Hardwood Floor Staining in Cary, NC
We change the color of hardwood floors in homes across Cary, North Carolina, from a light natural look to a deep dark brown.
- Quotes in writing
- 10 areas covered
Cary Hardwood Flooring stains hardwood floors in homes across Cary. We sand the floor to bare wood, put down the color you pick and seal it with clear finish.
How we stain a floor
We start by sanding off the old finish and the old color, because the stain we use needs bare wood to soak into. We go from rough paper to fine paper so the marks from each pass come out, and we sand the edges by hand where the big sander can't reach.
Next we put a few sample patches of color on a spot of your floor, so you can look at them in your own light, morning and night, before you choose.
Then we put the stain on the whole floor, wipe off what the wood doesn't take in, and let it dry. We finish with coats of clear finish on top, since on the floors we stain, the stain gives the color and the clear coats protect the wood.
Picking a color
We don't pick a color from a can lid or a photo, because we want you to see it on your own wood. The U.S. Forest Service's species review of white oak says oak wood accepts a variety of finishes.
We talk with you about how each color will look with your walls, trim and furniture. We'll tell you what we think, and you make the call.
If you want new boards to match old ones, we stain them at the same time as the rest, so the whole floor takes the color together. That is part of our hardwood floor repair work.
Stain rags and fire
The City of Cleveland Heights in Ohio says the most common type of fire that starts on its own comes from stain and oil soaked rags and brushes that are thrown out the wrong way. It says rags with these oil-based products give off their own heat as they dry, and if they are balled up or thrown in a trash can, they can get hot enough to catch fire with no spark at all.
So we never leave our rags in your house or your garage. The Town of Cary says household hazardous waste should not go out with your ordinary trash, and it lists turpentine and other flammable materials among those wastes. We take our used rags, leftover stain and thinners away with us at the end of each day.
What changes the price
We price hardwood floor staining for your house once we've looked at the floor, and you get that quote in writing.
We set our price by the size of the rooms, how much hand sanding the edges and stairs need, and how many sample colors you want to see. We also count in any boards to replace and how many coats of clear finish go on.
What to get in writing
Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:
- The stain color by name, and which sample patch you picked.
- The clear finish by name, plus the number of coats.
- Whether the floor gets sanded to bare wood first.
- How used rags and leftover stain will be taken away.
- When you can walk on the floor and put the furniture back.
Questions about hardwood floor staining in Cary
Do I need a permit to stain a hardwood floor in Cary?
The Town of Cary lists replacing floor and wall coverings among the jobs that don't need a building permit. If you are unsure whether your job needs one, the town says to call its Inspections and Permits Department on 311 inside town limits or (919) 469-4000.
Can you stain a floor without sanding it?
We sand to bare wood before we stain, because stain can't get through an old coat of finish. If you only want the shine back and not a new color, we can do a screen and recoat instead, where we lightly sand the top coat and put a fresh coat of finish over it.
Can you change a dark floor back to a light one?
We can sand off a dark stain and put a lighter one on, as long as the wood is thick enough to sand. The City of Cleveland Heights says that if an oil-based stain was put on in the last 30 days, the sawdust from sanding it off can still catch fire in the sander or in trash bags, so we empty our sander bags outside, away from your house and garage.
Can you stain engineered hardwood?
We can stain engineered hardwood flooring once we've checked that its top layer of real wood is thick enough to sand.
What about the smell of the stain?
The EPA says paints, varnishes and wax contain organic solvents that can release chemicals into the air while they are used. Its advice is to make sure you have plenty of fresh air when using these products, and to keep them out of reach of children and pets.
Does my home's age matter?
The EPA says that if your home was built before 1978, it may have lead-based paint, and the older the home, the more likely it is. We'll ask when your house was built before we quote, and we'll talk with you about any painted trim or stairs next to the floor.
Can you stain the stairs to match?
We can stain the treads on your hardwood stairs in the same color as the floor, so the steps and the hall look like one floor.
Which towns do you cover?
We stain hardwood floors across Cary, plus Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs and the other towns we list on this page.
Get a quote for hardwood floor staining
Call us, or send the quote form with your ZIP code and the rooms you want done. We'll look at the floor, put down sample colors with you, and give you a written quote. To see the other flooring work we do, go to the Cary Hardwood Flooring home page.
Ready to talk about your hardwood flooring job?
Call us or send the quote form with your ZIP code and what you need. We will get back to you with a written quote.