Do we really, really need to redo the old to match the new?

[rickwaldron]

25 year-old red oak throughout most of house.

We would like to convert two carpeted rooms (maybe even just one) to red oak to match the existing, and make it look as one, or as close as possible. We were told (of course) we would need to sand, stain/refinish the existing oak in order to match the new stuff.
Which of course triples the price, and the hassle.

But do we have to? Does this always, always have to be done - or is it somewhat of a scam perpetrated by the flooring companies? It still won't look perfectly the same anyway, will it? new wood vs. old

What if we try to match the existing wood and stain as close as possible, and forget about redoing the existing? maybe run a rug from old to new? Or is this a dumb idea, just go with tile...?

Anybody have a photo? - old finished wood next to new finished wood (without the old being re-done) -
Thanks folks

 

[Mark Brown]

I cannot tell you what you will find ok, but from what I am reading you are gonna be fine with a damn close enough match.

You are correct to assume that even redone the two floors stand a good chance of not looking exactly the same. If you can live with a little variation then by all means, put the wallet away and pay for what you need to do not what someone else wants you to do.

That being said, if you are a crazy lunatic that says "it is ok if they are not identical" and then you proceed to have the job done and them complain that they are not identical.... then may you die a thousand deaths and be tortured for eternity.

Personally, I do not think you are that person

 

[Floorist]

When it gets done,it may not look as good as it did aged. So they still may not be happy.

 

[MikeAntonetti]

If a T mold separates the rooms it would look ok

 

[C.J.]

If you have sand and finish hardwood and someone gave you T-molds, now that would be a scam to me. How about rather than thinking you’re being scammed, just come out and say you’re OK with a less than perfect job because you saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico. It’s your floor, if you’re OK with it then that’s all that counts. Personally I would feel like a hack was bidding my job if they didn’t offer to resand the entire floor after new rooms were added on.

 

[Incognito]

I would not necessarily sand and refinish the existing hardwood in areas that are separated by doorways (with doors). When the door is closed to the bedroom you will not see a contrast. Rather than a T-molding you might want a "header" to break the continuity and somewhat disguise the age, shade and finish variation. The only way I would say you HAVE to sand/stain/refinish all the old wood is if it were in a single room with no doorway to break it up............or maybe even two lager areas with a large opening without a door. Even there though, a header could be used to break up the two distinct areas.

 

[MikeAntonetti]

I agree. A pic of the decor, style, everything would help to see what we are suggesting.