The Fixer Upper: Refinished Hardwood Floors

Monday, July 9, 2012

This was my sneak peek photo a few days ago:



If you've been following along since we bought this Fixer Upper a few short weeks ago, you'll know that Alex's parents will eventually be living in it as tenants. In an ideal world we would have a good six months to fix up the place before they move in, but with a second mortgage to cover we need to get them in as soon as possible.

That creates a wee bit of a time crunch. We've been in a mad rush to get the interior in a semi-livable state by the end of July. That's the end of this month, folks. Ahhhhhh!

One of the biggest decisions we've had to make so far was whether or not to leave the floors as-is or to get them re-refinished. Let me explain.

As you can see in the original photos, the floors were in rough shape. You can see that the old wax finish was totally worn off in spots and the bare wood was showing through.



When we bought the house from The Flippers, they had already refinished the floors. They chose to use a dark walnut stain (I think they chose a dark finish to make the house more modern looking). In my experience so far, I've noticed that really old floors don't take dark stain very well. I think that's what might have happened in this case.

The stain didn't really penetrate the wood. It created a layer on top of the wood, making it look more like black paint than chocolate brown stain. Because the stain and varnish were basically sitting on the wood, any scratches or marks took the stain right off. Black floors with orange scratches were not the look we were going for with the house. Also, there were random holes all over the house that were left over from wires, plumbing, and non-functional cold-air returns. From a design perspective, such dark floors in such a teeny tiny house made it seem so small and confined.  



So we had a huge decision to make. We could keep the newly done dark floors that showed every speck of dust, every footprint, and every tiny scratch. If we were real house flippers this would have been the practical decision since they were just done.

Or, we could pay the extra money to have newly refinished floors in a natural colour that would open the space up and be more durable for the long term. We also considered that the house was already empty and the trim and baseboards were already off in every room making floor refinishing that much easier.

So, we went for it. We called the same company that refinished our second-story floors (if you'd like to know the company name just shoot me an email). They gave us a quote and we decided it would be worth it. We crossed our fingers and hoped for the best, as there was a chance that some of the walnut stain had seeped down into the cracks. We also didn't know if the original floor had any stains or water damage on it.

Here is the only photo I have of the floors up close. You can see where the stain didn't absorb into the cracks in between the wood. You can also see a bunch of scratches and how the stain doesn't show any of the wood grain. (The floor guys had started to hand-scrape around the cabinets at this point.)

Floors with dark stain.

The next few photos show where the floor guys had to repair the flooring. Luckily we had a stack of birch flooring in our basement that we salvaged from a house down the street.

Floors being patched.

Floors being patched.

Floor patch where there was a heat register.

Floor patch where there was a huge cold-air return.

Once we went in and saw how the floors looked after sanding, we knew we had made the right choice. Check out the difference!

Floors after sanding.

Floors after sanding.

The latest pictures I took were of the floors almost finished. They still need the third sanding and third coat of varnish. But I think you'll be able to tell what a HUGE difference this has made.

Kitchen area with refinished floors.

Dining area with refinished floors.

Living room area with floors refinished.

Two large floor patches were done in this area.

Master bedroom with floors refinished.

Small bedroom with floors refinished.

Now, let's do a comparison of the floors refinished with dark stain and the floors refinished with their natural colour:

Living room area.

Second bedroom.
As you can probably guess, this change has made a huge impact on the whole vibe of the house. The whole place is so much brighter and airier. The floors look almost brand-new (with the exception of a few small stains in the wood in two places). We are SO HAPPY that we splurged to get this done.

Could we have lived with the dark floors? Yes. But when they had so much more potential, we just had to go for it.

Whaddaya think? Another senseless splurge or worth the extra time and money?

P.S. Thank you to everyone who has left supporting comments on all of these Fixer Upper posts. Your encouragement is making this whole experience that much better and more exciting!

40 comments:

  1. Beautiful! The floors look sooo much better, Sarah!

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  2. Way worth it. Absolutely.

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  3. Oh wow, what a difference! Definitely the right choice!

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  4. You both made the right decision, what a difference, just beautiful! I know the grandparents are going to love it!

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  5. Those floors are gorgeous. With a capital G!! They are exactly the kind of floors i want for my dining room and i wanted to refinish the original floorboards but unfortunately when we took the carpet up, only half the room was boards and the other half was concrete :'-( so we're having to buy new wooden floor to lay over... boo!!!

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  6. WOW! so light and bright and beautiful!

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  7. So worth it and great logic too. Lucky that the patches worked out so well too. They now look so fresh and bright. What a huge huge difference you are making.

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  8. Best choice! They look great and so cheery and sunny.

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  9. Dark floors are a pain...and they're very trendy. Best to go classic. The floors look much better now! Great choice.

