I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific
price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would
stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good
prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to
assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to
any color I desire?

On Saturday, January 4, 2014 10:02:54 AM UTC-6, SBH wrote:
I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific

price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would

stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good

prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to

assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to

any color I desire?

Staining wood is staining wood is staining wood. Of course you can stain, dye or color it the way you want.

You might want to consider a few things. First, the texture and appearance of oak and maple are quite different, and no matter how you stain it (unless it is and obscure chocolate brown or black) they will never match. Even then, in deep colors it will only match in color, not in texture. Maple is much finer in grain than oak as well, which can make it prone to a blotchy appearance when coloring.

White oak is the norm for older oak floors, but red oak has a large market share these days as well. White oak is difficult to stain unless you have some experience doing so as it doesn't absorb stains well. Red oak is almost never stained as it can be a nightmare in appearance due to soft and hard areas all on one board that take coloring differently, leading to an unacceptable appearance. So red oak is usually clear sealed, the amber nature of sealers giving it a tint of color.

The last thing to think about is the actual finish itself. If you existing floor is factory finished, the finish will be a complex formulation specifically designed for the flooring industry. It will be harder, thinner, and more color neutral than the material available to you. Usually they are developed to resist ambering as well.

This means that the finish you put on today that is applied to match the existing floor color may not match in just a few years. The "over the counter" materials available are very hard and wear resistant (and in some cases better than an original factory finish) but react differently to light, wear and moisture than factory finishes. Your stain/finish work that matches color (not texture) today will probably look a great deal different in 5 years.

If it were me, I would buy the maple if I liked it and color and finish it as a complimentary color rather than try to match it. That way when the finishes change, you won't notice.

Just my 02.

Robert

On Sat, 4 Jan 2014 09:59:06 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Saturday, January 4, 2014 10:02:54 AM UTC-6, SBH wrote:
I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific

price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would

stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good

prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to

assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to

any color I desire?

Staining wood is staining wood is staining wood. Of course you can stain, dye or color it the way you want.

You might want to consider a few things. First, the texture and appearance of oak and maple are quite different, and no matter how you stain it (unless it is and obscure chocolate brown or black) they will never match. Even then, in deep colors it will only match in color, not in texture. Maple is much finer in grain than oak as well, which can make it prone to a blotchy appearance when coloring.

White oak is the norm for older oak floors, but red oak has a large market share these days as well. White oak is difficult to stain unless you have some experience doing so as it doesn't absorb stains well. Red oak is almost never stained as it can be a nightmare in appearance due to soft and hard areas all on one board that take coloring differently, leading to an unacceptable appearance. So red oak is usually clear sealed, the amber nature of sealers giving it a tint of color.

The last thing to think about is the actual finish itself. If you existing floor is factory finished, the finish will be a complex formulation specifically designed for the flooring industry. It will be harder, thinner, and more color neutral than the material available to you. Usually they are developed to resist ambering as well.

This means that the finish you put on today that is applied to match the existing floor color may not match in just a few years. The "over the counter" materials available are very hard and wear resistant (and in some cases better than an original factory finish) but react differently to light, wear and moisture than factory finishes. Your stain/finish work that matches color (not texture) today will probably look a great deal different in 5 years.

If it were me, I would buy the maple if I liked it and color and finish it as a complimentary color rather than try to match it. That way when the finishes change, you won't notice.

Just my 02.

Robert
I'd say buy prefinished oak or ash in the colour you want. Pay a bit
more up front and a lot less hassle later. I bought my ash flooring
from a local mill, prefinished, for less than it would have cost to
put in raw flooring, sand it, stain it, and finish it - even if I
didn't make a single mistake and end up not liking what I had done.

Ash is less expensive than oak and is VERY close in colour, grain, and
texture to white oak With the emerald ash borer decimating the ash
tree population there is a LOT of ash available on the market -
bringing the price down considerably.

On 1/4/2014 12:59 PM, wrote:


Staining wood is staining wood is staining wood. Of course you can stain, dye or color it the way you want.

You might want to consider a few things. First, the texture and appearance of oak and maple are quite different, and no matter how you stain it (unless it is and obscure chocolate brown or black) they will never match. Even then, in deep colors it will only match in color, not in texture. Maple is much finer in grain than oak as well, which can make it prone to a blotchy appearance when coloring.

