Hardwood Floor Staining in Murfreesboro, TN

Murfreesboro Hardwood Flooring gives wood floors a new color in homes all over Murfreesboro. We take the old finish off, test colors in your room, stain the bare wood and then seal it.

Why oak floors take color well

The Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System lists Tennessee among the states where northern red oak grows. It also says that oak wood which has been dried and treated the right way takes a variety of finishes.

The Forest Products Laboratory, part of the U.S. Forest Service, says finishes like stain, paint and varnish give wood the look you want, protect its surface and leave a surface you can clean. Indoors, it says, looks and easy cleaning tend to matter most. We use stain for the color and always seal over it with clear coats that take the wear.

Damp air and the timing of the job

The Forest Products Laboratory says the moisture left in wood tends to come into balance with the relative humidity of the air nearby. Relative humidity just means how damp the air is.

The Wood Handbook adds that sanding and finishing go better and smoother when the house is warm and the wood has been kept dry. We run your heat or air conditioning before we start, and we check the boards with a moisture meter before any stain goes down.

Our steps, start to finish

1. We sand off the old finish and stain until we hit bare wood, then sand the edges by hand.
2. We vacuum up the dust so nothing gets trapped under the color.
3. We brush test patches of two or three shades onto your own floor and let you choose in your own light.
4. We wipe the stain on in small sections and wipe away what the wood doesn't soak up.
5. Once the color is dry, we put on the clear coats you picked.

Dust, rags and leftover cans

The City of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, warns that oil-based stain used up to 30 days before can leave sanded sawdust that still catches fire by itself, inside the sander or in a garbage bag. That's why we empty the sander bag all the way and take the dust outside, away from your house and garage.

Cleveland Heights also says rags with oil-based products on them can heat up as they dry, and balled up or tossed in a trash can they can get hot enough to burn with no spark at all. It names oil and stain soaked rags and brushes thrown out the wrong way as the most common cause of these fires. We follow the city's advice and lay our rags flat outside, away from anything that can burn, until they are dry.

For leftover cans, Rutherford County says it takes discarded oil-based paints at the Leanna Convenience Center, 4303 Sulphur Springs Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37129. We'll take our own leftover stain cans away with us when the job is done.

Houses built before 1978

The EPA says a house built before 1978 may have lead-based paint, and the older it is, the more likely that is. It also says any renovation, repair or painting work in a pre-1978 home with lead-based paint can easily make dangerous lead dust. We ask the year your house was built before we quote, and we talk through any painted trim along the bottom of the walls.

Permits in Murfreesboro

The City of Murfreesboro says normal maintenance repairs on an existing building can be done without a permit, as long as they don't break the code. Floor finishing is on its list of those repairs.

How we work out your price

We give you a written quote after we've seen the floor in person. We base it on how many square feet you want stained, how stubborn the old finish is, how much hand sanding the edges, closets and stairs need, and how many clear coats go on top.

A checklist before you sign

Whoever you hire, get these on paper first:

• The stain's brand, its color name and if it's oil-based or water-based
• Which rooms, closets and hallways are in the job
• The clear finish by name and how many coats
• Where the sanding dust, rags and leftover cans will go
• Who moves the furniture, and if that costs extra
• The day you can walk on the floor again

Questions about hardwood floor staining in Murfreesboro

Book a color consultation

Call us, or fill in the quote form with your ZIP code and the rooms you want stained. We'll come look at the floor, test a few shades with you and write up a quote. For our other floor work, like hardwood floor refinishing, head back to the Murfreesboro Hardwood Flooring home page.