Staining old hardwood floors ? what is the original color?
I recently took the baseboards off the walls and discovered that they must have done the floor (staining and urethane) after the baseboards were put into place.
My new baseboards do not cover the line that shows the unfinished wood and the stained/urethane part -so now the untreated exposed wood shows. Does anyone know what color they used often in the 60’s (it is honey colored hardwood floors) to treat the wood? I need to match it up the best I can. I am assuming they stained it first and then urethaned it (but I could be wrong). Any ideas? I tried Home Depot and there was one called Ipswitch Red (I think), but I can’t be sure if that is the right color because I don’t have a piece of the wood to compare it to.
Also, I do not want to use a quarter round or other method to cover the exposed wood. I like my new baseboards just the way they are.
Thanks in advance.
Replies
I agree with you and thanks for the reply. Here is a picture anyway to show you, maybe it jog someone's memory. This floor has never been exposed to light, it was hidden under the carpet since the house was built.
My guess: you have red oak wood with an oil based poly, no stain. The poly turns an amber color over time.
If it were me I'd be looking for baseboard that was thicker to eliminate the problem.
I suppose if the wood needs refinishing anyway, you could refinish with baseboard off and afterwards install your new base.
I'll be interested to hear the comments of others, ideally someone who refinishes floors for a living. I'm just someone who has red oak, oil poly floors.
Good luck,
Tim
How wide is the band that is exposed? If it's less than 1/2" or so you don't need a real exact match, just something a little darker than the rest. The eye expects the floor to be a touch darker near the edges, and can't perceive fine color variations in a narrow strip from several feet away.