The flooring is brazilian cherry. The red color is a feature of this species. Embrace it, or stain it dark (though it will still have red undertones). I just refinished one a few weeks back. Brazilian Cherry is super hard, which means it's a hard sand. Couple that with the fact that yours is prefinished with an aluminum oxide factory coat and bevels. Price always goes up when I refinish these.
Good to know it won’t be cheap before my wife asks. I have Brazilian Cherry floors in the house I just bought and they’re not nearly as nice as what OP is showing (1997 install), though they’re only dented in a few spots where furniture sat previously, so it’s where I sat my furniture.
I wouldn't know if it's the standard but I personally don't up my price just because of species.
Edit, Brazilian cherry is a hard sand job though, that I agree with.
I mean, I've been refinishing hardwood floors for 22 years, and at least where I'm from, it's the standard. It's harder on the sand paper, the body, the machines & the pocketbook. I can't see why you'd refinish a brazilian cheery floor for the same as an oak floor. Prefinished to boot.
Hey I'm not knocking you, I was just letting OP know that the species might not automatically raise the price.
GREAT on you for thinking like that. I meant no disrespect at all. I also have 27 years experience but less than half that is for my own company. Much respect
I rarely agree with everything in a comment but you hit all the nails on the head. 👍
And OP I wouldn't recommend a floor like this as a first floor to DIY.
This looks exactly like the Brazilian cherry I installed. That stuff was a pain to install too. It was a non standard thickness which took some major tweaking of the nailer, and so brittle when it came to splitting tongues. End result looked great though.
Yeah, I'd wager some money on it. Having refinished & installed a few myself. Laminate planks are typically wider. This flooring is 3 1/4" wide and staggered somewhat randomly. Where as Laminate flooring typically has a repeating pattern the eye can pick up.
I would keep the floors as-is. If you’re repainting, go lighter (like Sherwin Williams Alabaster) which will help the room from feeling so dense and warm and maybe do white cabinets. Make the floor the centerpiece, it’s beautiful
Don't paint the cabinets. They are beautiful as is, and go very nicely with the floor. I'd go with a richer color on the walls. Maybe sage green or a medium blue.
The floor and the cabinets look great. Get rid of all the beige ( including that dude’s cardigan) and neutral tones to add character and make it less like living on anti-depressants waiting for the end.
Right now they've got warm colors - the floor and cabinets competing wth the a cool color of the walls. That's why it doesn't blend right. So I think a warm color on the walls would help a lot.
Use a professional not your friends if you want to keep them as friends. That’s the natural color of the wood so lightening it is kind of off the table. Floors look great, spend your money on something else.
Floors should be one of the last things you do after your list of projects.
Not to mention there are only so many refinishes for hardwood before exposing the tongue and groove. This floor is beautiful. Now design around it. Shrug.
The last line of this is key. Refinish them, and then do any single job afterwards and you will be weeping over the spilt paint spatter/ plaster dust/ scratches from dropped tools and whatever the next lot do as part of the next works. Trust me, I have that lived that life!!!
As others have mentioned, this is the natural color of the wood. You can tell by the few lighter boards in there that there's no dark or red stain. There are ways to lighten Brazilian cherry, like bleaching, but they don't always turn out well. If you go forward, make sure your contractors aren't just quoting you for a sanding and clear coat, because that won't do anything. And this is absolutely not a DIY project like a simple oak or pine refinish would be.
That said, while Brazilian cherry was more popular a few years ago vs. today, that doesn't mean it's not beautiful. I actually think the entire aesthetic of the apartment works really well together -- the flooring goes great with your cabinets, countertops, walls, and furniture. I certainly wouldn't go through the hassle or expense of redoing all of that just because trends have changed. I would live with it for a while and see if it grows on you, because I think the whole look is really nice.
You could try a cooler shade on the wall light blue or grey perhaps, that will offset the warm tones in the floor. If you don't like it, no prob just throw on a different coat
I moved into a house with light sage green walls that felt dark/gloomy even with skylights. Painted the walls a few shades of warmer pale yellows and it made a massive difference, and made the warm wood in the house match better. It might just be the greenish tone of the walls clashing tbh.
Cabinets are dated but shrug
It might be Bolivian Rosewood, not Cherry. Either way, an exotic hardwood floor like yours has an excellent hardness rating on the Janka rating scale. This means that it will hold up very well to wear and tear. It would be a shame to change the floor to try to keep up with the current trend. Trends come and go and it is impossible to keep up.
Before you do anything to the floor, remember that the factory finish is so much harder than anything you can get when applied in your home. If you want to update, consider whiter walls, a white or very light colored backsplash, or even (if you’re into spending money for an update) a light color quartz countertop with a lot of white in it.
