This is a question we get every week in our field “Can you stain my maple floor?”. First read the article “hardwood refinishing” this will get you acquainted with how hardwood refinishing is done so we can move on from there. Ok, so you read that are familiar with the process now we can move on how staining of maple is done, the outcome you can expect and if A-Max Hardwood stains your maple flooring.
The Process
- All the steps in normal refinishing
- 120 grit Trio pass
- 120 grit edger pass
- Hand buffing spots with grain variance you can see
- Water pop with 2-3x more water then a normal water pop (explained below)
- Let the water dry for 24 hours
- Stain and let sit for 24 hours
About Maple
Maple is a closed grain wood, this means the wood does not like accepting anything into its pores – which includes stain. To get the wood to accept stain there is a popular method of water popping the grain.Water popping is the method of actually putting water evenly on the floor to raise the grain. By raising the grain you can have a more even stain to the wood. However, this does not guarantee a perfect stain.
Out Comes Of Stain
When you ask anyone about staining a maple floor they will immediately tell you the word “blotchy” or “uneven”. Basically, in easy to understand terms the wood accepts more stain in certain areas. The reason some stain accepts more in certain areas is because the wood has a more open grain there. Below you can see some pictures of sample pieces of maple that were stained.
Future Return on Investment
Most people when we show them a sample of the maple stained they find it unappealing and even ugly. I would say in the last year we showed 50 people maple stained and 48 hated it. This does not sit well for return on investment, if you plan on moving to invest money into staining maple would be a waste and cause problems when selling your house later on. The look of stained maple is not very everyone. My wife described the stained maple as rustic and felt that even though it was pretty it wasn’t the right aesthetic for most homes.
Does A-Max Hardwood Stain Maple?
Our company does not stain maple. We have taken this stance since we started business. However, this does not mean we have not revisited the idea of staining maple, we have tried newer methods and we still do not like the outcome. Sure, companies in Boise will stain maple and the outcome will be unsatisfactory to our standards. Simply put maple is not a hardwood flooring wood that should be stained. You can read what the Wood Flooring Association has to say about maple flooring here..
Staining maple is generally not recommended by finish manufacturers since the dense grain does not allow the penetration of most pigments. Maple is a difficult wood on which to achieve uniform stain, and the appearance can look as if the stain was not applied evenly.
Hopefully this article was enlightening on maple flooring and staining it. If you have any questions you can email us or call us anytime.
