How We Refinished Our 100 Year Old White Oak Flooring
Undertaking a massive project like refinishing the floors in your home comes with a lot of decisions… and decision fatigue. If you love white oak floors, OR already have white oak in your home that you want to refinish, consider this post your complete guide to refinishing white oak floors. Here, I cover everything you need to know to confidently select the perfect white oak flooring for your home!
**Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no extra cost to you, I will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Complete Guide to White Oak Hardwood Flooring:
Refinishing the floors in our entire house wasn’t really at the top of our priority list when we moved into our historic 1940’s home a few months ago. The downstairs floors were in reasonably decent shape and though the upstairs floors hadn’t been refinished in decades, there were so many other immediate-attention items that I figured we’d get to it when we get to it.

After living in the house for a few months though, we noticed that the dark floor created a “cavey” feel and I kept imagining the brightness that lighter, natural floors would create.

The Low Down:
If you want floors that look just like ours, here is the solution:
- 2 inch White Oak Flooring with low variation
- Sealed with Bona Natural Seal x1 coat
- Top Coat: Bona Traffic HD in satin x2 coats.
Why Refinishing Hard Wood Floors is Worth The Price:
If you are living in an in-process renovation home like us, then you know there are hundreds of places your money can go and all of them seem of equal importance. Early on, we decided we wanted to focus our budget on high-value renovations… Things that would not only add resale value but also add value to our lives every day.

We added custom trim work, and are in the process of a major master bathroom renovation. We also replaced the junky deck and added a beautiful vintage-style fence around the backyard. All of these are “high-value” renovations because they are pricey but add a lot of value to our home now and for years to come.
Refinishing your hardwood floors is one of the highest-value projects you can complete and here is why:
- Resale Value: If you decide to sell your home, home buyers KNOW how pricey refinishing floors can be. This will add a ton of value to the house!
- Instant Upgrade: Refinished floors add a fresh, new and cleaner feel to EVERY room. Even those rooms that are at the bottom of your “to-do” list will instantly get an upgrade!
- Long Lasting: Nowadays the products that have been formulated for floors last SO much longer. Water-based polyurethanes don’t turn yellow like the old oil-based formulas and the new top coats (like Bona Traffic HD) will make your floors last for 20-30 years (with proper care) without needing to be refinished! It’s truly an upgrade that will keep on giving back.
Why Choose White Oak Hardwoods?
If you are trying to decide on floors for a total renovation OR are replacing irreparable floors and selecting a new kind, I highly recommend white oak! I absolutely LOVE our white oak floors and can’t believe how much we lucked out that we already had white oak in our 1940’s home.

Note: From what we heard from multiple flooring people, back in the 1930’s when our house was built, white oak was actually one of the cheapest woods. The other prevalent type of wood was heart pine. I find this SO amusing because white oak and heart pine are currently the 2 most expensive hardwood flooring options on the market! In the 1950’s and 60’s red oak became much more common as it was readily available and cheaper.
Here are all the reasons I think white oak floors are a great idea:
- Durability: White oak is a very hard and dense wood, making it resistant to wear and tear. It’s less likely to dent or scratch compared to softer woods (i.e. pine), which makes it ideal for high-traffic areas.
- Water Resistance: White oak has a tighter grain structure and is more resistant to water and moisture than some other types of wood.
- Aesthetic Appeal: White oak has a beautiful, classic appearance with a warm, natural tone. It doesn’t pull super yellow, orange or pink. It holds stain incredibly well and typically has a subtle pattern/variation within the wood.
- Versatility: White oak can be used in a variety of design styles, from traditional to modern. Its ability to take stain well means it can be customized to fit a wide range of aesthetics.
- Longevity: With proper care and maintenance, white oak hardwood floors can last for decades. They can also be sanded and refinished multiple times, which can restore their original beauty and extend their lifespan.
- Resale Value: Investing in high-quality white oak hardwood floors can increase the value of your home. Hardwood floors are a desirable feature for many homebuyers and can enhance the overall appeal of your property. Plus with the rising prices of white oak, a lot more people are desiring it when they purchase a home. This is a huge selling point for resale value!
White Oak Versus Red Oak
When we first had a few flooring companies come and look at the very dark floors of our downstairs and the very damaged floors of our upper level, we had multiple people state that they looked like red oak. I was immediately bummed because I knew from past research that it’s a lot harder to get red-oak floors to have a neutral finish than white oak.

Red oak, especially when lightened, tends to pull a pink tint. You can imagine my sheer delight when another flooring company told me they were white oak and sanded down a section of the floor to prove it. Our entire house (minus our heart pine kitchen) is white oak and the floors were actually (overall) in excellent condition, considering that they are close to 100 years old!

