.

    • Alison Winther
      hace 4 años

      Robin do you mind posting a final pic of your home to see the floors? I'm going through same color selection dilemma...

    • Laurence
      hace 4 años

      @Robin Morris,

      Im a bit confused between the terminology of "sealer" and "finish coat", but I love the look on your floors! Are they glossy or completely matte. I like the look in broad day light better than at night!


      Just to make sure, you applied one coat of Bona Birch and then 3 coats of another stain which is Bone Mega? (Looking at your samples picture, bone mega looked darker and orangier...)


      I'm trying to get my white oak cabinets to have a neutral look as well!

    • Robin Morris
      Autor original
      hace 4 años
      Última modificación: hace 4 años

      @LaurenceI don't know if it is too late to help you, but yes the floors have a matte finish. You are correct that we applied the Bona Birch stain and then 3 coats of Bona Mega in a matte finish. The Bona Mega is not a stain. It is a sealer that protects the floors from wear and tear. Good Luck.

    • A L
      hace 3 años

      Hi Robin, are your floors select and better white oak or #1 or #2? Trying to determine how closely my floors would look to yours if I go with Bona Birch as well. Thank you!

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