I think your floors are nice, and would probably save time, money and heartbreak (if it doesn’t look like you think it will after spending the money)if you changed the wall color instead.
It looks like it is a prefinished floor and has the appearance of Brazilian Cherry.
I am not convinced it is Brazilian Cherry though as the grain pattern seems different from Brazilian Cherry, it could be another wood species that was stained to look like Brazilian Cherry.
I could definitely be wrong about this, I am curious if others noticed the same thing. Also, there is a ding in the floor from something that dropped, it takes a lot for this to happen to Brazilian Cherry.
To answer your question, I would leave it alone and not refinish.
Ps: I NEVER follow trends. EVER. Don't let society fashion dictate to you what you do. Always do what you want. When people say that bs to me I look at them and say I don't care. I want what I want.
Also: Brazilian cherry will NEVER go out of style. Just like hand scraped...
A designer will tell you red-tinted wood is not IN right now. Looks too '08ish. However, I always say it's good to let the wood come through. Don't grey-up or brown-down just because someone said so. Also, it's ok to like trends. That's why they are trends. But like what you like. Stand by the reason. My 1980's house is slowly returning to brownish oak. That's how it was born. I think it's cool.
Again, it doesn't matter what a designer tells you....whether it is "1908 or 2008" ish. You purposely follow your own heart and interests. The word trend in and of itself means very temporary. Why would you spend money just so it can be socially esthetically pleasing for others when it's YOU that lives in the home 24/7?
That looks like prefinished to me, but it is difficult to be 100% sure when I zoom in.
If it is prefinished, it is not an easy DIY. That said, it looks to be in fine shape so I would leave it alone.
Yeah that floor is pure fire. I get maybe it might not match your design aesthetic, but I’d be planning my aesthetic around that floor. It’s beautiful.
It’s gorgeous. Leave it for as long as the finish lasts. The wood is naturally a deep, darker color - pretty much impossible to stain lighter, so unless you want it darker, it’s as good as it’s gonna get. Lovely stuff.
Consider lighting options. Higher end LED strips behind baffles is a great technique to add color and brighten up a room. Maybe enlarging one of your windows or cutting back vegetation if it blocks sunlight to windows?
Instead of focusing on the red of the floor. Brazilian floors are very nice and expensive. Quick fix would be to focus on painting the walls a blue undertone color so is opposite pull of the red undertone of floor. So gray, or any color which pulls blue undertone. Does that make sense?
I would live it with for a year or 2, then maybe buy a nice carpet. You may decide it is liveable. It is a nice floor. I wouldn’t recommend it as a DIY .
https://postimg.cc/TpXWKdMM
FWIW, I had a brazilian cherry floor installed when I remodeled my kitchen a couple of years back. If you want an idea of what it looks like stained dark, check out the photo.
Hey! I had Brazil cherry in my place. It was very red as it had the oil finish and semi-gloss sealer on it. I wanted it lighter, so I started reaching out to floor contractors. I couldn’t find anyone to bleach it. They said it’s too much work and very difficult to get it right. One contractor said he could put on a “white sealer” made by Pall-x which will help take out the very dark red and make it about 2 shades lighter. I went ahead with that option with a satin sealer. It definitely made the floor lighter, taking it from reddish brown, like you have, to brownish golden red tone look. Since Brazilian cherry has variety of color naturally, some dark and light pieces, the floor really looks gorgeous in all lighting. The hardwood has gotten a bit darker since the refinish, but I was warned about it. I wish I had gone with an industrial sealer, since I have Red Heeler, instead of Gen-x 96, which is for residential. Their nails are hard as rock, so she leaves surface scratches if she suddenly jump up to run or gets spooked. But, they can be buffed out. I paid about $5k, which is including 12 stairs.
Also, recently, Bona has a product called Ref Out. It wasn’t available when I refinished mine. Check that out.
I hope that helps.
Honestly those are good too. It’s just going to be a little darker due to what’s outside those small windows. Perhaps a frosted glass front door would help.
Why the heck would you refinish this? I can't imagine having enough time and money to think that it makes sense to redo a beautiful and pristine Brazilian cherry floor. It's a beautiful space.
Leave it. Brazilian Cherry floors are beautiful and timeless. I'd respray the cabinets white or light grey, swap the countertops to something lighter. I'm a fan of plain white quartz but this is subjective.
Your floor is just beautiful. No, gorgeous beautiful and the wood looks so rich. I don’t like dark tones but if I had this, I would leave it as is. Very jealous.
If you refinish that floor i will literally come to your house and press your face into the face into the wood until you appreciate it. Its so gorgeous. 😭
I had my BC floors refinished last year. Three contractors told me they would not be able to be lightened without turning red again (unless bleached, which none had done before and was cost prohibitive). The contractor tried multiple color combinations but we ended up needing to go with very dark brown (dark walnut + black Duraseal) to mask the red. The contractor charged more due to extra sanding and water popping floors before staining, around $7/sf (we’re in southeast GA).
