About Larchmont's Larchmont Home Improvement

The answer is usually YES!

Based on some comments on a few blog posts, it appears that many home owners don't realize that you can change the color of hardwood flooring when you refinish the floors. Yes, it's true...you can go light or dark or red tones or anywhere in between.

First, let me caveat this by mentioning that I'm assuming you can sand and refinish your hardwood floors. Most homes in Westchester NY and Fairfield CT as well as the Northeast and Mid Atlantic tend to have solid hardwood flooring and this can be sanded and refinished many times (unless it's so old that the floors have worn down to the tongue and groove...note, this usually takes many generations and I've seen hundreds if not thousands of hardwood floors and I believe only twice they were too old and thin to refinish). So most solid hardwood floors can be refinished. If on the other hand you have engineered hardwood, you may or may not be able to refinish the hardwood - it depends on how thick the top layer of hardwood is.

The process for sanding and refinishing hardwood floors

1. First, you sand the floors with sanding machine. We typically do 3 sandings, each with finer grits (the grits vary based on the type of wood and age). This ensures your hardwood is smooth and that it properly accepts the stain and/or polyurethane for a better and longer lasting look. When you do this, the wood essentially looks like new raw hardwood.

2. Step 2 is to add a stain...or if you decide to go "natural," you jump to the next step. You can choose a light stain such as Golden oak or Golden Pecan, or a dark stain such as Ebony, Jacobean or Royal Mahogany. Or, you can choose a mid color stain such as Provincial or Special Walnut or English Chestnut. You can also choose red tones such as as Red Mahogany or Mesquite Red or Sedona red, or a bit lighter with Gunstock. For a full range of stain colors, check Minwax.com. For my customers, I help them select stain colors and my guys will test 3-4 for them on their own floors. This is important first because every floor is different based on the species, grade of wood and age of wood. Further, wood is a natural product and there is color variation - the wood will accept the stain differently, so testing on one piece or looking at a stain chip is irrelevant. You want to look at it on your own floor and see over a wider space of several boards before finalizing.

3. The third steps is to add polyurethane - usually 2-3 coats. Assuming you are using oil based polyurethane it takes 24 hrs for each coat to dry and you screen (or buff) the floors after the 2nd coat is applied and in between each additional coat. This helps smooth the floors and importantly helps the polyurethane absorb better and last longer. (for more info on oil based polyurethane vs. water based polyurethane).

For the polyurethane, you want to select the type of finish or sheen that you prefer - matte, satin, semi gloss or glossy. Currently, satin is the most stylish and probably 90-95% select this option. A satin finish tends to show the scratches less than a semi gloss or glossy finish (the glossier you go, the more the light reflects to show the dents and scratches).

How light can you go with hardwood?

Well this depends on what type of hardwood you have. Aside from bleaching/white wash finishes, the lightest you can go is natural (i.e. no stain), so it's the color of the hardwood with the polyurethane (which is a clear coat with a touch of tint...it's pretty close to the impact that putting a top coat of clear nail polish has). Most homes have oak and to the right is a color of red oak natural - with no stain. If you have white oak, it will be a bit darker (because white oak is a bit darker than red oak - read more red oak vs white oak flooring). If you have maple, it will be a bit lighter; if you have pine, it will be a bit darker (and perhaps a bit redder pending on the species of pine). If you have Walnut or Brazilian walnut, it will be much darker as this wood is a dark brown, or likewise if you have American Cherry or Brazilian Cherry, this will be redder/more orange as that is the natural color of the wood. But, most homes in Westchester NY and Northeast/Mid Atlantic have oak.

The only way to get the wood lighter than its natural color is to bleach it or use a white wash stain. I'm not a huge fan of these both because the color is out of style and also because this process damages the wood a bit.

Please note that you MUST SAND the floors in order to change the color of the hardwood floors. You can not just add stain or paint on top of finished floors...it will not look good and it will not last...it will peel off. And, yes, I have seen this done before and it looks horrible, so don't even try it.

If you live in Westchester County NY or Fairfield County CT, feel free to give The Flooring Girl a call at 914-937-2950 and I'd be happy to help you with all your hardwood and refinishing needs.

View Larger Map

Can you change the color of your hardwood floors?

Are you looking to sand and refinish hardwood floors in Larchmont NY?

It's amazing what a difference refinishing your hardwood flooring can make. Your floors will look brand new and you even have the option to change the color. You can go light, dark, mid tones, or red tones. It can really give your home (or room) a whole new look.

If you have hardwood underneath your carpets, we can restore the beauty of the hardwood underneath. It's amazing what a big difference this can make in your home. And, believe it or not, it is usually less expensive to refinish your floors than to recarpet. Refinishing your floors will also improve your home's value and it will be easier to clean and maintain.