White oak is the norm for older oak floors, but red oak has a large market share these days as well. White oak is difficult to stain unless you have some experience doing so as it doesn't absorb stains well. Red oak is almost never stained as it can be a nightmare in appearance due to soft and hard areas all on one board that take coloring differently, leading to an unacceptable appearance. So red oak is usually clear sealed, the amber nature of sealers giving it a tint of color.

The last thing to think about is the actual finish itself. If you existing floor is factory finished, the finish will be a complex formulation specifically designed for the flooring industry. It will be harder, thinner, and more color neutral than the material available to you. Usually they are developed to resist ambering as well.

This means that the finish you put on today that is applied to match the existing floor color may not match in just a few years. The "over the counter" materials available are very hard and wear resistant (and in some cases better than an original factory finish) but react differently to light, wear and moisture than factory finishes. Your stain/finish work that matches color (not texture) today will probably look a great deal different in 5 years.

If it were me, I would buy the maple if I liked it and color and finish it as a complimentary color rather than try to match it. That way when the finishes change, you won't notice.

Just my 02.

Robert


Excellent advice. Thank you

On 1/4/2014 1:27 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 4 Jan 2014 09:59:06 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Saturday, January 4, 2014 10:02:54 AM UTC-6, SBH wrote:
I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific

price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would

stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good

prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to

assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to

any color I desire?

Staining wood is staining wood is staining wood. Of course you can stain, dye or color it the way you want.

You might want to consider a few things. First, the texture and appearance of oak and maple are quite different, and no matter how you stain it (unless it is and obscure chocolate brown or black) they will never match. Even then, in deep colors it will only match in color, not in texture. Maple is much finer in grain than oak as well, which can make it prone to a blotchy appearance when coloring.

White oak is the norm for older oak floors, but red oak has a large market share these days as well. White oak is difficult to stain unless you have some experience doing so as it doesn't absorb stains well. Red oak is almost never stained as it can be a nightmare in appearance due to soft and hard areas all on one board that take coloring differently, leading to an unacceptable appearance. So red oak is usually clear sealed, the amber nature of sealers giving it a tint of color.

The last thing to think about is the actual finish itself. If you existing floor is factory finished, the finish will be a complex formulation specifically designed for the flooring industry. It will be harder, thinner, and more color neutral than the material available to you. Usually they are developed to resist ambering as well.

This means that the finish you put on today that is applied to match the existing floor color may not match in just a few years. The "over the counter" materials available are very hard and wear resistant (and in some cases better than an original factory finish) but react differently to light, wear and moisture than factory finishes. Your stain/finish work that matches color (not texture) today will probably look a great deal different in 5 years.

If it were me, I would buy the maple if I liked it and color and finish it as a complimentary color rather than try to match it. That way when the finishes change, you won't notice.

Just my 02.

Robert
I'd say buy prefinished oak or ash in the colour you want. Pay a bit
more up front and a lot less hassle later. I bought my ash flooring
from a local mill, prefinished, for less than it would have cost to
put in raw flooring, sand it, stain it, and finish it - even if I
didn't make a single mistake and end up not liking what I had done.

Ash is less expensive than oak and is VERY close in colour, grain, and
texture to white oak With the emerald ash borer decimating the ash
tree population there is a LOT of ash available on the market -
bringing the price down considerably.

Will definitely take that into consideration.

Thank you

On 1/4/2014 11:59 AM, wrote:
On Saturday, January 4, 2014 10:02:54 AM UTC-6, SBH wrote:
I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific

price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would

stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good

prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to

assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to

any color I desire?

Staining wood is staining wood is staining wood. Of course you can stain, dye or color it the way you want.

You might want to consider a few things. First, the texture and appearance of oak and maple are quite different, and no matter how you stain it (unless it is and obscure chocolate brown or black) they will never match. Even then, in deep colors it will only match in color, not in texture. Maple is much finer in grain than oak as well, which can make it prone to a blotchy appearance when coloring.

White oak is the norm for older oak floors, but red oak has a large market share these days as well. White oak is difficult to stain unless you have some experience doing so as it doesn't absorb stains well. Red oak is almost never stained as it can be a nightmare in appearance due to soft and hard areas all on one board that take coloring differently, leading to an unacceptable appearance. So red oak is usually clear sealed, the amber nature of sealers giving it a tint of color.

The last thing to think about is the actual finish itself. If you existing floor is factory finished, the finish will be a complex formulation specifically designed for the flooring industry. It will be harder, thinner, and more color neutral than the material available to you. Usually they are developed to resist ambering as well.