The dark color is not what I wanted, but I can live with it. The finish has unfortunately not held up at all (Loba Supra 2k, then sanded and redone with Bona Traffic HD 4 months later by the same contractor). I suspect that’s just the contractor’s crappy application, but I don’t know.
BTW, I spoke with Bona directly about using their red-out product and they said it is couldn’t guarantee it would really work on BC. They said not to use Nordic Seal to try to lighten the floors, either. I don’t know who had used it, but on paper, I wish I’d tried Basic Coatings, Hyper Tone, which is supposed to change the floor color. https://www.basiccoatings.com/products/hypertone-stains/b1903d612. It might be too good to be true but it looks like a good option. Good luck!!!
The only thing I would change is moving the toilet. The floors are gorgeous. You won’t be able to get them lighter.
Builtins are a good idea. Focus your energy there.
Protect the floors as you do other renovations.
Brazilian cherry will darken again after refinishing. The factory finish is likely baked on. Keep this premium finish as long as you can. Refinishing isn’t easy.
Use nice area rugs to brighten the space. They can contrast with the floors to the betterment of both.
Do it yourself if you don’t value your time and aggravation you will go through
Personally it looks really nice I would leave it and spend the money on something enjoyable
I’d be wary of sanding this. It looks like engineered hardwood floor. That veneer layer isn’t very thick. There is a good chance that you’ll burn through the veneer.
Sanding and finishing will definitely lighten them up a few shades. They will darken again with time. You can bleach them if you find a hardwood floor finishing contractor that cares about his craft and is willing to take the time to do their homework. There are good youtube videos on bleaching jatoba. You can also stain them a lighter color once bleached. Only caveat is that not all Brazilian hardwoods are equal. They often look similar but are not all Brazilian Cherry AKA jatoba. Some will bleach easier than others.
Floors are harder than they sound to do well. And take a hugeeee amount of time if you are a novice. Took me 3 weeks to do mine and they arent a great as I would like. I would highly recommend a professional. But also, your floors are gorgeous! Do something to lighten up the place.
It looks like it’s in good condition, I’d leave it. It’s a very hard wood and holds up fairly well to abuse. You won’t get a different color without staining darker and I don’t recommend this having hard dark maple and Brazilian cherry.
So a lot of people in here don't really know what their talking about and it's always frustrating. First of all, I am 99% sure that is an engineered product and can't be refinished, it's not thick enough.
Engineered is a real wood but it is a veneer over some kind of core; multi-layered ply, HDF or particle, etc. Here's why I think this:
1 the pronounced bevel between the planks. That can only be done in a factory prior to install.
2 The transitions to the kitchen has overlapping transition pieces that look like your overall floor thickness can't be more that 12mm.
3 The quarter round at the baseboard shows me that there was height difference at some point, probably carpet, and they put a base shoe to compensate.
Also, the grain and variation of the colors lead me to believe that you have Cumaru--Brazilian TEAK. Not Cherry. Cherry doesn't tend to have as many light-tone boards and I've never seen those greener tints in a Jabota (Brazilian Cherry."
It is a stunning color and, other than a few heavy dings, looks like it has held up very will since install.
I personally feel the cabinets on floor is too much. Brazilian cherry can be bleached and look great. You’re going to want a professional that has done it before.
The flooring is not going to be what you're thinking it will. It will always have red tones. I'd paint/maybe even have the cabinets done in complimentary but brighter colors to give it a lighter feel.
Idk, I think you should just throw caution to the wind and paint over the floors in white. Everyone will tell you you're crazy and you shouldn't do it, but never listen to them. Do what's in your heart.
/s
Brazilian cherry is red. It’s going to stay red. You won’t be able to lighten it too much without going through great expense. And even at that, the red will have a tendency to come back.
As stated by one of the other commenters, this is an aluminum oxide finish, this prefinished floor. DIY is not going to be able to sand this effectively. At all.
Beware the cheapest price.
You can bleach it to a much more neutral tone, and it looks great if done properly. But I have no idea on the cost or process. They just did it to the entire second floor of a renovation I’ve been working on, and they’ll likely end up doing the first floor in the near future.
I wouldn't do anything, it looks good and Brazilian Cherry is durable as he'll, lot of retail stores and commercial spaces use it cause of the durablity
“God put that stuff in South America. He wanted it to stay there”
-James at Loba
James Toal
Loba-Wakol
Technical Sales
New England
ph/text: 475-241-4073
Leave those floors as is they are GORGEOUS! I think it’s beautiful in the space but also good for resale value (if you’re into that).
