Heart Pine Flooring~Finish Question
katieob
14 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (7)
perryrip
14 years agoRelated Discussions
on finishing unfinished heart pine flooring
Comments (7)Shellac's solvent is denatured alcohol (or, um, real alcohol if that's handier.) If that doesn't work try mineral spirits or turp - it might just be old-fashioned varnish. Or you can have both, in serial layers. Oh, the joys of old houses! Either way, you'll know pretty quickly because the paper towel you rub the solvent on with will get sticky when you have a match between the product and the solvent. Do the tests in an out-of-the-way spot, naturally. It would be fab if it's shellac as it's much easier to lift than paint. The issue with paint is that it gets deep in the grain and between the boards and trying to sand down below it for total removal can result in sanding too deep. Believe it or not some of us actually still use shellac on floors. It has many adavantages: it's natural (it's made from insect secretions, which may or may not cheer you up!); it's almost completely reversible (as you will find if that's shellac on your floors, you'll bless who ever put it down); and it's touch-up-able as new coats actually dissolve the coat below. It is uncommon now and many (trades)people never having worked with it consider it too tricky to apply so there is much recommendation against it. It is not as durable as poly, though, and it is particularly vulnerable to water. (Though you can wax it - with well-buffed paste wax - to increase its resistance to water. It's very old-fashioned. I don't think it's as fouly stinky as poly. I like the softer, less plastic-y look to it, especially when waxed. It probably takes longer to apply (more coats) than slapping on some poly, which may be partly why it fell out of favor. Casey usually chimes with good advice about buying it dry and recommends not buying it at big box stores because their stuff is not fresh. One buys the shellac flakes in various tints and mixes with alcohol in situ. I think it is harder to apply when it is very hot and humid. At least I have more problems with uneven drying which can lead to a cloudiness. (Not fatal, but requiring another coat.) Try Googling about this. If you get beyond the anti-shellac propaganda, you'll find info and Youtubes of people who have done it. HTH L....See MoreHeart Pine Floors~Finish Question
Comments (4)We used a product called Rubio Monocoat on our hand-scraped walnut floors. I am pregnant, it was still too cold to keep windows open for good ventilation, and we didn't want to move out for multiple days with a bunch of kids. The HUGE benefit of Rubio, besides the fact that it looks great, is that it is zero VOC, takes ONE coat, and is only about 24 hours of no traffic. It has a bit of an oily smell, but not too bad. As long as I kept the exhaust fan running, it was hardly noticeable (and I am very sensitive to odors, especially when pregnant). It can be touched up at any time by sanding any area that needs it. You don't have to refinish the whole floor. It is a fairly matte finish; you can get a satin sheen, though. A friend of ours who does high end custom floors recommended the product to us....See MorePine Flooring Finish? Going insane...
Comments (7)amandadoughty, I'm going through kindof the same thing. I have knotty pine exterior doors that I did a mix of Minwax Classic Gray and Jacobean. They look pretty good. For the pine floors I bought about 10 Rubio Monocoat samples to try on a piece of floor. I ended up with Black. I wanted to use RMC because of no VOC and I wanted something that would (hopefully) not get more yellow over time. I mixed a few RMC colors in my experimenting but decided I really wanted to NOT mix so I could match touch ups later. I thought about using Smoke under Black but the floor finisher seemed to think it wouldn't do anything about the yellow. I think maybe he just didn't want to do the work because apparently RMC is not his favorite application. I just posted a question with some pics a few mins ago but here are some more. You can see how different it looks in various light and also where the yellow/orange shows in some areas Here's a very orangey piece, not too many like this one. Actually this was the only one I saw And here's my front door and side porch door in the Minwax combo I mentioned Originally I wanted something a lot more brown/gray but I really wanted pine so I accepted the yellow/orange undertones that are inherent. not sure what RMC colors you tried but here's what I did. Charcoal and ash gray was my favorite but I chose not to mix...See MoreHeart pine floor finish?
Comments (2)Rubio or other hardwax oil finishes do not need sanding every year. They require 4 different maintenance products that you will use throughout the year. Cleaning oil + Maintenance oil + stain remover + Master Colour. And you will need to know how and why you need to use them. The Master Colour is the part that you *might want to hire out. That will be $3/sf when you do. So long as you, homeowner, do the daily/weekly/monthly maintenance you can get away with Master Colour application every 2-3 years. But that rarely happens. Why? Because the learning curve for homeowner is HIGH (as in "Wow! I wish someone had told me," type of learning curve ). And once that has been FULLY understood, THEN you still need to do the physical work! If you have a cleaning person, then be prepared to teach them (multiple times) how to maintain the floors AND be prepared for them to muck them up/damage them. There are tougher, longer lasting HWO finishes on the market. They are NOT cheap. The sanding MUST be perfect (Wow be to him/her that sucks up the sanding...sigh). And the closer you stick to a natural, NON coloured oil, the LESS you are with spills. In other words, you better love the look of aged pine flooring. If you don't then don't use it. Be aware and be prepared. The idea of self maintenance has lured many people to the wax-oils. Some enjoy it, most do not. Homeowner, know thyself. I'm super lazy = No HWO finishes for this chick!...See Morecarterinms
14 years agoacountryfarm
14 years agohousewitch
14 years agokatieob
14 years agosombreuil_mongrel
14 years ago
Related Stories
REMODELING GUIDESConsidering a Fixer-Upper? 15 Questions to Ask First
Learn about the hidden costs and treasures of older homes to avoid budget surprises and accidentally tossing valuable features
Full Story
FEEL-GOOD HOMEThe Question That Can Make You Love Your Home More
Change your relationship with your house for the better by focusing on the answer to something designers often ask
Full Story
FARMHOUSESHouzz Tour: German Tradition Deep in the Heart of Texas
Rooted in architecture from the 1800s, this award-winning home mixes history with the vernacular of today
Full Story
KITCHEN DESIGN9 Questions to Ask When Planning a Kitchen Pantry
Avoid blunders and get the storage space and layout you need by asking these questions before you begin
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESSurvive Your Home Remodel: 11 Must-Ask Questions
Plan ahead to keep minor hassles from turning into major headaches during an extensive renovation
Full Story
WORKING WITH PROS12 Questions Your Interior Designer Should Ask You
The best decorators aren’t dictators — and they’re not mind readers either. To understand your tastes, they need this essential info
Full Story
ORGANIZINGPre-Storage Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Store
Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you’re about to put into storage?
Full Story
EXTERIORSCurb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider
Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESFinish Your Floors to Perfection With Parquet
Add value and gorgeous detail to your home with timeless and elegant parquet flooring in a classic design
Full Story
stephanie93