What an amazing home located in the heart of Leawood, KS!  Fun fact about Leawood, KS – The Santa Fe Trail contributed to the settlement of the area.  The township of Leawood was destroyed by the Civil War.  The town was re-established in the 20th century by retired police chief from Oklahoma, Oscar G. Lee.  In 1948, Leawood became third class, had become second class in 1959, and first class since 2014.  One of the finest city’s here in Chiefs Kindom.

Sanding White Oak Floors

Sanding white oak flooring can be a challenge.  White oak is much harder than red oak.  Red oak is a softer material and has deeper grain patterns.  White oak on the other hand – has tighter grain patterns and a very dense material.  So, when it comes to sanding white oak it’s much more difficult.  You have to take your time and really watch your sanding techniques.  It’s easy to get sanding marks in the final product.

Our process is quite simple and similar to sanding red oak floors.  However, there’s one thing that makes a world of difference.  After the final sand, and before the buffing, go around the entire perimeter with an orbital.  Preferably 120 grit.  This will clean up any imperfections.  It also helps to have a flashlight to highlight your sanding marks so that you can spot them easily.  Just a little trick of the trade that may become helpful to anyone reading this blog.

Natural Oak Finish

Now, let’s talk about the most common complaint from homeowners!  “I hate that my floors are yellow”.  We’ve all purchased a home with ancient colonial golden oak colors everywhere.  The cabinets, the wood work, the trim, and hardwoods.  Yuck!  Well, there’s two reasons why 90% of homes built in the 20th century have wood that looks like this.  One, the stain color.  And two, the type of sealers and finishes applied to the wood.

You don’t want your hardwoods to amber.  Ambering is a hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin that takes a fine polish and it’s final variable color is a dark orange yellow.  The industry’s entire spectrum of finishes usually have ambering agent in them.  Bona is the only company that makes sealers and finishes that are specifically engineered to prevent ambering.  So, there’s a flip side to this.  You can only accomplish this with water-based sealers and finishes.  Not the end of world just not as durable.  So rule-of-thumb, if you are trying to accomplish a pure natural look, or selecting any light tone colors like (grey, blonde, white) then you are limited to only water-based products.

Takeaway

Use Bona’s sealers and finishes that don’t have ambering agent in them.  Be super mindful when sanding white oak flooring.  Use a flashlight around the perimeter to highlight imperfections.  White oak is a tougher hardwood than red oak.  Below are links to sealers and finishes without ambering agent.  These are great products for achieving natural or light tone finishes on your hardwood floors.

Project Overview

  • Sanding white-oak floors
  • Keeping the natural look
  • Sealer and finish
  • Final coating
  • Primed base molding
Sealer
Finish

Tags: , , ,