Anyone here do hardwood floors? I have a question...

[CliffB]

That's it. They are no where near that uniform. They are almost white in some areas and pink in others. The striping figures in the grain are black so it's really giving off a zebra effect. They are going to do a oil poly layer then 2 water poly layers.
They said they could darken with tinting the poly. I said do it. It's too light.

They are putting water based poly on top of oil based poly....?

 

[Rbenzo]

Another bad pic

 

[Rbenzo]

They are putting water based poly on top of oil based poly....?

I believe so, yes.
It's minwax stain and no I didn't see it dry. That's why I'm asking if it's normal to dry that much lighter and allow pinks and whites through on a dark stain like that.

 

[woodstock]

I don't know anything about staining a floor, but in the before pic, many of the boards are noticeably lighter.
Seems to me they might just stay lighter after staining

 

[George P. Burdell]

They are putting water based poly on top of oil based poly....?

We have done this before particularly if the customer needs to move in quickly and is sensitive to fumes or pregnant.

 

[CliffB]

I believe so, yes.
It's minwax stain and no I didn't see it dry. That's why I'm asking if it's normal to dry that much lighter and allow pinks and whites through on a dark stain like that.

I'm willing to bet the small sample spot was allowed to soak in for a few minutes longer than the whole room. When staining a large area you need to make sure you are keeping track of how long the stain is allowed to soak in to help uniformity. The longer it soaks in the more true the color will be.

 

[CliffB]

We have done this before particularly if the customer needs to move in quickly and is sensitive to fumes or pregnant.

I mean i guess i can see the purpose but i have always done one or the other and not both. The water based will definitely be more durable if you have pets.

 

[George P. Burdell]

I mean i guess i can see the purpose but i have always done one or the other and not both. The water based will definitely be more durable if you have pets.

Some people just like the look of oil. Other like the look of water based. Another variable can be how finely the floors were sanded prior to staining.

 

[CliffB]

Some people just like the look of oil. Other like the look of water based. Another variable can be how finely the floors were sanded prior to staining.

I'm the oil based type when it comes to floors. I love the richness it brings to the stain. When it comes to furniture though i typically go water based.

 

[Mr. Goodbar]

So, is this normal looking for red oak?
These are differences in the individual pieces of wood that make the color come out all over the place? Is it normal for the stain to not look as dark and uniform as that freshly applied test area on the first pic? Will that dark striping fade some? Should I poly tint to if I want to darken it?

Late to the party but it's covered