At Floor Coverings International, we are a shop at home service. We will bring the "store to your door" so that you can see the flooring and colors in your own home and lighting and color coordinate with your paint colors and decor. When it comes to sanding and refinishing, not only we will help guide you in color selections, but we will also test out a few colors for you on your floor. This is important because every floor is different, so it's best to see what the stain will actually look like on your own floors (rather than a tiny sample).

We offer both the standard refinishing process as well as a dustless sanding system. Dustless sanding costs a bit extra, but many customers feel it's worth it, especially if they have someone with allergies in their household. We offer both oil and water based polyurethane, and we will help you understand the pros and cons on each method.

We are proud of our work, but don't rely on our word...ask our customers! We have won the Angie's list Super Service award 2 years in a row, and you can even check our google reviews online. And, we will gladly provide with a list of over 30 customers to call.

Video of hardwood flooring and refinishing Larchmont NY 10538

Our estimates are always free. So, when you're ready to refinish your hardwood floors in Larchmont NY 10538, call us at 914-937-2950 and let us "bring the store to your door."

Map of Larchmont NY 10538

View Larger Map

Related posts:

Water based polyurethane vs. oil based: Which is better for refinishing hardwood floors?

I have hardwood underneath my carpets. Should I refinish the hardwood or recarpet?

What types of hardwood are best for pets?

Refinish hardwood flooring | Larchmont NY 10538 | Dustless sanding

Radiant heated floors | Larchmont NY 10538 | Perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, basement and sun rooms

Are your feet cold in the winter? If you have tile floors or rooms that tend to be cold in the winter, radiant heat flooring may be a great option for you. Heated floors provide a level of comfort and luxury and once you've experienced them, you'll never want to go back! They are the perfect addition to your home in Larchmont.

If you are installing new floors for your home in Larchmont NY, consider adding radiant heat. Whether it's tile flooring (ceramic, porcelain, natural stone), hardwood, laminate and floating floors, cork or even carpet, radiant heated floors are a wonderful option. The experts at Floor Coverings International can help you find the both ideal flooring for you and the right radiant heat option that works with that type of flooring. After all, we "bring the store to your door," making it easy to find the right colors and styles for you and we guide you every step along the way.

More and more Larchmont home owners are adding radiant heat to:

• Bathrooms, especially master bathrooms
• Kitchens
• Basements
• Sunrooms and 3 season rooms

At Floor Coverings International of Larchmont NY, we proudly use Warmup Radiant heated floors. Now, radiant heat flooring can be used for virtually all types of flooring surfaces - tile, many types of hardwood, laminate, cork, bamboo and now even carpet. We customize the flooring based on your needs. Warmup provides outstanding temperature controlled heat, and they provide a 30 year transferable warranty on their product.

With Warmup radiant heat flooring, not only will your floors heat up quickly, but once they reach your desired temperature level, they will stabilize. With the programmable thermometer, you can control the heat to your desired temperature.

Radiant floor heating has become more and more affordable these last couple of years. While every project is different, pending on the type of flooring you are installing, size of space (as well as placement of electric boxes in your home), and general rule of thumb is that the radiant heat will probably add an additional 20-50% to the cost of your flooring project. Given the added level of comfort (as well as some potential energy savings), many feel this is worth it.

Warmup is the fastest growing electric in floor heating company in North America. Their award winning products are designed to be the thinnest, toughest and safest in the industry. They have exceptional customer service and their professional support team is available 24/7/365 days a year.

Floor Coverings International installs all types of flooring - hardwood, tile, carpet, laminate, cork, bamboo and other eco-friendly flooring options. We are a shop at home service, so we come to your home. We are part of a nationwide buying group (there are over 100 of us across the US and Canada), so we buy directly fro the manufacturers and are very reasonably priced. Our estimates are always free. We provide guidance and our goal is to make the shopping process fun and easy. Call us at 914-937-2950 for a FREE estimate and let us "bring the store to your door."

Radiant heated floors | Larchmont NY 10538 | Perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, basement and sun rooms

Are you looking for flooring for your Westchester home in Larchmont NY 10538? We know there are many choices..and sometimes the process can feel overwhelming.  Whether you're looking for hardwood floors, tile, carpet, laminate flooring, or if you just want to refinish your hardwood floors, Floor Coverings International can help make the process fun and simple.

We are a shop at home service.

Our tagline is "We bring the store your door."  This is important because first, you can see the colors in your lighting and color coordinate with paint color, cabinets and furniture.  Second, it allows us to provide a true estimate for you.  And, third, of course it is more convenient this way.

