lacing in oak flooring
#1
lacing in oak flooring
I am helping my elderly neighbors replace the base moulding in their living room and hallway. I removed the old base molding which was added before the flooring and they asked if I could infill the gap with the same red oak flooring. I am lacing it in because of gaps in that wood around the doors also. My question is, they don't remember whether the finish was oil or water based. Is there a way to tell? and also can I just poly the replaced boards? the room is 25 x 25 and the rest of the finish is is great shape and I don't want them to have to refinish the whole floor and hallway. they are like family and I don't want it to come out bad. thanks
#2
Forum Topic Moderator
If there was no stain involved, it should be easy to tell. Oil base poly will darken the wood, it brings out and deepens the natural color. Waterbase poly dries clear and does very little to change the look of the wood except for sheen. If nothing else you could take some scrap oak and apply a sample of each and see what looks right.
As long as you do a neat job of finishing the new oak, it shouldn't be overly noticable if at all.
As long as you do a neat job of finishing the new oak, it shouldn't be overly noticable if at all.
#3
thank you
Thank you for the answer! When you compare the unfinished red oak boards to the ones I pulled up, there is a marked difference in the color. not stained, but definatelywhat I would call a darker finish, the same you would get with an oil based poly.. I'll get a small can of the oil first and try that ona scrap piece. as for the advice of making a clean application, I was going to tape off the edge of the existing boardswhen I applied the poly.
thank you again for your sound advice!
thank you again for your sound advice!