Dear CJ,

When we bought our home 10 years ago we were able to look past the yellowing oak floors. They had just been refinished by the previous owner so they looked nice enough to live with for the time being. At the time our kids were young & the oak floors were low maintenance for our growing family.

But now that the kids are older, I am questioning should I keep my oak floors? I see so many beautiful prefinished floors & love the idea of are darker finish. I just don’t know if it’s worth the trade-off of the mess & the expense of ripping out & replacing.

Then there is also the concern of what we do with the oak baseboard, doors, window casings & stairs. I’m overwhelmed by this decision & I am looking for your guidance & direction on how to proceed.

Should I keep my oak floors or should I replace them?

Warm Regards,

Lindsey S.

Dear Lindsey,

I understand your dilemma & it’s one I have dealt with countless times.

I have to be honest here, I’ve never been much of a fan of oak. That is with the exception of French Oak which is a blog in itself & one of my favorites for flooring.

When natural oak was popular for floors, cabinets & trim I was a young designer working on many ground-up projects. I would sway my clients away from oak towards maple, walnut, or pine.

Now that I have been in the industry for a few decades I have learned to appreciate the qualities of oak flooring & see the benefits of keeping it but giving it a fresh look.

There are reasons in favor for both keeping your oak floors & replacing them. I wish it was a straightforward answer but it’s really not. As you mentioned replacing your oak with a factory-finished wood floor creates a domino effect.

Let’s start with where you are & explore the reasons to keep or to replace them.

Here are 6 reasons to keep your oak floors

1) If Your Oak Floors are in Good Condition.

If you’re mostly happy with the condition of the wood you have then it’s certainly in your favor to consider keeping them. If you don’t have large dings & inconsistent spaces between boards that’s a bonus. Oak does tend to wear very well.

2) Staining Options are Good for Oak

Oak is one of the few types of wood that can handle a variety of stain colors quite well. You can go darker with your existing white oak floors. The best way to find out is to sand down a section that’s not prominent in your home. Your flooring contractor will have a variety of stains they can show you in the area. They should cover with a urethane finish to show you what the finished result will look like.

3 ) If you have Pets Oak is a Good Option

I’m always amazed at how well oak can handle pets running through the home & coming to a screeching halt. It’s nice to have a floor that is easy maintenance & you don’t have to be anxious about pets running around.

5) Environmentally Friendly

I’m not saying that oak is a healthier floor than other floors…I am saying that since they have been in your home for decades the VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) has already been released into the atmosphere. VOCs come from the chemicals in building products as well as other household products such as cleaning products & personal care products. Here’s a video that helps explain in more detail.

By keeping your existing floors you have the option to choose refinishing products that will be safer for you & your family.

6) Maintain Consistency

There is always a domino effect when you start replacing oak floors with another type of wood. Now you have to consider what to do with the staircase, doors, base trim, crown molding & whatever else you have in your home.

A popular choice is to paint it white. I’ve been involved in many projects that we did this. In some cases, we chose to paint some of it white & restain the rest to match the new floor finish. In other cases, we chose to paint it all white except the floors. In all cases, we have had beautiful results. One thing you should know about painting oak white is that the grain will still show through even when sanded down. I recommend you use a Satin Finish rather than a Semi-Gloss. The Satin Finish works better for toning down the grain.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my earlier blogpost Painting With White. This guides you in choosing the best white for your application.

Reasons to replace

1) If Your Existing Floors are in Bad Condition

If your floors have seen water damage showing a lot of discoloration chances are no amount of sanding & refinishing will make them look good again. Deep dents & dings from high heel shoes, cleats from sports shoes, tap shoes, or from a heavy object being dropped will likely still show when your floors are completed. A flooring contractor can give you an idea of how much they can improve the look.

In some cases, if you have a historical home you might be able to pull off the heavily distressed look but in a home built in more recent decades, it’s not a good look.

2) If You Don’t Like the Oak Grain

No amount of sanding or staining will change the fact that oak has a lot of grain. Although it does settle down a bit when you go with a darker stain it is still there. If the grain bothers you you should consider another wood species that does appeal to you & works well with your style.

3) If You Fall In Love with Your Ideal Wood Floor

It happens. Sometimes it hits you by surprise. You’re watching HGTV & there it is, exactly what you envision for your home. Pow, you’re in love & there is no turning back. You will do whatever it takes to have this look in your home.

This is exactly what happened to a longtime client of mine. In her case, every inch of wood in her home is oak. A grand home it is so there was no ignoring it. Lots of windows, facing the lake & so much oak. We talked about painting some of it white but we decided to focus on the floors. We ended up changing out her 3” wide oak planks to 6” wide French Oak planks. The stain is slightly darker than the rest of the oak woodwork throughout her home but it blends so well it looks like it was always meant to be there. It’s a gorgeous change she’s happy she made.

I’ve just surprised myself.

I definitely can think of more reasons why you should keep your oak floors. I honestly didn’t think it was going to turn out that way but here we are with 6 reasons to keep your oak floors & 3 for replacing them.

If you choose to make the change to new floors don’t settle for a cheap floor. Do your homework & make your investment worthwhile. Look for products that have the Greenguard or Green Seal certification.

I hope this helps you understand the pros & cons. Wood floors are an important element in your home especially if they are throughout. Weigh out the reasons in favor of why you should keep your oak floors & why should replace them. Find yourself a good flooring contractor & take it from there.

I look forward to your questions & comments below & hope you “like” this blogpost.

If you’re still struggling, consider my Local or Online Design Services! My Pick My Brain Package might be perfect for your project.

I’m here to help!

Your Home Loving Expert,

CJ