The short answer is yes, your hardwood floors will darken over time. This is inevitable, although there are steps you can take to slow down this process.
Oak. The light brown to darker tones of White Oak undergoes a medium degree of colour change with slight ambering over time.
These hardwood floors typically take between six months to two years to reach their mature colour depending on the specie of wood and the amount of natural or artificial light the flooring is exposed to. Some wood species become darker and some become lighter over time.
Yes, all hardwood floors will slightly change colour over periods of time, especially if they are in contact with direct sunlight. The most noticeable colour change will happen in the first few months after being installed.
The simple answer to this is yes, wood flooring will change colour over the years. Wood is a natural product and changes in colour will occur due to the wood's reaction to the environment. A dark wood such as walnut will lighten and a lighter wood species like oak, will darken.
Why Does Oak Wood Change Colors Over Time? Oak wood may darken slightly over time, taking on more amber tones. This happens due to exposure to oxygen and UV light, making it a largely unavoidable process.
Red Oak undergoes a medium degree of color change over time, with a slight ambering of the pink/tan brown color you get when freshly milled.
This is important to take note of when you're in the consideration process of selecting a hardwood floor for your home. In general, however, most floors will start to change color as early as three weeks after installation.
All hardwood floors slightly change color as the years roll on. It's only natural though. Direct sunlight, heavy foot traffic, and general wear and tear tend to pull out some of the color of flooring. Oak flooring lightens but perhaps not in the way you'd expect it to.
Wood is a photosensitive material. Depending on which wood your floors are made of, sunlight can cause them to darken or fade. You may not notice the effects from one day to the next, but over time, direct light may even change the color of your floors.
Remember: Hardwood Floors are NATURAL
Anything that is natural will undergo changes as it ages over time. For hardwood floors, the changes occur in the color of the wood. Some species of woods will fade lighter and some will fade darker. This process is known as “patina”.
When you refinish your floors, you can change the color of your flooring. Most hardwood floors can be made darker, lighter, redder, or anywhere in between. If your flooring is solid hardwood, it can be sanded and refinished in a different stain for a different appearance.
Overall, you can stain hardwood floors darker without sanding as long as you clean, degrease, and buff the hardwood floor before applying the wood stain. All of these will ensure that the floor is ready to absorb the wood stain and that the finish comes out smoothly.
Culprit #1: Rugs
A rug blocks the UV light from hitting the floor, which can cause uneven fading of the wood. Uneven discoloration of wood flooring is sometimes caused by a rug. Rugs block UV light, which causes uneven fading.
Usually just called “red oak,” this domestic hardwood tends to be warm and on the lighter side. Like its name, it often has pink or red undertones. As it ages, it darkens to golden brown or even amber in color.
Because of the variety of color in oak, which ranges from nearly white to a darker reddish brown, this wood is suitable for many uses such as cabinetry, flooring and furniture.
Oak flooring is naturally light in colour with golden, honey tones. Although oak will mellow and darken a little over time, it takes hundreds of years to develop the rich dark patina of aged oak. If you have existing dark oak furniture or more traditional décor, you may prefer a dark oak floor to match.
If your hardwood floors have been sanded and finished with Bona Mega Clear HD, it is safe to sleep in the home about 2-3 hours after the project is finished, but again, only if there are other rooms that have not been robbed of their furniture – furniture should stay off floors for at least 24 hours after ANY project ...
Depending on a floor's thickness and the experience of the flooring professional, a floor can be sanded around 4-6 times in its entire life. Hardwood floors can be refinished every 7-10 years, making the 4-6 refinishes more than enough.
It takes a full 30 days for the floors to cure, so it's ideal to wait 30 days before putting area rugs on the surface. If you want to put area rugs back sooner, than 2 weeks is another good benchmark.
Infrared light, combined with UV light and visible light, reacts with the finish and slowly turns the finish darker or yellowish. That's why over a long period of time certain types of hardwood floors with oil based polyurethane finish turn that orangey/yellow color that no-one likes.
If your white oakwood floor is under direct sunlight, it will change color over time. This is most noticeable in the first few months post-installation. The exposure to UV light and oxygen causes the color change in oak making it go dark, or as some people refer to as “yellowing”.
Can You Lighten Red Oak Furniture? Yes. No matter what your red oak wood is used to build, bleaching it with a hydrogen peroxide and lye solution will strip the color. It doesn't matter if the wood is used for furniture, beams, shelves or floors.
Due to exposure to oxygen, humidity, and sunlight, wood can lighten over time. Some kinds of wood that experience lightening over time are oak, walnut, birch, and red alder. The color change is not always drastic, but it is noticeable. Some woods can get darker over time, such as cherry, maple, and fir.