If you are installing new floors in your home, I personally would choose white oak over red oak. Red oak is cheaper at the moment but tends to have more complications when refinishing.
Maybe you already have red oak floors in your home and are dreaming of neutral, (not-pink) stunning floors. Well, the good news is, there are still lots of options to get the floors of your dreams- even if they are red oak! Here are a few options from my research that flooring specialists swear by for red oak:
- Bona Red Out: This is a relatively new product, but it functions as a wood bleach. This product is applied after the floors have been sanded down. After the Red-out dries, the floors are resanded to remove the raised wood grain. Multiple coats can be applied until the desired effect is reached. Because of the additional product and sanding, this will be more expensive. But the results are really quite amazing from what I’ve seen!
- Bona Nordic Seal: This is another product I did lots of research on when I thought our floors were red oak. Bona has a range of sealer products that are used in place of stains to enhance the natural wood look. Nordic seal is the lightest option available and actually has a bit of white tint in it. Multiple coats create a white-washed effect. However, from my research, doing 1-2 coats can help to neutralize the pink tones in red oak. Of note, this sealer is not to be used with a stain unless you want a very streaky and unattractive finish.
- Darker Stains: Darker stains do tend to hide red tint better than light. The good news is, that darker floors have actually become more popular lately. Provincial, Jacobean, and Special Walnut shades are all neutral stains that don’t pull a ton of red- BUT be sure to test on your own floors.
Steps to Refinishing Your White Oak Hardwood Floors
We decided to hire out for this project which we were blessed to be able to do. Whether you plan to tackle this project yourself, OR hire professionals, HERE are the steps you can expect for refinishing your hardwoods:
Step 1: Assessing the Floor Condition
Before deciding on a method of restoring/refinishing the floors we got a few expert opinions on the condition of the floors.

I knew the main floor had been refinished about 10-15 years prior. There were a few scratches here and there and some peeling polyurethane but nothing major. The upstairs looked pretty rough with basically no finish left. The carpet had been ripped out so there were lots of holes and even some nails sticking out in random spots (yikes!)
Overall though, the experts told us our floors were in great condition. (It’s a good idea to have a professional check out the floors because if there are many rotting sections or areas that have to be replaced, it might be better to rip and replace the floors entirely)!
Step 2: Choosing the Right Materials
If you are replacing your current flooring with white oak or selecting white oak for a new build or renovation, there are a few decisions you’ll need to make:
Board Width and Length
Selecting the width of your white oak floors is a big decision. We have 2″ white oak boards but if I could have selected a wider plank I would have. 3″ or 4″ planks are stunning and give a more elegant feel.

However, keep in mind that a plank wider than 4″ will likely need to be engineered hardwood and not real hardwood. Authentic hardwood has a high risk of buckling if wider than 4″! Additionally, long-length boards create a more elegant and high-end look than shorter boards which can look choppy.
Variation from Board to Board
Variation has to do with the amount of color changes and wood grain changes from board to board.
Batches of hardwoods with a high degree of variation are often cheaper but for a good reason. Some of the boards may pull more pink, red or grey which gives a multi-color look, even when stained.

Thankfully our 100-year-old floors have a pretty low amount of variation from board to board and look quite cohesive.
Hardwood Grade
When choosing flooring, the “grade” of the material often refers to its quality, appearance, durability, and suitability for different applications. Here’s a breakdown of the different grades you might encounter for various types of flooring:
- Clear Grade: The highest quality grade with minimal imperfections, uniform color, and grain. It’s free from knots, streaks, and mineral marks.
- Select Grade: Slightly lower quality than clear grade. It has a few minor imperfections, such as small knots or color variations, but still offers a high-quality appearance.
- #1 Common Grade: More noticeable imperfections like knots, color variations, and mineral streaks. It offers a more rustic or natural appearance and is often used in casual or country-style settings.
- #2 Common Grade: Contains significant knots, mineral streaks, and color variations. It’s the most rustic and natural-looking, making it ideal for homes that want a more rugged or traditional aesthetic.
It’s hard to say what “grade” our floors would be assigned but this only matters if you are trying to decide which hardwoods you want to purchase.
Selecting Hardwood Finishes
The next step of the process is to decide what shade you want your white oak floors to be. This is the fun part!
After seeing a section of the floors sanded down, we were totally in love with how the natural floor looked. Light, but not overly beachy or white-washed. I told the floor company I wanted the floors to look exactly as they did with no stain so they showed me a few sealer options from Bona.

