Replace the hardwood floor?

[notreadyforthis]

The previous owners must have gone to great expense in putting down hardwood flooring in the living space, stairs and entrance hallway. I thought it was engineered wood but I found some spare boards and noticed that they were made of the real stuff at 20mm thickness and 100mm wide. The issue with them is that they're a very dark brown/chestnut colour in an already dark space so we're thinking of getting rid of it all and replacing it with a lighter or warmer colour engineered wood. But before we commit to doing that, I wanted to check if we can somehow re-use it but also get more of it to fill the new floor space created by the side extension.

So two questions:
1. Can the hardwood be sanded down to remove the dark colour and re-oiled to a lighter colour or is this wood stained forever now?
2. How do I go about getting new matching boards to cover the floor where the extension is going so it doesn't look like I've got two different floors?

[notreadyforthis]

So I think the answer to the first question is yes you can sand it down. But any ideas where or how I might source the same wood for the additional floor space?

[Makeitstop]

Yes, any solid timber can be sanded and refinished. It's a matter of how thick it is, what wood it is, and what you're trying to achieve in terms of finished colour. 

 

For example, you are not going to make an American walnut floor look like oak, no matter what you do to it.

 

If you want to cut the surface finish off, then it could be taken to a joinery, where they may either be able to run it through a planer / thicknesser, or better still, run it through a drum sander. The sanding option may be tricky in that it may mean wrecking the belt fitted to their machine, so be prepared to have to pay for that. However, in trying to get any new boards to marry up, it will depend on whether where the flooring meets (old to new) that it's a clear threashold, and a totally separate space. This is because not only will you not get an "exact" match to colouring, but in sanding planing the surface of your old boards, you may have a fractional difference in final thickness.

 

[bassanclan]

If the floor is down and sound you definitely don't want to be lifting it. Any decent floor fitter will be able to sand it and refinish it in situ.

 

If you want to find an exact match you will probably struggle, but i imagine you will be able to find something which is so close that once a matching finish has been put on both you won't be able to tell the difference.

 

A good starting point for you would be to take some samples to a local retailer. You can then look at the different floors and narrow down what it is you already have. The previous owners may have bought it locally.

 

You know you it has to be "unfinished" 20mmx100mm.

It looks a high grade of timber, not "rustic" with lots of knots etc, but when you have all of them infront if you it will be easier to see.

 

 

 

[bassanclan]

Also do some sums about whether it would be cheaper to replace the whole lot as that is not going to be a cheap floor (per sq m) to buy, but on the other hand if you rip it all up you have to pay for the refitting for it for both the floors.