Refinishing Red Oak and Maple Floors in a South Minneapolis Home
Scratched red oak and maple floors in a former rental were fully sanded, stained, and refinished to clean them up and create a more cohesive look before the homeowners moved back in.
Project Overview
Service Type
Home Type
Floor Type
Wood Species
Date Completed
Before Photos
The floors had been part of a rental property for several years and showed surface scratches, paint marks, and general wear. The main level included red oak in the living room and maple in the hallway and bedrooms, creating a noticeable transition between rooms.
After Photos
The floors were sanded to bare wood, stained with Early American to add warmth, and sealed with a commercial-grade finish for durability. The stain helped soften the transition between red oak and maple while maintaining the character of each species.
About the project
The homeowners had been renting out this South Minneapolis home for several years and were preparing to move back in. The floors had accumulated scratches, paint marks, and general wear, and they wanted everything cleaned up before bringing their furniture back into the space.
After evaluating the floors, we found that while the wood itself was still in overall good condition for its age, the surface damage and existing finish made it a poor candidate for a buff and coat. The main level included both red oak in the living room and maple in the hallway and bedrooms, which created a noticeable transition between rooms.
Because they wanted to introduce a stain color and improve the overall appearance, we recommended a full sand and refinish. We applied an Early American stain to add warmth while helping soften the visual transition between the two species, followed by a water-based sealer and a commercial-grade polyurethane for durability since they have dogs.
The result was a fresh, clean floor with added protection and a more unified look across the main level, while still allowing the natural differences between the red oak and maple to show.
Finish & Materials
From the customer
"Justin was great to work with and our floors look amazing!"
This is a walk-through of a full hardwood floor refinishing in South Minneapolis — red oak in the living room, maple in the hallway and bedrooms, all sanded to bare wood and finished with Early American stain and a commercial-grade topcoat.
“Alright, this one was in Minneapolis. The homeowners had been renting the property out for a few years and were getting ready to move back in, so they wanted to clean everything up before bringing their furniture in.
Before we started, the floors had quite a few scratches and some paint marks from past work. Nothing structurally wrong with the wood, but definitely not a good candidate for just a buff and coat.
The main level actually had two different species — red oak in the living room and maple in the hallway and bedrooms. So we sanded everything down to bare wood and applied an Early American stain to help soften the transition between the two.
We finished it off with a commercial-grade topcoat since they have dogs and wanted extra durability.
In the end, the floors just look fresh and clean again, and the color ties the spaces together without completely hiding the character of each wood.”