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Question about hardwood floors (Long)

Posted on 12/7/16 at 12:36 am
Posted by Goose
Member since Jan 2005
22275 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 12:36 am
Through no fault of my own, my house has two different wood varietals running two different directions; one stained and the other unfinished. The kitchen, dining room, living room, foyer are an open floor plan. The living room/dining room area was dark stained pine (we had no idea the wood type till recently). The kitchen area, half bath and pantry were all tile, but a previous owner had ripped this up. They had install white oak, but left it unfinished.

The planking of the dark stained pine runs east to west upon entering the front door. The white oak in the kitchen runs north to south. The two different wood varietals come together at a good point between the kitchen and open dining room/living room area.

We initially thought of staining them different colors because the rooms are different and it would naturally divide the rooms up and allow for a different feel in the kitchen as opposed to the dining room/living room area... but were told this was bad.

From a resale perspective, we were told that a uniform look will add more value to the home. The white oak is very nice and clean looking. I sanded a bit of the dark stain off the pine today and it is very knotty. I like the look, but the two woods obviously clash.

We have a hardwood guy coming tomorrow and he thinks he can match up the wood (through staining) but I think they will look A LOT different. It's a big gamble with the money we are paying. We are considering cancelling the sanding/staining/poly and instead ripping up the pine and just running uniform white oak throughout the downstairs and then staining it all the same but this makes the price jump up a lot more.

My SO thinks we should hear the contractor out on matching it up and possible just save the money on rip-up and install. While I'd pull up the old pine, installing and purchasing the white oak would add a good amount to what we thought the job was going to cost.

Anyone have experience with a similar situation? Will having two different woods, running two different directions be a huge issue if we can get them looking similar through staining?
This post was edited on 12/7/16 at 12:41 am
Posted by Hammertime
Will trade dowsing rod for titties
Member since Jan 2012
43030 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 12:50 am to
Rip up whatever is cheapest to replace if you're looking to sell the house. Then, stain it all the same color. Lay the wood in the same direction as the other shite. You're supposed to do it parallel to the longest wall.

You might be able to sort of match colors with two different woods, but they aren't gonna look the same. You won't ever match colors perfectly
Posted by Capital Cajun
Over Yonder
Member since Aug 2007
5525 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 6:10 am to
What summertime said and it's not that hard to install new wood flooring. Then all you have to pay for is the sand, stain, and poly.
Posted by Haughtonboy
kansas
Member since Nov 2011
1753 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 6:43 am to
quote:

You're supposed to do it parallel to the longest wall.


NO! You are supposed to lay it perpendicular to the floor joists.
Posted by LSU316
Rice and Easy Baby!!!
Member since Nov 2007
29276 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 6:55 am to
Just lay it whatever direction you damn well please.
Posted by saint tiger225
San Diego
Member since Jan 2011
35290 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 7:09 am to
quote:

Question about Long hardwood
FIFPeej
Posted by mizzoukills
Member since Aug 2011
40686 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 7:14 am to
quote:

NO! You are supposed to lay it perpendicular to the floor joists.



This.

Any idiot know this.
Posted by CHEDBALLZ
South Central LA
Member since Dec 2009
21890 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 7:18 am to
quote:

What summertime said


I don't know if this is a typo but I laughed.
Posted by Tiger Prawn
Member since Dec 2016
21835 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 7:20 am to
Even if you stain the 2 the same color, it will still be noticeably different because of the different grain and knot appearance from 2 different species. It it were my house, I'd rip up the wood in the kitchen and bath and go back with tile. That would solve the problem of 2 mismatched wood styles and wood isn't very good in kitchens and baths anyway because it a toilet or dishwasher backs up, could cause problems with wet wood swelling up and buckling. Tile wouldnt have to worry about that problem
Posted by Koach K
Member since Nov 2016
4051 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 7:43 am to
Where is this 'rule book' that all the flooring has to match? You will never be able to please all these buyers whose extensive knowledge is gleaned from watching some HGTV garbage. Stain the lighter floor if it bothers you that much but for God's sake don't tear up quality wood flooring. It's just wasteful and wealth killing.
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
65419 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 7:55 am to
quote:

We initially thought of staining them different colors because the rooms are different and it would naturally divide the rooms up and allow for a different feel in the kitchen as opposed to the dining room/living room area... but were told this was bad.
Whomever told you this is dasterdly messing with your mind.

