Hardwood Floor Staining
When contemplating stain colors there are a few factors we need to take into deliberation. There are many different species of wood. Each wood takes stain color differently and so the most imperative thing to recognize is that the color may not be the exact match to what you were looking for. This is due to the fact that each species has its own natural color. In addition to natural color is the density and porousness of the wood. All these elements are taken into consideration when addressing all over color choice. In these cases Swartwout Solutions can work with you to choose or create the color you desire. We have several readily available choices or we can create a custom color.
With that general outline there are a few things to keep in mind when looking at stain color chips.
What type of wood is used for the color chip?
- Most color chips are on Oak.
- Oak is the easiest wood to stain because of its open grain structure add its slight variation in natural color from board to board.
- Wood like Maple, Pine, and Ash are a little more obstinate to accepting stain.
- When looking at stain colors you need to remember to add the woods natural color. Simply put, Pine will add more yellow to the stain and cherry will add more red.
What is the natural color variation in the wood being stained?
- When you have a large variation in the natural color as we often see with pine, this will translate into a large variation in the color of the stain. So we need to take into account the average variation.
What is the sun exposure in the room?
- When you have a room that receives a lot of sunlight a darker stain will appear to bleach out more rapidly than a lighter stain.
Will a dark stain help cover up stains on my flooring?
- To be candid it’s a 50/50 chance depending on the coloring and the root of the stain.
- When adding stain it darkens everything approximately the same amount. When you have a trained professional applying the stain, they can control the application to stain area to blend it in.
- Pet urine stains are forever. Normally the only solution for pet stains is to cut out the boards and replace them.