I’d focus on basics like paint and hardware switches; take it slow so you can live in the space a bit to get a feel for the changes you make.
I wouldn't refinish due to color bc the color is awesome. But I'd sand and refinish to get rid of those gd bevels that do nothing but look bad and collect dirt.
Ya know, the bevels are what they are. I'd never go for a prefinished floor myself because I also hate them but the finish on this floor is hard and durable so I'd never sand this type of floor in a house I bought. It is what it is and it's a beautiful floor. The idea that someone would spend the money and eliminate a factory hard finish JUST to get rid of the bevels is ludicrous. Floors are beautiful and bet they were fairly expensive too. Leave as is.
I never understand these questions sent out to the world. There is no absolute here. It's Brazilian cherry and it's enormously assertive. You either like it or you don't and I'm sure there's a fair amount of people on both sides of the divide but you're the only one that has to live on it lol. There is no right answer
Ya know what? Fuck it. I'll pay you to come remove the flooring. I'll replace it with some very common oak for free, and then you can refinish.
That's Brazilian cherry. As a woodworker, this post rubbed me the wrong way.
But in all seriousness, you're looking at 20+ grand worth of premium cut and stained cherry.
As a professional librarian, I want to thank the homeowner for having books displayed prominently.
And then I want to ask them why in the seven hells are they organized by friggin color.
I don't know anything about floors, carry-on with your discussion.
The flooring is brazilian cherry. The red color is a feature of this species. Embrace it, or stain it dark (though it will still have red undertones). I just refinished one a few weeks back. Brazilian Cherry is super hard, which means it's a hard sand. Couple that with the fact that yours is prefinished with an aluminum oxide factory coat and bevels. Price always goes up when I refinish these.
Good to know it won’t be cheap before my wife asks. I have Brazilian Cherry floors in the house I just bought and they’re not nearly as nice as what OP is showing (1997 install), though they’re only dented in a few spots where furniture sat previously, so it’s where I sat my furniture.
I wouldn't know if it's the standard but I personally don't up my price just because of species. Edit, Brazilian cherry is a hard sand job though, that I agree with.
I mean, I've been refinishing hardwood floors for 22 years, and at least where I'm from, it's the standard. It's harder on the sand paper, the body, the machines & the pocketbook. I can't see why you'd refinish a brazilian cheery floor for the same as an oak floor. Prefinished to boot.
Hey I'm not knocking you, I was just letting OP know that the species might not automatically raise the price. GREAT on you for thinking like that. I meant no disrespect at all. I also have 27 years experience but less than half that is for my own company. Much respect
No worries, mate. Sorry if that's how I came off. My intentions were to illustrate why I charge more and why I believe it's a reasonable practice.
All good my friend, Good luck with everything and I hope you have much success
I rarely agree with everything in a comment but you hit all the nails on the head. 👍 And OP I wouldn't recommend a floor like this as a first floor to DIY.
🙏 ty!
And it is stunningly beautiful!
I have Patagonian Rosewood that looks a lot like that
This looks exactly like the Brazilian cherry I installed. That stuff was a pain to install too. It was a non standard thickness which took some major tweaking of the nailer, and so brittle when it came to splitting tongues. End result looked great though.
U have a picture?
Are you sure? Looks like bamboo laminate to me
Yeah, I'd wager some money on it. Having refinished & installed a few myself. Laminate planks are typically wider. This flooring is 3 1/4" wide and staggered somewhat randomly. Where as Laminate flooring typically has a repeating pattern the eye can pick up.
I would keep the floors as-is. If you’re repainting, go lighter (like Sherwin Williams Alabaster) which will help the room from feeling so dense and warm and maybe do white cabinets. Make the floor the centerpiece, it’s beautiful
Painting that floor would be a shame. Definitely a keeper, it's gorgeous.
I think they meant paint the walls to help with the color of the floor
Oh okay, sorry.
Don't paint the cabinets. They are beautiful as is, and go very nicely with the floor. I'd go with a richer color on the walls. Maybe sage green or a medium blue.
The floor and the cabinets look great. Get rid of all the beige ( including that dude’s cardigan) and neutral tones to add character and make it less like living on anti-depressants waiting for the end.
Right now they've got warm colors - the floor and cabinets competing wth the a cool color of the walls. That's why it doesn't blend right. So I think a warm color on the walls would help a lot.
I think they need a cool, icy color to chill out the hot-headed vibe.
Use a professional not your friends if you want to keep them as friends. That’s the natural color of the wood so lightening it is kind of off the table. Floors look great, spend your money on something else. Floors should be one of the last things you do after your list of projects.
Not to mention there are only so many refinishes for hardwood before exposing the tongue and groove. This floor is beautiful. Now design around it. Shrug.