There is no way the direction of the flooring will impact a sale enough to justify replacement of the lesser of the two pieces.

If both floors are in presentable shape don't change the floor for resale reasons.

Get a new realtor.
Posted by TU Rob
Birmingham
Member since Nov 2008
12724 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 8:42 am to
quote:

NO! You are supposed to lay it perpendicular to the floor joists


What about on a slab? My old townhouse had wood on the ground level. Floating wood floor laid on a slab.
Posted by elprez00
Hammond, LA
Member since Sep 2011
29349 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 9:03 am to
In my experience, most people are going to just replace whatever cheap solution you make. (For example why rip up carpet to put down .20/sf laminate wood?)

Oak is such a pretty wood, but its damn expensive. From a woodworking perspective, dissimilar woods take stain completely differently and will reflect different character. Oak is such a unique wood. They may match in color, but I'd tend to agree with you that there will be a distinctive difference in appearance between the two. The perpendicular directions may help the transition, but there will be no mistaking the two.

If you insist on uniformity, you'd be better off going all pine and staining. Oak is pretty, but its just so expensive. Just my $.02
This post was edited on 12/7/16 at 9:06 am
Posted by Jj283
Houma
Member since May 2015
798 posts
Posted on 12/7/16 at 9:33 am to
quote:

NO! You are supposed to lay it perpendicular to the floor joists.


What if the house doesn't have floor joists?
Posted by Haughtonboy
kansas
Member since Nov 2011
1753 posts
Posted on 12/10/16 at 7:51 am to
quote:

Floating wood floor


quote:

What if the house doesn't have floor joists?


Then the direction is of no consequence other than aesthetics.


The OP stated that he had pine floors. It is a safe assumption that it is old growth heart pine.

Nobody was floating that.
This post was edited on 12/10/16 at 8:25 am
Posted by Bullfrog
Institutionalized but Unevaluated
Member since Jul 2010
56082 posts
Posted on 12/10/16 at 8:12 am to
quote:

Floating wood floor laid on a slab.
Maybe it's just me but these seem cheesy anytime I've walked on them. Get good planks or engineered wood and have a flooring crew do them right.
Posted by Martini
Near Athens
Member since Mar 2005
48829 posts
Posted on 12/10/16 at 8:23 am to
quote:

Maybe it's just me but these seem cheesy anytime I've walked on them. Get good planks or engineered wood and have a flooring crew do them right.


On slab on grade houses the proper way is to dap out the slab in the wood floor area and pour a concrete to chain wall, then coal tar pitch the slab area or 30 lb felt, and lay floor joist the same thickness at 24" centers, 3/4' plywood, 15 pound felt then install nailed flooring parallel to longest length of room. It can change direction from room to room.

But to OP if this is strictly for resale you will not get the cost back. If you want to do it for yourself then by all means but I'd let your wife try the stain first.
Posted by Bullfrog
Institutionalized but Unevaluated
Member since Jul 2010
56082 posts
Posted on 12/10/16 at 8:30 am to
I've got 3 different types wood floors that meet and never think twice about the diffence in color or grain. But that probably because I have no interior decorating genes.
Posted by Haughtonboy
kansas
Member since Nov 2011
1753 posts
Posted on 12/10/16 at 8:31 am to
quote:

joist the same thickness at 24" centers, 3/4' plywood, 15 pound felt then install nailed flooring parallel to longest length of room


I hadn't considered sleepers. Good point.
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