1 While the dark, Wenge floors look chic and modern, they were not practical for my lifestyle. I entertain a lot and dirt would easily show up.
2 This series of photos includes both plainsawn and quartersawn Wenge planks to show the steps Craig's team used to take my floor from dark to light. Here is a quartersawn plank in the original finish.
3 This is a quartersawn plank that has been sanded only.
4 A plainsawn plank with 1 bleach application.
5 A quartersawn plank with 1 bleach application. You can see how the color is starting to lighten up.
6 A plainsawn plank with 2 bleach applications.
7 A quartersawn plank with 2 bleach applications.
8 A plainsawn plank with 2 bleach applications and white stain.
9 A quartersawn plank with 2 bleach applications and white stain
10 A plainsawn plank with 2 bleach applications, white stain and a satin finish.
11 A quartersawn plank with 2 applications, white stain, and satin finish. This is the end result.
12 I fanned the planks out from dark to light so you can see the dramatic the transformation.
13 Going from light to dark.
14 I still can't believe the transformation. I absolutely love how it looks.
Taking my floors from dark to light sounded like a long smelly process - around 5 steps of sanding, bleaching, staining and sealing. So, I went on vacation to a friends wedding in Bali while it was being done (the ocean, the sand...I could picture my floors looking like Balinese driftwood). Well, when I returned (my flight landed very late at night and I did not get back to my apartment until 2am) I was shocked at what I found. The bleach had an undesirable reaction and it looked like my floors had been Balinese batiked. Tired, jet lagged and not happy, I did not sleep well.
Craig's team at Haywood-Berk Floor Co. quickly realized that they had to re-sand, re-bleach, re-stain and re-seal the floor with new products, while I was living there. Not ideal. Dust, dirt and debris were everywhere. But in the end, I adore my floors. Success and worth the great efforts by all. Thank you!
Kevin Sharkey 
From: Wanda | 8/19/09 at 11:09 am
Well done, Kevin. Don't stop until it's just right!
From: Brian | 8/19/09 at 3:40 pm
Been there, done that. I was away on vacation when my maple fllors were suppose to be refinished. When I came back, I realized that the refinisher did not sand betwen the coats. Ughhhhh!
From: Beverliey Nash | 8/20/09 at 2:53 pm
I saw your floors & the various color stages in the most recent issue
of MSL magazine, they look fantastic I really adore neutral to grey floors.
Eric Pikes floors featured in the MSL September 2005 issue were also really nice !
From: {tig} | 8/20/09 at 3:35 pm
The finished result was well-worth it -- amazing and looks beautifully time-worn. Loved seeing the steps + process.