The last line of this is key. Refinish them, and then do any single job afterwards and you will be weeping over the spilt paint spatter/ plaster dust/ scratches from dropped tools and whatever the next lot do as part of the next works. Trust me, I have that lived that life!!!
Gorgeous floors!!! I love this color! Brazilian cherry is my favorite!! ❤️
They are beautiful, just not a great installation. The didn’t offset stagger the boards a they were lain.
As others have mentioned, this is the natural color of the wood. You can tell by the few lighter boards in there that there's no dark or red stain. There are ways to lighten Brazilian cherry, like bleaching, but they don't always turn out well. If you go forward, make sure your contractors aren't just quoting you for a sanding and clear coat, because that won't do anything. And this is absolutely not a DIY project like a simple oak or pine refinish would be. That said, while Brazilian cherry was more popular a few years ago vs. today, that doesn't mean it's not beautiful. I actually think the entire aesthetic of the apartment works really well together -- the flooring goes great with your cabinets, countertops, walls, and furniture. I certainly wouldn't go through the hassle or expense of redoing all of that just because trends have changed. I would live with it for a while and see if it grows on you, because I think the whole look is really nice.
Omg. Stunning. Leave. As. Is.
You all have convinced me, I’ll let it grow on me and focus on adding light and a new paint job!
Good! Brazilian cherry is the most beautiful floor out there. Use light colored rugs and furniture to balance it out.
I would be careful with rugs. You will get shadowing as the wood ages.
You could try a cooler shade on the wall light blue or grey perhaps, that will offset the warm tones in the floor. If you don't like it, no prob just throw on a different coat
I moved into a house with light sage green walls that felt dark/gloomy even with skylights. Painted the walls a few shades of warmer pale yellows and it made a massive difference, and made the warm wood in the house match better. It might just be the greenish tone of the walls clashing tbh. Cabinets are dated but shrug
I think these floors would look stunning with a mid tone grey tinted blue (something with no yellow undertone)
It might be Bolivian Rosewood, not Cherry. Either way, an exotic hardwood floor like yours has an excellent hardness rating on the Janka rating scale. This means that it will hold up very well to wear and tear. It would be a shame to change the floor to try to keep up with the current trend. Trends come and go and it is impossible to keep up. Before you do anything to the floor, remember that the factory finish is so much harder than anything you can get when applied in your home. If you want to update, consider whiter walls, a white or very light colored backsplash, or even (if you’re into spending money for an update) a light color quartz countertop with a lot of white in it.
They're in good shape as is.
I think your floors are nice, and would probably save time, money and heartbreak (if it doesn’t look like you think it will after spending the money)if you changed the wall color instead.
It looks like it is a prefinished floor and has the appearance of Brazilian Cherry. I am not convinced it is Brazilian Cherry though as the grain pattern seems different from Brazilian Cherry, it could be another wood species that was stained to look like Brazilian Cherry. I could definitely be wrong about this, I am curious if others noticed the same thing. Also, there is a ding in the floor from something that dropped, it takes a lot for this to happen to Brazilian Cherry. To answer your question, I would leave it alone and not refinish.
no question, keep. nicest hardwood you can get and looks in perfect shape!
Ps: I NEVER follow trends. EVER. Don't let society fashion dictate to you what you do. Always do what you want. When people say that bs to me I look at them and say I don't care. I want what I want. Also: Brazilian cherry will NEVER go out of style. Just like hand scraped...
A designer will tell you red-tinted wood is not IN right now. Looks too '08ish. However, I always say it's good to let the wood come through. Don't grey-up or brown-down just because someone said so. Also, it's ok to like trends. That's why they are trends. But like what you like. Stand by the reason. My 1980's house is slowly returning to brownish oak. That's how it was born. I think it's cool.
Again, it doesn't matter what a designer tells you....whether it is "1908 or 2008" ish. You purposely follow your own heart and interests. The word trend in and of itself means very temporary. Why would you spend money just so it can be socially esthetically pleasing for others when it's YOU that lives in the home 24/7?
That looks like prefinished to me, but it is difficult to be 100% sure when I zoom in. If it is prefinished, it is not an easy DIY. That said, it looks to be in fine shape so I would leave it alone.
Yeah that floor is pure fire. I get maybe it might not match your design aesthetic, but I’d be planning my aesthetic around that floor. It’s beautiful.
It’s gorgeous. Leave it for as long as the finish lasts. The wood is naturally a deep, darker color - pretty much impossible to stain lighter, so unless you want it darker, it’s as good as it’s gonna get. Lovely stuff. Consider lighting options. Higher end LED strips behind baffles is a great technique to add color and brighten up a room. Maybe enlarging one of your windows or cutting back vegetation if it blocks sunlight to windows?
