I know it might sound dramatic, but the refinished heart pine floors in our beach house truly transform the entire place. They make rooms feel finished, warm, and full of character in a way nothing else has so far. We visited this past Saturday to see the final coats and to admire them with slightly exaggerated enthusiasm.
To appreciate the change, here’s the same kitchen shortly after drywall went up a few months back:
And here’s a throwback to when we first bought the house last October — a true “before” moment that makes the current results even sweeter:
We were careful not to scuff the freshly sealed boards, so there was a lot of socked shuffling, wide eyes, and the occasional soft exclamation. I filmed a short tour on my phone that walks through the house and shares details like why we chose gray trim downstairs, what’s next on the punch list, and a bathroom mistake we learned from. If you can view the full post, be sure to watch the video for those extras.
(Video tour available in the post.)
Beyond refinishing, the project included significant repair work and a few missing sections that needed to be pieced in to look original and seamless. We hired ShenValley Floors to handle the patching and sanding, and they did an excellent job matching the old character. They even tracked down reclaimed pine from another vintage home to fill in larger patches so the finished floor reads like it’s always been whole.
One useful thing we learned during sanding: pine behaves differently than oak. In oak you can sand away surface discolorations, but in pine some stains and sun-bleached areas run through the full depth of the plank and remain visible even after thorough sanding. It surprised us at first, but we’ve embraced those authentic, aged variations—especially since they soften once rugs, furniture, and cabinets go in.
Many readers asked about stain color: we didn’t stain the floors. After repairs and sanding we applied five coats of a satin, water-based clear coat. The finish preserves the wood’s natural tone while adding robust durability. We chose water-based for its lower odor and the improved performance of modern formulas. Satin provides a subtle sheen that reads natural and warm without a glossy, “wet” look.
We also rescued and restored the original upstairs doors, which are heart pine like the floors but had been darkened and gummed with old stain and wax. After considering paint options, we decided to have them professionally stripped and sealed so they’d match the fresh look of the floors. A shop called The Strip Joint handled the stripping, waxing, and knob restoration; they picked up the doors, refinished them off-site, and returned them looking revived and vibrant.
One of my favorite views is the upstairs landing — the transformation from the original condition is dramatic. When we bought the house the ceiling was crumbling and the floors were painted a dark maroon, so the wood was hidden. Now the natural heart pine glows and creates continuity between spaces.
We also added an upstairs hallway to replace two railroad-style rooms and to provide a second bathroom — an improvement that’s both functional and beautiful with the new floor finish.
Bedrooms are already feeling cozy. The middle bedroom has a lighter area where a rug or bed sat for years, but that will be hidden once furnishings arrive. We also installed fans throughout — when people ask for the fixture details we always share them, so expect a mood board for lighting down below.
The back bedroom had original pocket doors with a textured, chippy finish. They were charming but flaky and impractical, so we stripped, primed, and painted them in the same color we used on the tub (Riverway by Sherwin‑Williams). The color reads bolder in person than in iPhone photos and adds a nice contrast at the back of the house.
Below is the lighting mood board showing the fixtures and fans we chose for various areas, plus the vinyl numbers we’ll apply to the transom window above the front door for a painted-on look. We also included our favorite clear, soft-white LED bulbs that mimic exposed filament bulbs without an overly warm or cool cast.
1. Front Porch / 2. Downstairs Bath / 3. Kitchen Island / 4. Porch Numbers / 5. Foyer (similar) / 6. Bedrooms / 7. Kitchen Sconces / 8. Living & En-suite Bath / 9. Mudroom / 10. Clear, Soft White LED Bulbs / 11. Dining / 12. En-suite Bath / 13. Hall Bath / 14. Hallway & Small Upstairs Rooms / 15. Under Stairs
We’re so close to moving furniture in and to installing the kitchen, and finishing the floors has been a huge step toward making the house feel like a home again. If there’s one takeaway: refinishing floors can make an enormous visual impact, and preserving the natural character of 100‑year‑old heart pine is absolutely worth the effort.
More Hardwood Floor Refinishing Projects
If you want more details about specific hardwood projects, below are posts that cover matching old and new flooring, refinishing oak, repairing historic floors, and clear-sealing pine:
- Refinishing Mid-Century Oak Floors in Our First House
- Matching New & Old Hardwood Floors in Our Third House
- Repairing Historic Oak & Pine Floors in Our Duplex
- Clear Sealing Our Refinished Floors in Our Florida House
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