We provide guidance - Which is the best type of flooring for your environment and your budget?  We'll help explain the pros and cons among the different types of flooring.  Whether it's the kitchen, living room, bedrooms or bathrooms, we can help - different types of flooring work better in different environments so let us guide you.  We can price out different options so you can compare across hardwood floors vs. carpet, or tile vs. laminate.  We'll help you understand what is most practical for you/your family's/your pets' lifestyle.

Floor Coverings International provides design guidance on picking colors, style and layout.  We love to help provide design advice.  We want to help make your home look more beautiful - it's a reflection of you and our work.  If it's hardwood flooring, we can help you pick the species and color of wood; if it's tile, we can advise you on design layout and patterns; if it's carpet, we can help you pick the right color; iff it's a backsplash, we can provide you tile and design ideas.

Bamboo Flooring and Cork - Floor Coverings International in a large supporter of environmentally friendly flooring.  We love helping the environment too.  So, whether it's bamboo flooring or cork or natural wool or sisal carpeting, we can help you.  We also offer carpets that are recycleable and hardwoods that use recycled content.

Great installation and customer reviews.  We just won the 2010 Super Service Award on Angie's List. In addition, we will supply you with over 30 references so you can check up on our work. While most of our customers prefer for us to take care of both the materials and installation, occasionally, some of our customers already have the tile, and just want us to take care of installation; others already have an installer and just want us to help with materials. Either way, we will give you top notch services

Flooring for Larchmont NY 10538 - Westchester County

Video - Hardwood Flooring Westchester                  Video - Tile Flooring Westchester

Video - Laminate Flooring Westchester                       Video - Carpet Westchester

We are very reasonably priced. Our estimates are always FREE. And, because we are part of nationwide buying group (there are close to 100 of us across the country), so our pricing is very reasonable. We'll work with you to find a tile that works for your budget.

Floor Coverings International is your friendly neighborhood flooring store. We have done work on your neighbors' streets Larchmont including

• Walnut Ave
• Chatsworth Ave
• Forest Ave
• Orsini Dr
• Maple Hill Dr
• Boulder Circle
• Wakeman Place
• Leafy Ln
• West Ave
• Dimitri Place

Map of Larchmont NY 10538

View Larger Map

For more info on Flooring, check out these posts:

What types of hardwood are best for pets?

I have hardwood underneath my carpets.  Should I refinish the hardwood or recarpet?

What is a floating floor?

So, if you're looking for flooring for your home in Larchmont NY 10538 , give us a call at Floor Coverings International 914-937-2950 and let us "bring the store to your door."

Are you looking for tile flooring and installation for your home in Larchmont NY?

Whether it’s a kitchen floor, bathroom floors and walls, an entry way or mudroom, or even a Kitchen tile backsplash,we can help you at Floor Coverings International.

We understand that it can be challenging to find the right type of tile for your floors, walls and backsplashes. What’s the right type of tile – ceramic, porcelain, tumbled natural stone, marble or granite? What’s the best style and color? What types are easiest to clean. Many customers seemed to get overwhelmed when they visit a tile store. Well here’s where we can help.

Floor Coverings International makes it simple by “bringing the store to your door.” That way, you can see the samples in your own lighting and color coordinate with your cabinets, walls and paint colors. We'll guide you through the process to pick out the right tile, color, size and shape and layout. We can help you design your tile floors and backsplashes and we can install it for you, too. We are a shop at home flooring store in Westchester/Stamford that gets the job from start to finish.

With tile, it’s all about the installation, so you want someone you can trust. We just won the 2010 Super Service Award on Angie's List. In addition, we will supply you with over 30 references so you can check up on our work. While most of our customers prefer for us to take care of both the materials and installation, occasionally, some of our customers already have the tile, and just want us to take care of installation; others already have an installer and just want us to help with materials. Either way, we will give you top notch services

We are very reasonably priced. Our estimates are always FREE. And, because we are part of nationwide buying group (there are close to 100 of us across the country), so our pricing is very reasonable. We'll work with you to find a tile that works for your budget.

Floor Coverings International is your friendly neighborhood flooring store. We have done work on your neighbors' streets Larchmont including

• Walnut Ave
• Chatsworth Ave
• Forest Ave
• Orsini Dr
• Maple Hill Dr
• Boulder Circle
• Wakeman Place
• Leafy Ln
• West Ave

Tile Flooring and Tile Backsplashes in Larchmont NY 10538

 

Tile Flooring - Westchester NY Floor Coverings International

Map of Larchmont NY 10538

View Larger Map

 

For more info on Ceramic/Porcelain/Natural Stone, check out these posts:

Porcelain that looks like hardwood. Yes, that's right.

Designing a kitchen backsplash

Should you install tile yourself?

 

 

So, if you're looking for tile flooring or backsplashes for your home in Larchmont NY 10538 , give us a call at Floor Coverings International 914-937-2950 and let us "bring the store to your door."