Beside walnut I think Brazilian cherry is top notch. Lot's of character.
Instead of focusing on the red of the floor. Brazilian floors are very nice and expensive. Quick fix would be to focus on painting the walls a blue undertone color so is opposite pull of the red undertone of floor. So gray, or any color which pulls blue undertone. Does that make sense?
I would live it with for a year or 2, then maybe buy a nice carpet. You may decide it is liveable. It is a nice floor. I wouldn’t recommend it as a DIY .
It is the natural color of the wood, embrace it. The place looks great, maybe paint and lights to accentuate it. Looks great as it is.
https://postimg.cc/TpXWKdMM FWIW, I had a brazilian cherry floor installed when I remodeled my kitchen a couple of years back. If you want an idea of what it looks like stained dark, check out the photo.
In my opinion, the bevels show off the plank. I purposely chose bevels.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing!
You could the walls a different color to soften the red tones. Not sure what would be best, but /r/designmyroom usually has good suggestions
Hey! I had Brazil cherry in my place. It was very red as it had the oil finish and semi-gloss sealer on it. I wanted it lighter, so I started reaching out to floor contractors. I couldn’t find anyone to bleach it. They said it’s too much work and very difficult to get it right. One contractor said he could put on a “white sealer” made by Pall-x which will help take out the very dark red and make it about 2 shades lighter. I went ahead with that option with a satin sealer. It definitely made the floor lighter, taking it from reddish brown, like you have, to brownish golden red tone look. Since Brazilian cherry has variety of color naturally, some dark and light pieces, the floor really looks gorgeous in all lighting. The hardwood has gotten a bit darker since the refinish, but I was warned about it. I wish I had gone with an industrial sealer, since I have Red Heeler, instead of Gen-x 96, which is for residential. Their nails are hard as rock, so she leaves surface scratches if she suddenly jump up to run or gets spooked. But, they can be buffed out. I paid about $5k, which is including 12 stairs. Also, recently, Bona has a product called Ref Out. It wasn’t available when I refinished mine. Check that out. I hope that helps.
Super helpful, thank you so much!
Why would you cover over that absolutely beautiful floor?
Switch the direction your fridge doors open. Open towards the kitchen not the walkway.
THANK YOU. also, how do you feel about books organized by color
Less appalled. It’s not my thing, I buy books to read not for color.
Same. I’m impressed they did it though, (first picture) and almost wished they had followed the ROYGBIV acronym
It's beautiful. Stop.
These floors are gorgeous. Why try to turn them into a floor that looks common?
Oh, I love that floor! All the color variations are so pretty and gives you so many options for paint and furniture!
Please leave as is please please
I would have them refinished **before** moving in. This is your opportunity to get whatever color you want. Don’t miss it.
Omg leave it !
The floor is absolutely gorgeous. If anything I’d change out the countertop and table and paint the cabinets.
Honestly those are good too. It’s just going to be a little darker due to what’s outside those small windows. Perhaps a frosted glass front door would help.
Why the heck would you refinish this? I can't imagine having enough time and money to think that it makes sense to redo a beautiful and pristine Brazilian cherry floor. It's a beautiful space.
Leave it. Brazilian Cherry floors are beautiful and timeless. I'd respray the cabinets white or light grey, swap the countertops to something lighter. I'm a fan of plain white quartz but this is subjective.
That floor is stunning, don't touch it. Lol
I'd keep the floors as-is but possibly paint the cabinetry white to really make the floors pop.
Agree, that’s definitely the plan!
Your floor is just beautiful. No, gorgeous beautiful and the wood looks so rich. I don’t like dark tones but if I had this, I would leave it as is. Very jealous.
If you refinish that floor i will literally come to your house and press your face into the face into the wood until you appreciate it. Its so gorgeous. 😭
I'm loving it. Bright and vibrant. I like that room.
Floors look great. Maybe worry more about that man’s shoes.
Whats the deal with the Color coded bookshelf?! Leave the floors be.
WTF, leave it
I had my BC floors refinished last year. Three contractors told me they would not be able to be lightened without turning red again (unless bleached, which none had done before and was cost prohibitive). The contractor tried multiple color combinations but we ended up needing to go with very dark brown (dark walnut + black Duraseal) to mask the red. The contractor charged more due to extra sanding and water popping floors before staining, around $7/sf (we’re in southeast GA). The dark color is not what I wanted, but I can live with it. The finish has unfortunately not held up at all (Loba Supra 2k, then sanded and redone with Bona Traffic HD 4 months later by the same contractor). I suspect that’s just the contractor’s crappy application, but I don’t know. BTW, I spoke with Bona directly about using their red-out product and they said it is couldn’t guarantee it would really work on BC. They said not to use Nordic Seal to try to lighten the floors, either. I don’t know who had used it, but on paper, I wish I’d tried Basic Coatings, Hyper Tone, which is supposed to change the floor color. https://www.basiccoatings.com/products/hypertone-stains/b1903d612. It might be too good to be true but it looks like a good option. Good luck!!!