Sealer Versus Stain
If you plan to stain your white oak floors, you have literally hundreds of stains to choose from. Dark stains, medium tones, and even white-wash stains look GREAT with white oak. It’s one of the reasons I highly recommend white oak flooring!
NOTE: I highly recommend testing your stain on an area of your hardwoods that isn’t “front and center”. It’s super important to test the stain in your home before making final choices because lighting is EVERYTHING. That said, our flooring company cautioned us against testing a ton of stains in an obvious place because even though it can be sanded down, certain stains can sink into cracks and be hard to completely remove- especially if you’re going lighter like we were!
Because I fell in love with the natural look of our floors when they were sanded bare, we didn’t use stain and instead went with a sealer. We tested a few different sealers on the floor and ultimately chose Bona Natural Seal! Natural Seal enhances the natural colors of the wood without adding any additional tones. The other sealers we tested were still clear but a bit stronger and somewhat darkened the look of the floors even after drying.
One benefit of using sealer and no stain is that it cut down the drying time significantly. Stains have to dry anywhere from 4- 48 hours (depending on the type) while sealers only have to dry a few hours.
The last step was to select our top coat/polyurethane finish. We went with Bona Traffic HD in Satin. This is an extremely durable and potent water-based polyurethane that floor refinishers swear by! I debated between satin and matte because I’m usually a no-shine girl but I’m SO glad we went with satin. It gives off just the slightest sheen that makes the floors look SO fresh and new!
Step 3: Preparing for the Refinishing Process
I’m not gonna lie, this project was a beast! We had to move out of our home for 10 days. I can’t even imagine how much work it would have been if we hadn’t hired out for this project. When it came to moving furniture, etc. we didn’t have to do anything other than consolidate our clutter.
If you aren’t hiring out for this project, it’s crucial to remove any and all furniture and use plastic to cover surfaces. Even near-dustless systems will leave fine particulate all over your furniture and walls! It’s also important to remove shoe molding and any loose staples or nails as this could damage the power sander.
Step 4: Sanding the Floors
The first few days of the project consisted of the flooring company sanding the old finish off our floors, filling holes and cracks, and removing the shoe molding so they could get the edges sanded perfectly. I think it took them 2 days to completely sand everything since our house is 3,000+ square feet.

Sanding is definitely the most labor-intensive part of the process. If you choose to refinish the floors yourself, you’ll need to rent a drum sander. These sander machines are super powerful and it’s important to keep it constantly moving on the floors or you’ll end up completely ruining the surface. Thankfully we left this to the professionals and they did a great job!

Step 5: Clean + Staining/Sealing the Floors
After the sanding is done, it’s time to clean the floors. The floors must be cleaned extremely well to remove dust and residue so it doesn’t get sealed into the floors. I think we’ve all walked over hardwoods that are slightly bumpy or gritty feeling and it’s such a shame!
Applying the Finish
After sanding, the sealer was applied to our floors. The sealer only take a few hours to dry. They came back the following day to begin applying the poly topcoat. The flooring company applied several coats of water-based polyurethane. Water based polyurethane is the best choice to avoid yellowing down the road PLUS it dries much faster than oil based and with less odor.
Refinishing Stair Treads and Small Areas
Refinishing the main floor was a significant part of the project, but we didn’t overlook the stair treads, bannister, and other tricky areas.

The flooring company sanded down all the stair treds which are white oak but have significant nail holes from the carpet that was installed. The stairs look a bit rustic but I don’t mind. We plan to install a stair runner to help cover some of the less-attractive areas.
They also sanded down the entire 1940’s curved stair banister mainly by hand using steel wool and sandpaper. After sanding it down we found that not only was the banister a different wood than the floors, it was also several different types of wood that had been pieced together. With all the intricate carving and curves, it was impossible to remove all the dark stain from small spindle cracks and crevices.
We basically had 3 options:
- Paint the bannister
- Replace the entire bannister
- Attempt a darker stain to cover the wood variation

Ultimately we decided to stain the bannister darker because I just couldn’t bear the thought of painting an original wood bannister nor could I imagine replacing such a stunning one! We went with Dark Walnut stain and I think it came out stunningly. The darker bannister really contrasts with the lighter stair treds and elevates the look of the entry way.
Final Touches and Maintenance
With the refinishing project complete, we turned our attention to maintenance. Using appropriate cleaning products is crucial to maintain the finish and prevent water damage.

Upon seeing how stunning our floors looked, I immediately began researching the best ways to keep hardwoods looking good. I know a lot of people that use steam mops, or various mopping systems like Swiffer, etc… But I wanted to pick the best option.
I am a big fan of using essential oils in cleaning so I immediately thought they might be a good option for hardwoods. I was surprised upon researching that it’s NOT advised to use any type of oil on hardwood floor. Murphy’s Oil soap and essential oils basically build up on top of the finish over time and eventually make the floors look scummy. It is also not advised to ever use a steam mop or Swiffer mop and it’s not really necessary to mop with super hot water either!
Hardwood floors are actually very simple to clean. Here’s what has worked for us:
- Sweep 2-3x a week
- Spot clean with warm water OR warm water with soap if needed and a microfiber cloth
- 1x a week use Bona Floor cleaner and a soft microfiber mop. Simply spray the floors section by section and wipe with the mop.
Reflecting on the Journey
Refinishing our 100-year-old white oak flooring was a long-time project that required patience and careful attention to detail. The result is a stunning transformation that preserved the historical charm of our home while giving it a fresh, new look.

For anyone considering refinishing white oak floors, it’s essential to make an informed decision based on the type of flooring and the desired aesthetic appeal. Whether dealing with red oak floors, old floors, or new wood, understanding the refinishing process can help achieve the best results
By following these steps, you too can restore your old flooring to its former glory. Whether you’re dealing with white oak, red oak flooring, or any other wood species, the right approach and materials make all the difference. I hope this guide is super helpful! Let me know below if you have any other questions about this process.