Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
minimalogy

Classic Grey turned out too red. Help

minimalogy
14 days ago
last modified: 14 days ago

After applying the first coat of stain without finishing, looking for ways to minimize the red tones without resanding. The color appears warmer in person and varies with lighting. I may leave it - suggestions for the rest of the red oak flooring in the house?


different lighting, more emphasized:



Comments (18)

  • Paul F.
    14 days ago

    Looks good to me. Nothing wrong with a little pink.

  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    14 days ago

    Perfectly fine. Finish all the remainder and carry on

  • Boxerpal
    14 days ago

    I love it..

    Gray is on it's way out and the natural color you have is going to be more inviting. It will be a perfect backdrop for you new space. Enjoy it.

  • arcy_gw
    14 days ago

    Red oak is going to show red once 'dressed'. Gray is not a natural color for wood--it has to be bleached and colored to get that ugly gray people embraced in the last decade. If you don't care for the red oak stop and choose another wood.

  • minimalogy
    Original Author
    14 days ago

    Thanks for the feedback. Overall, it's good, but some boards appear red in certain lighting. FWIW I originally wanted a medium brown. Would using a pink blocker on the remaining boards be worth it?

  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    14 days ago

    Change the lighting to LED 4000K and that might help but red oak is by nature red . I think to start messing now with different areas will just add to the mess . Once furniture, rugs art etc are in it will be less of an issue.

  • housegal200
    14 days ago
    last modified: 14 days ago

    Gray lovers: If you must, put it on your walls or rugs or furniture, not your floors. This unnatural driftwood look on wood floors takes away from the wood's warm, natural appearance. No wonder it's on its way out. Very often a room with a lot of gray is enhanced by wood accents and floors in a natural wood color. More natural looking wood finishes add contrast and warmth to a mainly gray room.






  • kandrewspa
    14 days ago

    A darker stain will tone down the red. Since you said you wanted a medium brown I think you need to go darker and less gray. I don't know which brand you're using, but Provincial and Jacobean are popular medium browns.

  • minimalogy
    Original Author
    14 days ago

    I chose Duraseal for the floors. Jacobean was an option, but I felt it would be too dark. Would it be okay to keep the upper floor in Duraseal and the main floor in Jacobean for design? Or should I use a neutralizer and stick with Classic Grey for consistency? Just to clarify, I'm not a fan of grey floors, but I thought Classic Grey stain would reduce red tones. Here's my inspo:





  • Paul F.
    14 days ago

    The floor needed to be bleached beforehand to get the pink out. If you treat the unstained section of the floor at this point, because bleaching damages the woodgrain a little bit there’s no guarantee that the stain is going to look anywhere near what is already done. It is not a pink blocker… It is a bleaching process.

  • mcarroll16
    14 days ago

    The advice I found from several threads on Houzz is to use a stain with a green base to neutralize the red. That means Jacobean or Provincial. You can dilute them if you want a lighter color that still tones down the red.


  • minimalogy
    Original Author
    14 days ago

    @mcarroll16 initially, I planned on mixing, but I was advised against it. Now, I'm considering this route to finish the rest of the flooring. Hopefully, they'll match the current color

  • Jennz9b
    14 days ago

    This looks great. you dont want grey floors anyway.

  • Kate
    13 days ago

    Idk if it helps - I read that green in stain kills red and it makes sense.

    Someone somewhere mentioned Varathan Aged Wheat stain. It does look very promising, but i have never tried it, so just sharing what i saw.

    minimalogy thanked Kate
  • minimalogy
    Original Author
    13 days ago

    Thanks for your input, @kate787878. I saw the same suggestion and tried the Aged Wheat out of desperation, laying it on top of a red board to test (even though I know it's not the ideal fix). Unfortunately, it didn't help much. I'm not sure if I should experiment with actually mixing those two stains at this point. In the photo below, the right side is closer to what I'm aiming for, while the red pieces on the left are what I'm trying to avoid.


  • PRO
    HU-0228123141598721
    13 days ago

    You should leave it the heck alone unless you are going to sand off what you just did. What you have is a beautiful classic, and will easily outlast all of the sad and tired unpainted neglected house looks.

  • PRO
    Minardi
    13 days ago

    What you have, is better than what you want. By a lot.