Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Windsor, CT – A Lighter, Natural Look with Bona Intense Sealer
Windsor, Connecticut 06095 | Three Rod Road / Putnam Highway Area
This was another enjoyable hardwood floor refinishing project in Windsor, CT 06095, this time in the Three Rod Road neighborhood near Putnam Highway. The homeowners wanted to make a noticeable change to the appearance of their hardwood without taking away all of the natural warmth and color of the wood.
The floors previously had the strong orange and honey tone commonly seen with older varnishes and finishes. The goal wasn't to make the hardwood look white or washed out. Instead, the homeowners wanted something lighter and more up to date while still allowing the grain, natural color variations and character of the hardwood to show.
For this project, we chose Bona Intense Sealer followed by three coats of Bona Mega water-based finish.
Updating an Older Orange and Honey-Toned Hardwood Floor
One of the conversations we regularly have with homeowners is how much they want to change the color of their floors.
Some customers want the lightest appearance possible and prefer a floor that stays closer to the color of freshly sanded raw wood. Other homeowners still like some warmth and color but don't want the increasingly amber appearance associated with many older oil-based finishes and varnishes.
This Windsor homeowner was in the second group.
Bona Intense Sealer was a very good choice for what they wanted to accomplish. It brings out more of the natural color and grain of the hardwood while providing a lighter and more contemporary appearance than the old orange-honey finish.
Keeping the Natural Character of the Hardwood
One thing I particularly like about these finished photographs is how much character you can see in the floor.
There are lighter boards, darker boards and variations in the grain throughout the rooms. We weren't trying to hide those differences. That's natural hardwood, and those variations are part of what makes a real wood floor attractive.
After sanding the floors using our professional dust-containment sanding process, we applied the Bona Intense Sealer and followed it with three coats of Bona Mega.
The water-based finishing system also gave the homeowners the lighter appearance they wanted without relying on a stain to change the color of the wood.
A Noticeably Lighter, More Updated House
We didn't take many before-and-after photographs on this particular job because we were working on a tighter schedule, but these four finished pictures tell the most important part of the story.
The difference in the house was substantial.
Removing the older orange-honey appearance helped lighten the rooms and gave the hardwood a much more current look. At the same time, Bona Intense Sealer kept enough warmth in the wood that the floors didn't look pale or washed out.
That balance was exactly what the homeowner was looking for, and they were very happy with the finished result.
Intense Sealer vs. a Lighter Natural Appearance
This project is also a good example of why we discuss the final appearance with a homeowner before choosing a finishing system.
If someone wants their floor to remain extremely close to the pale appearance of freshly sanded raw wood, we may discuss a different sealer. But if they want to see more of the natural warmth and intensity of the wood without returning to the heavy orange or amber appearance of an older finish, Bona Intense Sealer can be an excellent option.
There isn't one finish that's right for every house.
Our job is to understand what the homeowner wants the floor to look like and then recommend a sanding and finishing system that can help us achieve that appearance.
For this Windsor hardwood floor refinishing project, the combination of Bona Intense Sealer and three coats of Bona Mega gave the homeowners exactly the balance they were looking for: lighter, cleaner and more up to date, but still unmistakably natural hardwood.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Windsor, Connecticut 06095
Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring provides hardwood floor refinishing, wood floor refinishing, dust-containment sanding, hardwood floor repairs, pet-stain repairs, board replacement, custom stain colors and hardwood flooring installation throughout Windsor, CT 06095 and surrounding areas.
This project in the Three Rod Road and Putnam Highway area of Windsor is a good example of how refinishing can dramatically update an older hardwood floor without having to replace it or cover the natural character of the wood with a dark stain.
For homeowners with older orange, honey or amber-looking floors, sanding and refinishing can open up considerably more options than many people realize.