My kitchen has hardwood, Brazillian Cherry, original to the house which is approximately 7 years old. I had carpet removed in an adjacent room, living room, and brazillian cherry installed with boni traffic finish. I can tell that the wood is the same type as the kitchen and the invoice, shipping papers, and packaging stated brazillian cherry. However looking at the two floor they are completely different colors, I've read that the wood darkens with age and exposure to the sun, is this true and can expect it to get closer in color over time?

Here are some pictures to illustrate the difference.

Thanks...

Yes it will darken and look the same eventually.

The older floor may have been finished with a solvent finish, like oil modified polyurethane. Those finishes amber the wood quickly and change color much faster than water based finishes. The two floors may eventually "catch up" in color.

I think Gary's mention of "may eventually" sounds more likely.

You mean more eventually than my eventually?

So if we sanded the old floor and refinished it it would most likely be much closer in color?

Yes, if both floors are sanded and finished at or near the same time with the same products, they should be much closer in color and age at a similar rate. That's assuming they are both the same wood.

Sounds like a waste of money to me. Perhaps more lighting in the newer area (opening more windows more often) would help it patina faster and catch up. Not sure it there is a limit to the darkening but I bet it would not take that long to catch up. Or you could cover up the darker area with rugs to stop the patina. Speaking of which, can you flip that rug over so we can see the wood under it?

Hmm, tough choice. Sand the old floor and the color we love, then refinish or sand the new floor and finish with oil first then the water, or just wait and see.

Thanks to all that replied, my biggest concern was if the wood would really darken. It seems impossible that a floor starts out the color of my new stuff and ends up the color of the old stuff. Its hard to accept.

Again thanks!

The old floor on the right looks exactly like the brazilian cherry floors I have done with oil based poly-urethane. The newly refinished floors on the left exhibit the appearance of wood finished with a clear, waterbased finish. I have never used that for b. cherry because I did not care for the appearance. I have my doubts as to whether or not it will ever fully catch up in appearance. The reason? OMU and waterbased finishes age and amber completely differently, with waterbased not ambering much at all. The wood underneath should still turn darker however.

Question ? Why was none of this discussed prior to the work being done? Did not the contractor discuss any of this with you?

I don't know... We discussed that the floor wouldn't match be initially because one was old and one was new. Nothing was mentioned that the waterbased finish wouldn't color the same and the other floor even after the first coat of Bona Traffic was down and they started to question the color themselves. When we discussed it they seemed certain that the colors would even out over time.

I'm now in the process of trying to contact them as I'm really not happy with such a striking color difference, it looks good and it has darkened some but I just don't see how its going to get any amber. Hopefully they will be willing to work with me either doing it over, which I doubt, or at least working out the price of a sand and refinish.

Valuable lesson, not only do you need to listen to your contractors but "YOU" need to be as informed yourself as possible. I should have done more of my own homework.

Well out here that wood will patina in a matter of days if it's getting sunlight. We have high UV out here. Same with transition pieces, New ones that have never seen the light of day look like your new floor, but only for a day or two depending on the light.

So is it safe to assume that the contractor should have known that oil based poly-urethane needed to go down first and then a water base finish if the goal was to eventually have the floor match or be close? Or are my expectations of the floor eventually matching or being very close to high? I'm trying to decide if I really should persue this with my installer further...

Thanks.

Here's the deal with Brazilian Cherry/Jatoba. IF it's going to darken much, it will happen fairly quickly, within a few months or less. You should contact the contractor and discuss the possibility it will not "catch up" in that time. Then wait the agreed upon time ( say, 3 months ) and see what happens. If it darkens enough for your tastes, then fine. If not and you need something done, then MAYBE the contractor will agree to re-do some of the work. I still think the old floor was finished with an oil-based poly. And Traffic, even after a period of time, will not look the same. Had they used an oil-based sealer first, it should have looked closer to the existing but still not nearly as darkened and ambered.

Thanks again for all the great info... The contractor has pledged to fix the problem one way or another up to an including sanding down to bare wood and refinishing the floor...