We just had the floors professionally refinished. They are the original red-oak floors from 1932. Some of the pieces are 13+ feet in length!
What does it mean, to “make the grain pop”?–pop visually, or physically? Because I think the height of the wood varies (very) slightly with the grain, although they sanded before and between coats of polyurethane. My husband and the refinisher both say, That’s not a flaw, it’s a feature–otherwise, it would look like Pergo.
I, on the other hand, expected the wood to be glass-smooth (except for the pores of the grain). Would a perfectly flat surface be considered a lesser lever of workmanship?
My husband really likes the way the floors came out, so of course I’m not saying anything. Besides, I’ve never been keen on oak because of its coarse grain, and maybe it’s supposed to look that way.
Janet
Edited 8/4/2009 9:23 am by jyang949
Replies
Janet, your husband is correct..
Real wood looks lousy if it's made to look plastic. The character of real wood is highly desirable. A real premium. That cannot be faked or imitated..
Oh and by the way.. grain shouldn't pop, the color does or more correctly the contrast between colors that make up real wood..
Thanks. It's a relief to know it was done properly!Janet
Ditto to the folks who caution against a too-uniform, plastic appearance.
"Pop the grain" is a common phrase, and when applied to oak often means causing the rays to stand out. Take a look at these pictures at Lumberjock, you'll see and probably recognize the look if you're familiar with Mission or Arts & Crafts furniture.
Congrats on getting the refinishing done, that's a huge project!
Oh, I didn't do the refinishing myself. I wanted to, but it was beyond my abilities.The refinisher said that the floors in some old homes were scraped instead of sanded. Can you imagine?Janet
"Oh, I didn't do the refinishing myself." I know, but it's still a big project! so congrats are in order, just with a small "c". ;-)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Janet,
This is a matter of personal preference. There are a lot of people who would disagree with your husband and the finisher. "Perfectly flat" finished oak does NOT look like Pergo.
My maple floors are, to use your term, "glass smooth." That is, if you'll accept a very, very subtle texture in the surface of the very tough acrylic finish which IS a characteristic of its curing behavior. But that texture is not of the underlying wood surface. It does NOT look like plastic or fake in any way.
But that's maple, a very fine-grained wood. However I have installed oak floors and have seen many oak installations. The problem you're describing was never apparent at all. Open pore structure yes, uneven surface, no.
Now if the wood surface is a "wire-brushed" treatment, that's an entirely different story. THAT style of flooring is quite uneven, yet very beautiful.
Not being able to examine your floors, it's hard to say if the roughness is excessive. Go to a flooring store that carries high-quality brands. Examine several different brands of oak flooring and use those as a point of reference to judge your floor. Take some samples home and compare. If none of the products in the store comes anywhere close to the "feature" you describe, I think you have a beef. If not, enjoy your new floor.
Rich
I agree with Rich. Wood floors will NEVER look like Pergo. We have oak floors, and they are beautiful--and "flat". We also have pine and they are stained dark, and also beautiful.Gretchen
Maple is my favorite wood! Did you finish them yourself?Janet
Janet,No. They're a pre-finished, engineered product.Rich
Your floors are typical for most refinishers.
It is possible to get a flatter finish but this depends on the type of sander used, but unless you specifically requested something glassy smooth you won't and you'll have to pay extra for it.
Personally on furniture and house trim I like oak to be flat with a thin finish so it doesn't look like plastic, but is still very flat.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
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