This means that the finish you put on today that is applied to match the existing floor color may not match in just a few years. The "over the counter" materials available are very hard and wear resistant (and in some cases better than an original factory finish) but react differently to light, wear and moisture than factory finishes. Your stain/finish work that matches color (not texture) today will probably look a great deal different in 5 years.

If it were me, I would buy the maple if I liked it and color and finish it as a complimentary color rather than try to match it. That way when the finishes change, you won't notice.

Just my 02.

Robert


Totally agree with a complimentary color. Noting looks worse than to
try to match and miss.

On Sunday, January 5, 2014 12:08:45 AM UTC-6, Leon wrote:

Totally agree with a complimentary color. Noting looks worse than to

try to match and miss.

NO KIDDING!

And worse, if you miss and then try to correct coloring on a stained piece...

99% of the time you will find yourself farther and farther into complete replacement.

Robert

On Sun, 05 Jan 2014 00:08:45 -0600, Leon lcb11211@swbelldotnet
wrote:

On 1/4/2014 11:59 AM, wrote:
On Saturday, January 4, 2014 10:02:54 AM UTC-6, SBH wrote:
I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific

price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would

stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good

prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to

assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to

any color I desire?

Staining wood is staining wood is staining wood. Of course you can stain, dye or color it the way you want.

You might want to consider a few things. First, the texture and appearance of oak and maple are quite different, and no matter how you stain it (unless it is and obscure chocolate brown or black) they will never match. Even then, in deep colors it will only match in color, not in texture. Maple is much finer in grain than oak as well, which can make it prone to a blotchy appearance when coloring.

White oak is the norm for older oak floors, but red oak has a large market share these days as well. White oak is difficult to stain unless you have some experience doing so as it doesn't absorb stains well. Red oak is almost never stained as it can be a nightmare in appearance due to soft and hard areas all on one board that take coloring differently, leading to an unacceptable appearance. So red oak is usually clear sealed, the amber nature of sealers giving it a tint of color.

The last thing to think about is the actual finish itself. If you existing floor is factory finished, the finish will be a complex formulation specifically designed for the flooring industry. It will be harder, thinner, and more color neutral than the material available to you. Usually they are developed to resist ambering as well.

This means that the finish you put on today that is applied to match the existing floor color may not match in just a few years. The "over the counter" materials available are very hard and wear resistant (and in some cases better than an original factory finish) but react differently to light, wear and moisture than factory finishes. Your stain/finish work that matches color (not texture) today will probably look a great deal different in 5 years.

If it were me, I would buy the maple if I liked it and color and finish it as a complimentary color rather than try to match it. That way when the finishes change, you won't notice.

Just my 02.

Robert


Totally agree with a complimentary color. Noting looks worse than to
try to match and miss.
When you are on 2 different floors a few shades difference is totally
un-noticeable. I'm AS U ming by first and second floor he means
first and second STORY - not 2 rooms (floors) on the same story.

I might be wrong, but that's how it reads up here in snowy Ontario.

On 1/5/2014 4:08 PM, wrote:

When you are on 2 different floors a few shades difference is totally
un-noticeable. I'm AS U ming by first and second floor he means
first and second STORY - not 2 rooms (floors) on the same story.

I might be wrong, but that's how it reads up here in snowy Ontario.

You are correct. Upstairs and downstairs.

On Sun, 05 Jan 2014 17:01:14 -0500, Meanie
wrote:

On 1/5/2014 4:08 PM, wrote:

When you are on 2 different floors a few shades difference is totally
un-noticeable. I'm AS U ming by first and second floor he means
first and second STORY - not 2 rooms (floors) on the same story.

I might be wrong, but that's how it reads up here in snowy Ontario.

You are correct. Upstairs and downstairs.
Then a mismatch of a shade or two isn't even a consideration.. Put
ash upstairs.

On 1/4/2014 8:02 AM, Meanie wrote:
I'm in the hunt for hardwood floors and trying to stay within a specific
price range. I have oak floors on my first floor and normally, would
stick with the same for the upstairs project. I ran across a few good
prices on maple floor but prefer a little darker in color. Is it safe to
assume I can stain maple to closely match the oak or basically stain to
any color I desire?

Given that you can buy engineered flooring now for a decent price,
I'm not sure I would jump on a major flooring project.

You can buy "finished" flooring for under $4.00sq ft and it will
have a finish that is far exceeds anything you could do your self.

Consider some of the new "plank" flooring that is 9/16" and made of
several layers of wood and topped out with what ever finish and color
you could ever want.

http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/pr...ed/_/N-67oZ6wl

You can staple,nail,glue and snap together many different brands.