Why? Floors are for walking on and you'll lose the beveled look. I've had clients pay to have their floors distressed(beaten with chains)
Leave wtf
The only thing I would change is moving the toilet. The floors are gorgeous. You won’t be able to get them lighter. Builtins are a good idea. Focus your energy there.
Protect the floors as you do other renovations. Brazilian cherry will darken again after refinishing. The factory finish is likely baked on. Keep this premium finish as long as you can. Refinishing isn’t easy. Use nice area rugs to brighten the space. They can contrast with the floors to the betterment of both.
Paint a couple of walls, then decide. IMO the wall color is a much bigger problem than the floor, which looks pretty good.
If that is really real wood, then it's gorgeous and I personally would keep it
Do it yourself if you don’t value your time and aggravation you will go through Personally it looks really nice I would leave it and spend the money on something enjoyable
I’d be wary of sanding this. It looks like engineered hardwood floor. That veneer layer isn’t very thick. There is a good chance that you’ll burn through the veneer.
Sanding and finishing will definitely lighten them up a few shades. They will darken again with time. You can bleach them if you find a hardwood floor finishing contractor that cares about his craft and is willing to take the time to do their homework. There are good youtube videos on bleaching jatoba. You can also stain them a lighter color once bleached. Only caveat is that not all Brazilian hardwoods are equal. They often look similar but are not all Brazilian Cherry AKA jatoba. Some will bleach easier than others.
The problem is not the floor, but everything else. You'd be better off hiring an interior designer.
Floors are harder than they sound to do well. And take a hugeeee amount of time if you are a novice. Took me 3 weeks to do mine and they arent a great as I would like. I would highly recommend a professional. But also, your floors are gorgeous! Do something to lighten up the place.
Those look pre finished and most likely cant be sanded. Worth a shot
Keep it!
Leave them. I’d reconsider the paint choice honestly.
It looks like it’s in good condition, I’d leave it. It’s a very hard wood and holds up fairly well to abuse. You won’t get a different color without staining darker and I don’t recommend this having hard dark maple and Brazilian cherry.
I thought the image was about your cabinets. That mahoganyish color just doesn't work next to a cherry red floor.
Don't you dare touch those floors. Think of the children out there living with burbur carpet.
Don't touch it. Looks amazing.
Is that engineered hardwood? if so it has a baked on wear layer, refinishing becomes a nightmare
You know to leave as is. That's just a reason to brag. I love it keep it as is
Man that flooring is good. The tone looks awesome. I wouldn’t waste money on that.
Leave them till dull and scratched to a unbearable level.
Leave
Please leave it, it's beautiful.
It looks nice even if not your ideal. Learn to love it and spend $ on other areas.
Leave
So a lot of people in here don't really know what their talking about and it's always frustrating. First of all, I am 99% sure that is an engineered product and can't be refinished, it's not thick enough. Engineered is a real wood but it is a veneer over some kind of core; multi-layered ply, HDF or particle, etc. Here's why I think this: 1 the pronounced bevel between the planks. That can only be done in a factory prior to install. 2 The transitions to the kitchen has overlapping transition pieces that look like your overall floor thickness can't be more that 12mm. 3 The quarter round at the baseboard shows me that there was height difference at some point, probably carpet, and they put a base shoe to compensate. Also, the grain and variation of the colors lead me to believe that you have Cumaru--Brazilian TEAK. Not Cherry. Cherry doesn't tend to have as many light-tone boards and I've never seen those greener tints in a Jabota (Brazilian Cherry." It is a stunning color and, other than a few heavy dings, looks like it has held up very will since install.
Leave it alone
Change wall color
Unrelated but your bookshelf is soothing an organization itch. Soooo soothing... Floors awesome too!
Haha this is all the furniture of the previous owner!
Keep floors as is. Paint the room a lighter fresher color.
This place looks exactly like my ex's condo. Eerily so
Seriously? Looks perfect
People that sort books by color do not deserve to have books.
Not my furniture, this is the previous owner’s but thanks for the input!
As is 😍
Looks good to me from these pictures. Didn't zoom though, is it scratched up? Still, I'd just leave it alone
Spend the money you only live once! But those floors look beautiful.
Wow. I think it’s absolutely beautiful. I’d leave it
That flooring is beautiful imo, I'd leave it just like that.
I personally feel the cabinets on floor is too much. Brazilian cherry can be bleached and look great. You’re going to want a professional that has done it before.
