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If you’re adding on to your hardwood floor, it’s almost always a good idea to make the new match the old. After all, using two different types of hardwoods can be difficult to pull off.
There’s just one problem, though – how do you get your old and new flooring to match?Because not only do you have to match the stain color, you also need to find the same plank width, thickness, and wood species.
The fastest and easiest way to match your hardwood floors is to take a piece of your existing wood floors into a flooring store. The professionals can match up the type of wood floors you have, the width of the boards, and even the stain.
Other options are to find the original manufacturer of your flooring or to have your entire floor refinished at once.
If you don’t have much experience with flooring, matching up wood planks and stains can be tough to do. Especially since there are so many stain colors.
Your best bet is to have professionals match up the flooring for you.
To do this, visit a local flooring shop or a Lumber Liquidators if you have one in your area. These places are likely to have more experience than their big-box counterparts and can better serve you.
If you take in a sample of your old flooring, they’ll be able to tell you the wood species, plank width, and match up the stain.
Have Your Entire Flooring Refinished
Your second option is to lay new flooring with the same wood species, thickness, and plank width as the old. Then, have the old flooring stripped down with a floor sander and stain both the new and the old at the same time.
While this is a lot of work, especially if you’re doing it yourself, it’s a surefire way to match your hardwood floors.
Find the Original Manufacturer
If your wood flooring isn’t very old, try tracking down the manufacturer to see if they still sell the hardwoods you have.
If so, you can save yourself a lot of trouble.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to refinish hardwood floors?
The cost of refinishing hardwoods can vary depending on the type of flooring you have, the new finish, amount of stairs in your home, and more. However, on average, you’ll pay $3-$5 per square foot to have your floors professionally finished.
If you go the DIY route, having your floors refinished will cost around $500-$1,000 depending on how large your floor is and how many days you need to rent equipment like a floor sander or belt sander.
How can I match engineered hardwood floors?
Matching engineered hardwoods is much more complicated than matching standard hardwood flooring. This is because engineered hardwoods only have a thin veneer of hardwood on top. Sometimes this outer layer is too thin to be sanded and restained.
Instead, the best way to match engineered hardwood floors is to get the same flooring that’s already in your home. If that’s not possible, get many different samples until you find one that matches your current flooring.
How to match discontinued hardwood flooring?
If your hardwood flooring has been discontinued, you’re not out of luck. Instead, what you’ll need to do is find flooring that’s the same wood species, plank thickness, and width. If you can do that, you can have a stain mixed that will match your existing floors.
Conclusion
If you need to match new or existing hardwood floors, you have three options. First, you can have a flooring professional match up for you. Secondly, you can purchase unfinished hardwood flooring in the same wood species, thickness, and width as your old flooring and then have everything stained together. Or, you can find the manufacturer and order more of the flooring you currently have.
If none of these options work for you, try finding a new wood flooring that compliments what’s currently in your home.
Katie Barton lives with her husband and three daughters in an 1800’s style log cabin in southern Ohio. She thinks cleaning is relaxing and is considered the organizing go-to person by her family and friends. She runs the blog Cabin Lane where she shares about cleaning, decluttering, and minimalism. See full biography here.
