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Pro Spotlight: 3 Steps to Make Your Wood Floors Look New Again
A Westport flooring professional reveals how to bring back the gleam
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Who: Rick Shepard of Wood Floors of Westport
Where: Westport, Connecticut
In his own words: “Richly colored, nicely done wood floors add a lot of vitality and warmth to a home. They become part of the overall feel you’re trying to create.”
Wood floors looking tired, scuffed or outdated? With the right strategy, you can restore them to their original glory or even update them to better match your current style — without having to deal with the hassle and expense of replacing them. “You can make any wood floor look like the day it was installed, if you do it right,” says Rick Shepard, owner of Wood Floors of Westport. “Just ensure you use the appropriate materials.”
Where: Westport, Connecticut
In his own words: “Richly colored, nicely done wood floors add a lot of vitality and warmth to a home. They become part of the overall feel you’re trying to create.”
Wood floors looking tired, scuffed or outdated? With the right strategy, you can restore them to their original glory or even update them to better match your current style — without having to deal with the hassle and expense of replacing them. “You can make any wood floor look like the day it was installed, if you do it right,” says Rick Shepard, owner of Wood Floors of Westport. “Just ensure you use the appropriate materials.”
A family tradition. Shepard is a third-generation home improvement professional. “I spent summers in high school working alongside my father and grandfather,” he says. After striking out on his own over a decade later, he took with him the lessons he learned. “What they taught me about commitment to a job and people skills has stuck with me my whole life,” he says.
Pride in process. Refreshing wood floors takes an expert eye and a trained hand. “Wood floors are an art form,” Shepard says. “Putting in the floors isn’t hard. It’s mixing and applying the stains, bleaching, and oiling that are the tricky parts.” He likes to make everything as easy as possible for homeowners, even moving furniture around on occasion.
Ready for your wood floors to shine like new? Shepard shares his tips below.
Ready for your wood floors to shine like new? Shepard shares his tips below.
1. Prep Them Well
The amount of prep work you do depends on the age, type and condition of your floor, but in every case, the right preparation can make all the difference, Shepard says.
The 150-year-old pine flooring in an Easton home was fragile, with broken and protruding nailheads in the 12-inch-wide planks. Shepard’s team first replaced or reset all the nails, then applied putty and sanded the flooring to create a smooth surface. Conditioner, stain and three coats of polyurethane restored the wood’s original sheen, seen here.
See more of this project
The amount of prep work you do depends on the age, type and condition of your floor, but in every case, the right preparation can make all the difference, Shepard says.
The 150-year-old pine flooring in an Easton home was fragile, with broken and protruding nailheads in the 12-inch-wide planks. Shepard’s team first replaced or reset all the nails, then applied putty and sanded the flooring to create a smooth surface. Conditioner, stain and three coats of polyurethane restored the wood’s original sheen, seen here.
See more of this project
2. Consider the Color
Hue has a big impact in terms of an updated look, as trends in floor colors change. “Brown and gray are the new orange for wood floors,” Shepard says. “Choose carefully, since it’s one of the bigger color decisions you’ll make for your home.”
The owners of the Westport home seen here were tired of the natural color of their white oak flooring and wanted something warmer. Shepard’s team sanded the floor down to the bare wood, then gave the homeowners several floor samples to choose from. The stain they chose has a mix of medium brown and dark walnut tones. “It really pops against the white walls and furniture,” Shepard says.
See more of this project
Hue has a big impact in terms of an updated look, as trends in floor colors change. “Brown and gray are the new orange for wood floors,” Shepard says. “Choose carefully, since it’s one of the bigger color decisions you’ll make for your home.”
The owners of the Westport home seen here were tired of the natural color of their white oak flooring and wanted something warmer. Shepard’s team sanded the floor down to the bare wood, then gave the homeowners several floor samples to choose from. The stain they chose has a mix of medium brown and dark walnut tones. “It really pops against the white walls and furniture,” Shepard says.
See more of this project
3. Choose the Right Finish
The type of finish you use will make a difference both now and as the flooring experiences wear and tear over time. “Polyurethane goes better with dark floors, but it scratches more easily,” Shepard says. “Water-based finish is far more durable and wears better.”
For another Westport home, the homeowners wanted beachy-looking flooring that could withstand a lot of foot traffic. Shepard’s team added a water-based finish over the grayish-brown stain on the white oak, seen here. “If your floors see lots of traffic, high heels, dogs, children or parties, then a water-based finish is best,” Shepard says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Rick Shepard and examples of his team’s work, visit Wood Floors of Westport’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
The type of finish you use will make a difference both now and as the flooring experiences wear and tear over time. “Polyurethane goes better with dark floors, but it scratches more easily,” Shepard says. “Water-based finish is far more durable and wears better.”
For another Westport home, the homeowners wanted beachy-looking flooring that could withstand a lot of foot traffic. Shepard’s team added a water-based finish over the grayish-brown stain on the white oak, seen here. “If your floors see lots of traffic, high heels, dogs, children or parties, then a water-based finish is best,” Shepard says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Rick Shepard and examples of his team’s work, visit Wood Floors of Westport’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Meet Rick Shepard from Weston, CT. With over 40 years in the home improvement industry, he has learned how to... Read More
Review by HU-339489472:
Rick was outstanding. We made the right choice after interviewing several. We were comfortable leaving our 5000 sq ft house in his hands. He send us update pictures each day of the progress.
Pri...More
This is fabulous and well written editorial on the Wood Floors of Westport. Very impressive and authentic. I would rate this fiive stars across the board.