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  10. I daydream about putting hardwoods in our house on a daily basis and I've been going back and forth about whether I want a natural or dark stain. This post totally confirms my decision to go with a natural look. It's SO MUCH BETTER than the dark! Good luck with the rest of your renovations!

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  11. makes a huge difference! you guys deff made the right choice those floors are beautiful!

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  12. Wow, it looks fantastic! I have never cared for dark wood flooring which is why we just had lighter wood flooring installed in our kitchen. It's so much cheerier IMO. I think you made a great decision.

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  13. The difference is remarkable!! It's like night and day!! I've thought that if we ever have wood floors I'd prefer dark, but not now. Wow, I really love it!!! :)

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  14. Wow! What a HUGE improvement. Totally worth the splurge!

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  15. The floors look fabulous. I know it must have been a big expense, but you have added so much value to the home. It's so bright and cheery. I'm sure that is what you want for your husband's parents!

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  16. Things are looking really good and REALLY fast! Holy!! Good for you guys! The floor makes such a big difference in the room...even though, personally i like the dark stain more but i see what you mean that the room is a lot brighter and airier with the natural finish. I think it'll look perfect with your them that you have in mind! Can't wait to see more updates! EXCITING!!!

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  17. The floors look fabulous, and what a huge impact. Well worth the added expense.

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  18. They look awesome, Sarah! Good decision! Can't believe how much you are getting done in such a short amount of time:)

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    1. Sarah, what's your email? It's not on your blogger profile page and I want to write you back when you leave your awesome comments!

      :)

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  19. That looks beautiful, Sarah! I'd say that was a smart decision :)

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  20. Absolutely Gorgeous and so worth the money. I too love dark floors, but they require more dusting and care and so I think for you in-laws this is perfect. Light and bright and easy care...

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  21. AnonymousJuly 09, 2012

    money well spent! Those dark floors were unforgiving as far as dirt and scratches...who wants to live with that? Plus because they are so easily marked you would probably have to do something when it does come time to sell, plus these floors are more versatile for a variety of decorating styles, plus if they make the place "look" bigger the buyer feels it is. Lots of pluses here...I really think you guys made the smart choice. ~Dawne

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  22. While I do love the look of dark hardwoods, you were spot on in going natural. It's almost as though the old stain was pretty much a solid color, not showing any of the grain, which is one of the things I love about hardwoods in the first place. It just looks so bright and beautiful!!

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  23. Wow so much brighter! Looking Good!!

    Marie

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  24. They look absolutely worth every cent!

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  25. Wow looks awesome!!! I think you will be glad you did this! I was in a new house last week with dark wood floors and they showed EVERYTHING!!!! Good move! Nancy

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  26. totally agree- 110% worth it!! Way better refinished! Looks great!

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  27. SOO worth it. They are beautiful

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  28. BEAUTIFUL. Really, really. I just love them. I love a dark walnut finish - but only in the appropriate setting if that makes sense? And the natural showcases all that amazing wood. Keep up the good work! Awesome!

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  29. Spectacular. SO much nicer. The floors were the first thing I noticed in the photos of what it looked like after the renos had been started and I was disappointed!

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  30. Looks Amazing! I totally agree that it was worth the time, money, and effort! So Bright and cheery now!

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  31. LOVE the new floors girl. Much better!!! A friend of mine has the dark and yes they do show every thing! MIne are kind of mid toned and they hid everything... love that with kids. LOL

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  32. WOW! they look so much better (: Totally changed my perspective on having darker floors. The previous owners could have ruined those floors thankfully you guys were able to save them. Way to go!

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  33. WOW.....totally worth it and while no one is living in it...it is the only time to do it.....they look fantastic and make a dingy, dark, depressing old fashioned place look modern, fresh and happy.....a big 10 out of 10 from me and I know you guys and parents/in-laws will be so happy will them as well. Thanks for sharing...it's great having the pictures side by side for comparsion and documenting this journey. Regards, Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia

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  34. Wow!! Seriously that before and after is so so good! Well worth the extra effort

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  35. Wow those floors are amazing! Totally the right decision. x

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  36. Loving the flooring, how much did it cost? i would love to get such kind of look for my home, this will definitely add more beauty to my home.

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  37. Your floors are beautiful, I love, love, love the light color!! I just got a quote to refinish the original hardwood floors lying underneath the nasty carpet in our family room and hallway. I didn't realize that we have the option to not stain the hardwoods and just put the polyurethane right on the sanded down hardwoods...is that what you did here? Just put the polyurethane coats right on un-stained wood? Or is that a light stain you used? Help! Thanks. :)

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    1. Thanks so much, girl!

      You are right. The floors have not been stained. It's just clear polyurethane right over the wood!

      Good luck with your floors, it will be worth it!

      :)

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