Hardwood Floor Refinishing in East Granby, CT: Taking Older Maple From Yellow to Bright and Natural
One of the great things about refinishing real hardwood is seeing just how different an older floor can look once decades of finish are removed.
That was certainly true on a recent hardwood floor refinishing project in East Granby, Connecticut 06026.
This was a newer home with older maple hardwood flooring that had developed the familiar warm, yellow appearance that can happen with an aging oil-based finishing system.
The homeowners were ready for a change.
They didn't want to put that same yellow tone back onto the maple.
They wanted to brighten everything up.
We professionally sanded the old maple back to raw wood and then used a clear waterborne sealer followed by Bona Mega waterborne finish.
The difference was dramatic.
Instead of the older yellowed appearance, the maple became lighter, cleaner and much more natural looking.
Maple Can Change Tremendously When the Old Finish Comes Off
Maple is a beautiful hardwood, but it has a very different personality from red or white oak.
The grain tends to be tighter and less pronounced, and freshly sanded maple can have a beautiful light, creamy appearance with subtle natural variations.
But when an older oil-based polyurethane has been on maple for years, the overall floor can take on a much stronger yellow or golden tone.
Some homeowners like that warmth.
These homeowners didn't.
They wanted to see more of the natural maple again.
Once we started sanding, the transformation began immediately.
The yellow started disappearing.
Underneath was the lighter maple that had been hidden by the old finishing system.
Why We Used a Clear Waterborne Sealer
After sanding, we didn't want to introduce a lot of additional color back into the floor.
The goal was to preserve that lighter appearance.
So we went with a clear waterborne sealer followed by Bona Mega.
That choice is important.
A traditional oil-based polyurethane generally adds warmth and amber coloration to hardwood. On a naturally light species like maple, that color can become particularly noticeable.
A clear waterborne system allows us to take the floor in a different direction.
It lets more of the maple's natural, lighter character remain visible.
For this East Granby house, that was exactly what the homeowners wanted.
Bona Mega for the Finished Floor
After the clear sealer, we applied the Bona Mega waterborne finishing system.
The result was a floor that looked completely refreshed without trying to turn the maple into something it wasn't.
We weren't trying to make maple look like white oak.
We weren't trying to cover it with a dark stain.
We wanted beautiful maple to look like beautiful maple again.
The finished rooms felt brighter and much more up to date.
And because the flooring was already there, we were able to create that transformation without replacing the hardwood.
Same maple floor. Completely different appearance.
Sometimes the Finish Is What Makes a Floor Look Dated
This project is another good example of something we tell homeowners all the time.
If you don't like the appearance of your hardwood floor, don't automatically assume you don't like the wood.
You might simply dislike the old finish.
A floor that appears yellow, orange, amber or honey-colored may look entirely different when professionally sanded back to raw wood.
Then you have choices.
Do you want warmth?
Do you want stain?
Do you want something darker?
Or do you want to stay as close as practical to that lighter, freshly sanded appearance?
This East Granby homeowner chose the lighter direction, and it completely changed the house.
Working in East Granby, Connecticut 06026
East Granby is one of those smaller Connecticut communities with much more history than many people realize.
The town was incorporated in 1858, but European settlement in the area dates to the 1600s. The Metacomet Ridge divides the town, and the Farmington River runs along its southern boundary.
For much of East Granby's history, agriculture played an important role, including dairy farming and Connecticut's well-known tobacco industry.
Even today, despite newer residential development, East Granby retains much of that rural Connecticut character.
Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine
Probably the most recognizable historic landmark in East Granby is Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine - Seasonal on Newgate Road.
The site began as a copper mine in 1707 and is nationally recognized as the first chartered copper mine in North America. In 1773, Connecticut began using the abandoned mine as a prison.
Today, the historic site includes the old mine, prison yard, ruins and museum exhibits.
It's an extraordinary piece of Connecticut history sitting right in East Granby.
Across from the New-Gate property is Viets' Tavern, another historic building associated with the old prison and its first keeper.
East Granby Farms and the Metacomet Ridge
For a completely different side of town, there's East Granby Farms on North Main Street.
The recreation and open-space property sits against the backdrop of the Metacomet Ridge and helps preserve some of the open, rural landscape associated with East Granby.
The ridge itself is another defining feature of the town. Hikers can access the Metacomet Trail, including the trail system around Peak Mountain.
There's also the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, following a transportation corridor whose history stretches back to the old Farmington Canal and later railroad development.
East Granby's historical chronology records the Farmington Canal being chartered in 1822, followed by railroad development in the mid-1800s.
So East Granby has an interesting combination:
Historic mines and old Connecticut buildings.
Farms and open land.
Trails and the Metacomet Ridge.
And newer neighborhoods where we're still finding beautiful older hardwood floors worth preserving.
Four Generations of Hardwood Flooring Experience
At Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc., our family's hardwood flooring tradition dates back to 1927.
The Connecticut business began around 1972, and today we represent the fourth generation of our family's hardwood flooring tradition.
We're proud members of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and combine generations of hands-on experience with modern dust-containment sanding equipment and today's professional waterborne and oil-based finishing systems.
We're also proud to be ranked #1 in Hartford County by BusinessRate, along with our recognition as #1 in Connecticut.
We've completed hardwood flooring projects throughout East Granby, Granby, Simsbury, Suffield, Windsor Locks, Windsor, Bloomfield, Avon and communities throughout the Farmington Valley and northern Hartford County.
Have Yellowed Maple Floors in East Granby, CT?
If you have older maple flooring that has become heavily yellow or golden over the years, don't assume that's simply the natural color of your maple.
Part of what you're seeing may be the appearance of the older finishing system.
Professional sanding can give you an opportunity to start over.
That's exactly what happened on this East Granby, CT 06026 project.
We started with older maple that had developed a strong yellow appearance from its previous oil-based finish.
We professionally sanded it back to raw wood.
Then we used a clear waterborne sealer and Bona Mega finish to keep the overall appearance much lighter.
The difference was tremendous.
The old yellow was gone.
The maple was bright again.
And instead of replacing a beautiful hardwood floor, we simply gave the existing one an entirely new appearance.