At the beginning of the year, we touched on hardwood flooring trends for 2021 and herringbone topped our list. I’ve wanted to incorporate a little herringbone into our homes for years and finally included it in our design plan for our current remodel. Our Part 1 of 2: the inspo, the history and the install.
Read MoreMany homes with existing hardwood floors have oak, red oak to be specific. We’ve found that most homeowners would like to get rid of as much red as possible when refinishing. Many times they want to go light (more on that look here). However, after much discussion and inspo sourcing with this homeowner, (more info on our virtual stain consultations here) we knew we wanted to do the complete opposite and go dark. The warmth of the rich brown tone complemented the neutral design scheme so well, as you’ll see. We used a water-based polyurethane to achieve a matte finish. Water-based poly also has no VOCs and a quicker drying time than oil-based polyurethane. Check out this blog post for more on water vs oil poly here.
Read MoreYou’ve likely heard the phrase ‘keep it simple’ and it’s a perfect motto when it comes to cleaning your hardwood floors properly. There are just a few guidelines to remember when cleaning your hardwood floors and we want to share our top three tips with you today.
Read MoreWhen we remodeled the Matlock house in 2016, we installed 3 1/4” white oak #2 throughout. Because 3/4” solid hardwood floors can be refinished, we had the opportunity to change up the space 3 years later by refinishing floors to achieve a warmer and more natural white oak look. The benefits of 3/4” solid hardwood floors include durability and timelessness, as well as providing the option to refinish when you desire a fresh, updated aesthetic.
Read MoreYou may have heard for years now that white oak is what you want, whether it’s for your floors, cabinets or ceiling but do you know why? Let’s explore some of the differences between red oak and white oak and dive in to the information you need so you can make the very best choice for your home and lifestyle.
Read MoreSince we are starting demo on our current stairs, I thought it would be fitting to look back at our stair remodel Tom did in our last house. We removed carpet, balusters, handrail and posts and replaced with white oak treads, white painted risers and metal railing.
Read MoreOh the Modern Memaw House (this was my client’s Memaw’s house and we modernized it just a bit, so it seemed only fitting to name this project the Modern Memaw Project). The house that started it all. The house that began our quest for achieving a light floor while hiding as much pink as we can in red oak.
Read MoreThough we live in a world of natural white oak floors right now, there is something so beautiful about a rich deep brown solid site finished hardwood floor, in the right setting. Each home is different, that’s what makes it yours, and your floor stain should always compliment the design style of your home. We actually thought we were going light on these red oak floors, but after much discussion and inspo sourcing with this homeowner, we knew we wanted to do the complete opposite, dark dark dark.
Read MoreLet’s start with the first question, is it normal for your hardwood floors to gap in the winter? The short answer? Yes. The long answer is that wood has a love/hate relationship with moisture and if you don’t nurture that relationship, your wood could give you the cold shoulder. Just like cararra marble will etch if you squirt a lemon on it, unlaquered brass will patina over time and your four year old can leave you a love note on your Italian leather chair with his fingernail, real wood will dry out and shrink in low humidity.
Read MoreWe love to see a house come together from the ground up but there is just something about taking what is old and making it new again. That first swipe of the sander when the wood is brought back to its original raw condition is so satisfying. The choices are endless with what happens from there. Light, dark, natural, brown, gray, black, water based, European oil? So many choices with solid 3/4” hardwood.
Read MoreSometimes we get surprised and this was one of those times. We were scheduled to remove damaged 1 inch red oak from a beautiful historic 1895 home. We had new 1 inch red oak acclimating in the home before we arrived for demo and install but as we began demo we noticed a big surprise…..another layer of hardwood, heart pine to be exact. You never know what you’re going to find in old homes. Since this home already had a mixture of heart pine and red oak throughout we, along with the homeowners, decided to refinish the existing heart pine.
Read MoreI’m not sure I would really call these trends but more... classics that are still oh so good in 2021. First up is a herringbone pattern. I’ve been wanting to do this in our own home for a few houses now and we’re FINALLY planning on doing it in our newest fixer upper that we moved into in November 2020. Our plan is a herringbone pattern in the foyer and dining room and I can’t wait!
Read MoreWe feel water-based poly is the best option but it is completely up to our clients to decide which option is best for them. This breaks down the differences between the two.
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