Finishing reclaimed pine floor - suggestions?

[Kristienv]

hi

I've just had a reclaimed pine floor put down in my lounge (sanded boards) and would like to apply a finish that makes it look like it's been there for a while. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I've read Toby Newell's "definitive guide to wood finishing" in which he mentions that so-called 'stains' in DYI shops are usually pigmented finishes rather than true stains. How do I know whether a product labelled as a 'stain' truly is a stain? Any brands or makes that you can recommend? Many thanks for your advice!

Kristien

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

I'd be very wary about putting any coloured products (oils, stains, waxes or whatever) on you floor, for two reasons: firstly such products often give a very synthetic colour which looks all wrong, and secondly, some pines can be very bad at taking up stains evenly, so that you can end up with a blotchy result.
Other people may know of the 'wonder product' which gives that instant 'old' look, but I haven't come across it yet, although I work in the trade. In a couple of years your floor will darken down naturally, so why not let nature take its course. I've heard that strong tea can be used to take the brightness of fresh pine down a bit - try a test patch first!

You will need some sort of finish to protect the surface from dirt, spills etc. and my product of choice would be Osmo Polyx wax-oil, which is very easy to apply and gives a natural looking clear finish whilst being v. waterproof & durable. I'd avoid the water-based acrylic varnishes, as these can look rather milky and plasticky. Anything labelled 'quick drying' is probably best avoided.

 

[Lime]

Don't use a stain of any sort, you will regret it.

There are two types of stain available, one is an overpaint that covers up the grain the other, much more regrettable, penetrates into the wood marking it forever.
Both look horrible compared to the wood properly waxed, sealed, polished or varnished and both get worse with time.

Most freshly sanded wood looks lighter than old but that goes away very quickly.
Soon within a year the wood will start to look its age without the unsightly blemishes staining produces.
I prefer a solvent based clear matt varnish but it is a personal choice what you use, wax is good too but don't mix the two.
I agree with Andrew Bodenham comment re water-based acrylic varnishes.

....just don't buy anything that tries to change the wood's colour...time will do that in a far better way than any instant solution.

 

[Kristienv]

hi both

This is really useful advice, I was intent on making the floor look darker and had been experimeting with some products but none that I was happy with so far!

Do I understand correctly that I can apply the Osmo Polyx-oil straight onto the boards? Do I need to clean them with white spirit or anything first?

Good news that the job will be much easier and quicker than I had anticipated

Thanks for your help!

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

So long as the boards are clean and smooth the only prep you need is a good hoovering to remove dust. Then it's straight on with the Osmo. Worth noting that the regular version takes about 12 hours to dry to a' walkable' state, so if you have need to use the room quickly there is also a Rapid version available. Shop around - the products are readily available on the net, but local trade paint stockists or flooring suppliers may be cheaper. The price per tin is not cheap compared to DIY varnishes, but the coverage is astounding.

 

[Kristienv]

hi Andrew,
Thanks for the further tips. We haven't been able to use the room for a few weeks now (plastering etc.!) so another 12-24h are not going to make a difference! As long as we're back in by Christmas...

 

[michael]

Question for Andrew and Lime – Will a newly sanded pine floor darken down naturally even after having the Ozmo polyx oil applied?

Question for everybody – In what circumstances would you use a floor sealer such as that produced by Liberon? I’ve noticed that this can make the floor a lot darker. If I remember rightly, I think it says on the tin “to be used prior to waxing”

 

[Nemesis]

It will darken, but it takes light to make it darken. It takes time, and bits under rugs furniture etc don't darken at the rate that exposed bits do.

I have stained both new and newly sanded floors in the past to take away the raw look, and to blend in new wood with old too.

I have used Colron wood dye, and never had any problem, with a bit of caution, ie try it out first. Never had a patchy effect either.

Also - never use anything which says pine or pitch pine - far too yellow and red. I would advise use medium oak and add a small amount of the pine stains until you get a colour you are happy with. Wipe it on with a lint-free cloth, and be sparing.

It takes away the raw look until the floor darkens naturally.

I cannot say what effect Osmo wax/oils will have on this - not much I suspect, once it's dry.

 

[Moo]

You don't necessarily have to limit yourself to the manufacturers' standard (and rather limited) range of colours.

If you buy small tins of a few different colours you can experiment with mixing them and trying them out on the back of a board or an offcut until you achieve the colour you want.
The one thing to be careful about is to record the proportions you use (try measuring in teaspoonsful) so that you can keep it the same when you're mixing a larger quantity.

When we had to replace a couple of wide old pine boards a while ago we were able, this way, to get a pretty good match.

 

[GeoffP]

If you want to go a slightly darker colour, I can recommend Van Dyck Crystals which I used when replacing half of the (now) kitchen floor with new joists and boards which had to match the existing old pine boards.

In my case, the new timber was obviously much lighter than the old so I had to use quite a lot but if you just rub it on with a clean rag, you can get just a slightly darker colour and accentuate the appearance of the grain. (Try it on a separate piece first)

To finish, I used Bona Sealer followed by about three applications of Bona Traffic. It is now virtually impossible to tell the difference between the old and new.

Hope that this helps.

Geoff

 

[philmac1944]

Kristien

Have read above posts and agree that most DIY stains do not do what it says on the tin.

Colron medium oak is the nearest to old pine, but Van Dycke crystals do have the advantage of being flexible; you just keep adding crystals to your mix until you achieve the right match. I keep several jars of differing strengths with associated wood samples which cuts down the guesswork.

Osmo polyx oil, satin finish, gives a very durable wax-like finish to the wood and has the added advantage of being able to touch up without it being obvious. I haven`t noticed any significant darkening of wood ( pine & oak ) after applying
this oil.

regards
Phil

 

[Penners]

I've heard that strong tea can be used to take the brightness of fresh pine down a bit - try a test patch first!

I was once involved in experiments using tea to stain softwood. It looks quite effective at first, but the colour tends to fade.

If you're after an "old pine" colour, just settle down and wait. The colour of the pine will darken and richen as it ages, due to the action of light and air on the resins in the wood.

The more that the newly sanded wood is exposed to light, the quicker this will happen.

If you apply any kind of coloured finish to the wood, you may slow down this process, because you're reducing the amount of light that hits the wood. But the effect will still happen, albeit at a slower speed.