How To Restain Dark Wood Floor To Light Brighter

The goal of refinishing or restaining a wood floor is to bring it back to its original luster.

How to restain dark wood floor to light brighter.

However a perfect outcome will depend on the condition and the natural color of the wood. Two key questions for many home improvement buffs planning an oak refinishing project are whether to darken the wood s coloring and if so how to do it. A 2 part bleach solution removes most of the color and it also can lighten the natural color of dark wood. Oxalic acid lightens the stain slightly and works best on naturally light woods.

To completely alter the color of the finish strip down the existing stain using a petroleum based solvent. First let me caveat this by mentioning that i m assuming you can sand and refinish your hardwood floors. When stain is applied to any species it typically darkens the wood. Both types of bleach will work on either oil based or water based stain.

Color change requires sanding to remove the top finish layer of the floor. Walnut mahogany cherry and an assortment of exotic species are naturally colored dark and even without stain can only be lightened to a certain degree ash maple oak pine birch fir and cedar are light in color and easier to lighten. If you try to apply a light color of stain over the top of an existing dark finish you won t notice much difference. Dark stained wood floors can be lightened to give your home an exciting new look.

You can buy wood bleach and oxalic acid from hardware or home improvement stores. This involves sanding down the top layer of stain so you can achieve a seamless look. It is possible to change the color of your hardwood from dark to light and vice versa as you desire.