(Ames Tile also made two custom heat registers to match the flooring; one can be seen here.)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nI will admit: The hardwood flooring process was loud and dusty, though Brad and his crew, which consisted of Phoenix and Joe, were incredibly awesome about cleaning up after themselves. You want these guys working in your home! The floor refinishing also was inconvenient; we shipped our daughter Clare to grandparents for a few days each week during the process, and Bart and I lived in our basement for several days during water popping (wetting the floor to make the grain “pop” and help the stain achieve a rich finish), staining and finish coatings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the nearly two-week process was also really cool to watch. Matching up the reclaimed boards to the existing hardwood was like a giant puzzle that Phoenix, Joe and Brad enjoyed the challenge of. I watched them cut out existing boards that weren’t up to their standards and replace them with surgical precision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the team sanded everything smooth and even, we could see the original and stunning raw red oak boards. Joe showed me what a clear coat would look like on the red oak just in case I didn’t want to stain, but it was a bit too “red” for my taste. Bart and I opted for the Early American stain instead. The moment the stain was applied to the wood, I was even more certain we made the right choice in restoring these beautiful\u2014and historic\u2014floors. (Watch the process in the slideshow below.) I’d like to think Mr. Irwin and Mrs. Brockman would approve of what we’re doing with the place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Joe and Brad align the reclaimed hardwood with existing. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>The stain options (from left to right): Early American water popped (wetting the floor first brings the wood grain to the surface and helps achieve a rich finish with the stain); Early American on dry floor; Nutmeg; and Provincial. We chose Early American, water popped.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>The reclaimed floor is in and some sanding has begun. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>The reclaimed floor has been installed to align with the existing hardwood.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>Our pets (Nestle the cat and Belle the dog) inspect the hardwood.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>The raw red oak is beautiful!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>The floors have been sanded and I was tempted to polyurethane the bare red oak but I opted to stain it more of a neutral brown. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>Brad applies the Early American stain and it is gorgeous! I’m thrilled with this design decision! <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>First water-based finish coat is on. This floor just keeps looking better and better!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>Brad applies the second coat. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>A quick buff of the floor before the final finish coat ensures the hardwood is smooth underfoot. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>The finished product is even more beautiful than I’d imagined!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>After: The hardwood at the top of the photo is original to our home (1960) and the hardwood at the bottom was reclaimed from a 1940s home. The whole project turned out even better than I had hoped!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a> <\/a> <\/a>