Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Amston, CT: A Beautiful Transformation With a Classic Oil-Based Finish
Sometimes a hardwood flooring project doesn't need a complicated story.
Sometimes you just look at the finished floor and say:
That came out beautiful.
That's exactly how we felt about one of our recent hardwood floor refinishing projects in Amston, Connecticut.
We professionally sanded the existing hardwood flooring, brought it back to clean raw wood and then built a traditional finishing system using a commercial-grade sealer followed by two coats of oil-based polyurethane.
The final result was beautiful.
The grain came alive.
The wood developed warmth and richness.
And the entire floor once again became an important feature of the home.
It All Starts With Proper Sanding
No matter what finish eventually goes onto a hardwood floor, the finished result depends heavily on what's underneath it.
That's why the sanding process is so important.
Our objective isn't simply to remove the old coating.
We want to bring the hardwood back to a properly prepared surface while removing years of wear, scratches and discoloration that can be corrected through sanding.
Once the old finish comes off and we reach raw wood, we can finally see what we're really working with.
That's one of our favorite stages of a project.
An older hardwood floor that looked tired only hours earlier suddenly begins showing its natural grain and character again.
That's when you can start seeing the potential.
A Traditional Oil-Based Appearance
For this Amston project, the homeowners went with a more traditional finishing direction.
After sanding and preparing the hardwood, we applied a commercial-grade sealer followed by two coats of oil-based polyurethane.
Oil-based polyurethane gives hardwood a distinctive appearance.
Unlike a clear waterborne system designed to minimize color change, an oil-based finish naturally introduces additional warmth and amber character.
Sometimes that's exactly what a floor needs.
Different homeowners want different things from their hardwood.
Some want a very pale, raw-wood appearance.
Others want gray or white tones.
And some homeowners still love the traditional richness that an oil-based finishing system can bring to genuine hardwood.
There isn't one correct answer for every house.
The right finish is the one that works with the floor, the home and the appearance the homeowner wants.
Protection Without Losing the Character of the Wood
One thing we talk about frequently is not burying beautiful hardwood underneath unnecessary layers of finish.
We want protection.
But we also want the floor to still look like real wood.
You should be able to see the grain.
You should see the natural variations between boards.
And you should be able to appreciate the character that made hardwood worth installing in the first place.
On this Amston project, the combination of the sealer and two coats of oil-based polyurethane gave us the balance we were looking for.
The floor was protected.
But the wood remained the star.
Amston Has a History of Its Own
We enjoy working throughout this part of Connecticut because communities like Amston have a completely different character from the more developed areas around Hartford.
Amston is a village within Hebron, and its history is tied to both manufacturing and Connecticut's early railroad era.
The area was once known as Turnerville, named for Phineas W. Turner, who developed a silk-manufacturing operation here and became involved with the Air Line Railroad.
In 1912, Charles Ams purchased Turner's land and lake, and the community subsequently became known as Amston.
Today, one of the area's best-known features is Amston Lake, which extends into Hebron, Lebanon and Colchester.
There's also the historic Air Line State Park Trail, which follows the route of the old railroad through this part of eastern Connecticut.
Near Route 85 is the former Turnerville Station area, where passengers and freight once connected with the railroad.
And not far away is Grayville Falls, along with Raymond Brook and the open spaces and trails that give this part of Connecticut its rural character.
It's a beautiful area.
And over the years, we've had the opportunity to work on hardwood floors throughout Amston, Hebron, Colchester, Marlborough, Columbia, Andover, Bolton and the surrounding communities.
From the Old Air Line Railroad to Today's Amston
The Air Line history is particularly interesting.
The railroad was developed as a more direct route between New York and Boston, and trains were operating through this part of Connecticut in the 19th century.
The old railroad corridor is now the Air Line State Park Trail, stretching for miles through eastern Connecticut.
So when we're driving into Amston for a hardwood flooring project today, we're entering a community with a history that goes far beyond the houses we're working in.
That's one of the things we enjoy about doing projects throughout Connecticut.
Every town has its own story.
And quite often, so does every hardwood floor.
Four Generations of Hardwood Flooring Experience
At Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc., our family's hardwood flooring tradition dates back to 1927.
We're proud members of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), and today we combine generations of hands-on hardwood flooring experience with modern sanding equipment and today's professional finishing systems.
We're also proud to be ranked #1 in Hartford County by BusinessRate, along with our recognition as #1 in Connecticut.
Our projects take us throughout central and eastern Connecticut, including Amston, Hebron, Colchester, Marlborough, Columbia, Bolton, Andover, Glastonbury, Manchester and Vernon.
Some floors require extensive repairs.
Some have water damage or pet stains.
Some need dramatic color changes.
And then we have projects like this one.
Sand it correctly. Choose the right finishing system. Let the hardwood do the rest.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Amston, CT
If your hardwood floors are scratched, worn, discolored or simply don't look the way they once did, replacement may not be necessary.
One of the great advantages of genuine hardwood is its ability, when the flooring has sufficient material and is otherwise suitable, to be professionally sanded and refinished.
That's exactly what we did on this Amston project.
We removed the tired old appearance.
We brought the floor back to raw wood.
Then we applied a commercial-grade sealer and two coats of oil-based polyurethane.
The finished result speaks for itself.
Warm. Rich. Clean.
And most importantly:
It still looks like real hardwood.
Another great project completed in Amston, Connecticut—and another beautiful hardwood floor ready for years of use.
Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc.
Fourth-Generation Hardwood Flooring Craftsmanship Since 1927
NWFA Member
Ranked #1 in Hartford County by BusinessRate
Serving Amston, Hebron, Colchester, Marlborough, Columbia, Bolton, Andover and communities throughout Connecticut