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Refinishing hardwood floors gray -Westchester | How to Stain wood gray

By
Home Builder with The Flooring Girl

Gray hardwood floor refinishing in Westchester County

gray hardwood flooring maple westchester countyYes, believe it or not, gray hardwood flooring is in style! Higher end homeowners in Westchester keep requesting gray hardwood floors. Yes, gray! It's and up and coming trend. Finding prefinished gray hardwood is easy, but how about if you already have oak hardwood floors in your Westchester home?  

 

As background, it's easy to get the gray color in prefinished maple or birch floors. Because these woods are close pored, they absorb the stains differently and some of the darker brown stains turn gray on maple and birch (see picture to the right). These same stains will look brown on oak, but gray on maple. So, now that this trend has caught on, we have many homeowners who want to refinish their existing hardwood floors (which are usually oak) to have a similar look).    

 

 

Stain color testing westchester - hardwood refinishingWhile achieving this gray look on existing oak hardwood is challenging (and is not to be done by your everyday contractor), it is possible to achieve when you have talented hardwood flooring refinishers. It costs more than your standard type of refinishing (read below to understand why), but for those looking for the stylish gray look, it's well worth it. How do you achieve the gray effect? Well first, the stain is a combination of ebony and white wash. We test different levels until we find the right level of gray that our customer prefers - it could be dark gray, light gray or somewhere in the middle. We will test the gray colors on your hardwood floors.  

 

gray hardwood floor refinishing westchester countyFrom there, it's critical that you use a water based poly (rather than an oil based poly). An oil based poly will turn the floor yellowish and it just won't work well with the gray. So water based poly in this instance is the best way to go. White wash costs a bit more, and water based poly costs a bit more. We strongly recommend Bona Traffic poly for this effect. It just lasts longer than traditional Bona and other water based polyurethanes. And, of course it costs more. It's often better to add an extra coat of water based poly, too for a more durable finish. After all, refinishing hardwood floors can be rather inconvenient as you need to move all the furniture and often vacate the house. And, since this is more expensive than your typical refinishing job, you might as well make it last longer so you can postpone the need to refinish your floors again.

 

Click here for more pictures on gray hardwood flooring

Related refinishing articles:

 

If you live in Westchester NY, feel free to give The Flooring Girl a call at 914-937-2950.  We'd be happy to help you with gray floors or traditional hardwood stain colors.

Map of Westchester County hardwood refinishing

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Originally posted at: Staining hardwood floors gray | Refinish wood gray | Westchester

Refinishing hardwood floors gray -Westchester | How to Stain wood gray

Comments(21)

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Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

Like Jay, I am yet to see a gray hardwood floor here ( I have seen them in CT) ...I'm thinking it just hasn't made its way here Debbie but it is so attractive.

Jul 07, 2013 08:51 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Jay - I'm sure this is a fad.  It's very taste specific and it's expensive.  Because it's expensive, people are doing this in higher end homes and then their friends see it there and look up to them.  Yes, the pickled floors can be sanded out - they can go natural or dark or anywhere in between.

Roger - Yes, gray is very popular - in tile, hardwood, carpet and paint...or and in furniture, of course.

Ginny - Yes, it will take a while before it branches out more here.  I've had several customers here ask for it and all are higher end customers, many coming from NYC and/or are decorators.

Jul 07, 2013 08:54 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I love the new gray floors, and I had no idea you could update oak flooring like this!  Very exciting!

Jul 07, 2013 09:06 PM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Not sure why, but I have not used a gray stain for any floors that we've had done. Looks great from the photo.

Make it a great week!

Jul 07, 2013 09:52 PM
Bobbie Smith
Stroudsburg, PA
570-242-1891

Debbie, Very informative and helpful post. Gray is a new trend in hardwood flooring, interesting. Looks pretty good, doesn't it.

Jul 07, 2013 09:54 PM
Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Debbie. I really like the look of this. Gray is neutral and soothing and I think beautiful. This is new to me and I love it.

Jul 07, 2013 10:29 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Debbie, I have not seen this trend here in Denver either, but does have a unique look.    Will have to keep an eye out.

Jul 07, 2013 10:57 PM
Joanna Cohlan
Fresh Eyes For Your Home - Chappaqua, NY
Designing, Decorating & Staging Westchester Homes

Debbie, it is quite beautiful although it might be a fad - gray seems to be the new rage right now in paint, furniture and now floors so ride the wave!

Jul 07, 2013 11:04 PM
Tom White
Franklin Homes Realty LLC (615) 495-0752 or www.FranklinHomesRealty.com - Franklin, TN
Franklin Homes Realty LLC, Franklin TN

Hi Debbie. I haven't seen gray finished floors here but they are attractive. Can I presume that refinishing the gray stained floors after a number of years is the same as any refinishing?

Jul 08, 2013 12:02 AM
Ruth Lerner
William Raveis Real Estate - Brookline, MA

Debbie - I can't decide if I like it yet.  How long would the finish last with this water based poly?

Jul 08, 2013 01:34 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Sharon - Yes, you can.  It's challenging to do...and challenging to get good pictures.

Joe - Traditional wood colors are more popular for sure.  This is higher end and a bit niche.

Bobbie -I'm glad you like them.

 

Jul 08, 2013 04:40 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Debbie I would have never of thought of gray as a color for a floor until I started reading your blogs.  Once I seen gray hardwood floors in your pictures, it has actually started to grow on me.

Jul 08, 2013 07:21 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Hi Debbie, never heard of gray hardwood floors.  I am redoing my bedroom and the walls will be dark gray with the ceiling tray a light gray or vice versa, not sure.  I do like the looks of the gray flooring.

Jul 08, 2013 11:29 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

 Debbie, I have seen floors like these and can say I really don't like the look. They seem like they have a milky film on them. Different strokes I guess.

Jul 08, 2013 10:26 PM
Gay E. Rosen
Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty - Larchmont, NY
As Real as Real Estate Gets!

Hi Debbie - I love the gray floors but I wonder if they will be considered passé in 10 years like the pickled flooring..

 

Jul 09, 2013 06:56 AM
Barbara Altieri
Better Homes and Gardens RE Shore and Country Properties - Shelton, CT
REALTOR-Fairfield County CT Homes/Condos For Sale

Debbie -- I THINK I just saw this in a house recently because I remember how different and unusual it looked.  Didn't know it's trendy. Interesting that you have to use water poly instead of oil, but it makes perfect sense.

Jul 09, 2013 07:11 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Debbie, Iremember a few years ago when we were seeing oak floors that were sort pf white washed, but i havent seen any gray ones around here.

Jul 10, 2013 02:03 PM
Tammie White, Broker
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Debbie, when I first saw the title, I thought "Why would anyone stain their floors gray?", but it actually looks quite nice. I've not seen that here but I'll be on the lookout.

Jul 10, 2013 04:06 PM
Jill Sackler
Charles Rutenberg Realty Inc. 516-575-7500 - Long Beach, NY
LI South Shore Real Estate - Broker Associate

I didn't even realize it was a new flooring trend but I've been visualizing it for a while. It looks really pretty but I wonder how much staying power it will have. There are styles that come and go quickly and those that always seem classic.

Dec 28, 2015 11:44 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Jill Sackler Yes, it's hot now and has been growing the last 3 years or so.  And, I agree that it won't last too long, esp because it's more expensive to do.  But, by the time it goes out of style, it will be time to refinish the floors anyway.

Dec 28, 2015 08:13 PM