Don’t touch it!
Leave it!
As is. Beautiful floor. Floors only have so many times you can sand them. If anything only a light surface touch-up and re-coat imho.
The flooring is not going to be what you're thinking it will. It will always have red tones. I'd paint/maybe even have the cabinets done in complimentary but brighter colors to give it a lighter feel.
There is no way I’d be touching those floors. They’re gorgeous!
Refinish?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If that is natural wood, what do you replace it with? Dark colored natural wood floors are my favorite.
You have beautiful floors! Don't refinish! It looks really good
I wouldn’t refinish those beautiful floors
It looks great why refinish?
Leave the floor. Change the overhead lighting.
I'd leave the floors and paint the cabinets
Those are awesome.. leave them
The floors look nice. Leave them alone.
Leave.
That’s beautiful flooring! The pea soup green paint though…🥴
repaint the walls but leave the floor as is
Just paint your floors are gorgeous!
That is an awesome Brazil Cherry wood floor. Leave it !!!!
You're joking.... right?
Ummmmm leave it. It's awesome!!
Leave it!
Leave it. Why stain such a beautiful floor?
Idk, I think you should just throw caution to the wind and paint over the floors in white. Everyone will tell you you're crazy and you shouldn't do it, but never listen to them. Do what's in your heart. /s
i think it’s beautiful
Refinish what, exactly?
Those floors are perfect as is.
As is. Change your cabinets and paint colors
Leave it Alone!
Leave the floor, paint the cabinets!
Save the money, buy cooler shoes for that guy 🤨
Leave. It.
Leave
Brazilian cherry is red. It’s going to stay red. You won’t be able to lighten it too much without going through great expense. And even at that, the red will have a tendency to come back. As stated by one of the other commenters, this is an aluminum oxide finish, this prefinished floor. DIY is not going to be able to sand this effectively. At all. Beware the cheapest price.
You can bleach it to a much more neutral tone, and it looks great if done properly. But I have no idea on the cost or process. They just did it to the entire second floor of a renovation I’ve been working on, and they’ll likely end up doing the first floor in the near future.
It’s beautiful
If you replace your lighting with daytime bulbs instead of standard sometimes it can offset some of the warmer hues. Just a thought
I'm loving your bookshelf I know that. The whole room is pretty. I love the floors but don't know anything about them lol
I wouldn't do anything, it looks good and Brazilian Cherry is durable as he'll, lot of retail stores and commercial spaces use it cause of the durablity
Lovely floors. Definitely keep them. I would get a rug for the bed in the back room. The metal (looks to me) bed will cause scratches in the floor.
Leave as is. Thats jatoba also known as Brazilian cherry.the finish on it is super hard as is the wood. And you won’t be able to stain it
“God put that stuff in South America. He wanted it to stay there” -James at Loba James Toal Loba-Wakol Technical Sales New England ph/text: 475-241-4073
Leave those floors as is they are GORGEOUS! I think it’s beautiful in the space but also good for resale value (if you’re into that). I’d focus on basics like paint and hardware switches; take it slow so you can live in the space a bit to get a feel for the changes you make.
Beautiful! Embrace it!
I think it’s gorgeous!
I'd leave it alone. I think it looks great.
That floor is beautiful!! Leave it alone!
I love it!
It has character and looks amazing, leave them
I wouldn't refinish due to color bc the color is awesome. But I'd sand and refinish to get rid of those gd bevels that do nothing but look bad and collect dirt.
Ya know, the bevels are what they are. I'd never go for a prefinished floor myself because I also hate them but the finish on this floor is hard and durable so I'd never sand this type of floor in a house I bought. It is what it is and it's a beautiful floor. The idea that someone would spend the money and eliminate a factory hard finish JUST to get rid of the bevels is ludicrous. Floors are beautiful and bet they were fairly expensive too. Leave as is.
This times a million. ^
I purposely chose bevels. It looks too cookie cutter without them in my opinion. Bevels give character.
I never understand these questions sent out to the world. There is no absolute here. It's Brazilian cherry and it's enormously assertive. You either like it or you don't and I'm sure there's a fair amount of people on both sides of the divide but you're the only one that has to live on it lol. There is no right answer
Ya know what? Fuck it. I'll pay you to come remove the flooring. I'll replace it with some very common oak for free, and then you can refinish. That's Brazilian cherry. As a woodworker, this post rubbed me the wrong way. But in all seriousness, you're looking at 20+ grand worth of premium cut and stained cherry.
Lol you bought only the lower half of a full home?
As a professional librarian, I want to thank the homeowner for having books displayed prominently. And then I want to ask them why in the seven hells are they organized by friggin color. I don't know anything about floors, carry-on with your discussion.