Stripping small hardwood entry to stain


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Old 09-13-16, 12:44 PM
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Stripping small hardwood entry to stain

We are getting laminate flooring installed but have a raised entry that's small (8x8) and I want to remove polyurethane and stain to match darker laminate, then reapply polyurethane but in matte finish where it just has a sheen to it. Any sugggestions?
The reason we are not removing hardwood is because there will be a huge gap since hardwood is an inch taller, so door jambs, baseboards and bottom of stairs would all need to be reworked.
 
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Old 09-13-16, 12:49 PM
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If you have real hardwood and laminate and try to make them look like each other, I fear the results might make the laminate look bad. Sometimes keeping different materials looking different is the way to go.

That said, no idea if that's what should happen here since I can't see any of it.
 
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Old 09-13-16, 01:43 PM
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I agree that a contrast might look better than two dissimilar materials the same color.
To stain the wood darker you need to first sand off all of the existing finish and stain. Then it's just a matter of staining and applying a coat of poly, sand [remove dust] and repeat.
 
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Old 09-14-16, 09:04 AM
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Thanks guys for the input. I was hoping to find a chemical remover that would basically do the removing instead of sanding, but sanding this small space may be easier. It's 2 shades of oak, laminate is a dark java colored and the hardwood is medium oak, so it does not look good together.

I looked at a joint where the old carpet butted up to the hardwood and it looks like masonite underneath, so wood was prolly glued down. I'm sure it would be a PITA to try and remove it, but if the new laminate is the same thickness as the hardwood, it will look better with the matching laminate. I'll try to get some photos later. Any thoughts?
 
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Old 09-14-16, 09:40 AM
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While a chemical stripper would remove the poly and maybe the stain, it isn't a great option because of the fumes involved ..... and then you still have to sand after the stripper is removed and neutralized.

Since it isn't a big area I would just rent a flooring edger and sand the entire floor with it. Use a orbital sander for the final sanding and sanding between coats.
 
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Old 09-14-16, 01:27 PM
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That's what I figured, stripper is more hassle than it's worth. Thanks alot for the info!
 
 

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