Kim Stone, the the texture on the floors in the photo is called circle sawn. Linseed oil will need to be reapplied pretty often. Its not a polyurethane finish and will not last or protect as well. Several of the Euro oiled finishes are linseed oil based and many require the floor be re oiled every 2-3 years. I would suggest a matte polyurethane to give you that same look but a lot more protection.

I suggest starting with a low-gloss satin finish in a HIGH END polyurethane ($180/gallon) with super high scratch resistance. Have your floors stained the way you want and then finish them with the toughest stuff you can find.

A satin will start off (first 1-2 months) looking quite fresh (almost semi-gloss). Do NOT panic. Relax. This is normal. It will dull down to 'satin' before the third month is over. And then it will continue to DULL DOWN. By the time it is a few years old, it will be a low-gloss satin...almost matte.

You will want to avoid matte finishes as they look HAZY in certain lighting situations (morning/evening lighting). This is very upsetting to many people. That's why I suggest a satin that will naturally dull down (aka. naturally look distressed) inside of a few years. And they will stay this dull until you have then refinished.

There you go....simply apply a satin in a super high-end finish and life will take care of the "distressing" for you.

Or you can put an angle grinder, scraper, awl, hammer, drill and torch (be sure to have a fire extinguisher on hand) to the floor before finishing it.

Kim - G&S is hopefully kidding :-D and just letting you know the steps some people go through to get that aged look. Dont forget the heavy chains BTW. Thats also a technique to get the dented look.

Thank you all! Oak & Broad and G&S I will try the chains and hammer. Hopefully I can get the look we desire. Thank you your advice.

I do not know of a way to reproduce circle mill trace in an existing floor. If you can figure that one out, let me know.

Alan

I wasn't kidding when I made the recommendation. Use a angle grinder with a low grit at low speed and move fast to replicate circular cuts. Awl for worm holes, scraper for over and under wood, also to smooth out the circular patterns along the joints, hammers for dings and torch for those darker boards and spots. You can add wire brushing for more surface texture.

G & S - your a genius. Now the FUN part...explaining how much that costs! I've heard of the SITE FINISHED distressing with CHAINS and hand scraping costing $25/sf - just for the labour!

I've seen photos of this type of finish (not the point of the angle grinder...but pretty much everything else mentioned). It is OUTSTANDING! The owners of the $13M home were SUPER impressed with the work! Of course, they paid for it...but still.

$10 psf just for wire brushing.

Ahhhhh....just what I thought. It is stunning stuff if the budget is there! Thanks for sharing G&S.

On site distressing can be done. It is pricey. Rather than linseed oil. I recommend Rubio Monocoat. It has a matte finish and is very durable. All finishes require touch ups. With Monocoat, you can do spot touch ups without refinishing the entire floor. There are pre-colors that can be used for contrasting grain color and effects.

Daniels Floors...thank you! We have decided to just sand, distress ourselves, and then finish. What is the drying time w/ Rubio Monocoat? How many applications? I have never heard of it. We are in crunch time on our floors and need something we can do in 1 or 2 days. Thanks.

do some research w/the Rubio. I've heard it's on the difficult side w/a learning curve. Some people like, some hate it.

if you search it here under Advice, you'll see previous posts.

Beth, I just posted another question regarding what product to use. I have seen so much advice out there. My main concern now is drying time bc I don't have much time left before we move in. I am leaning toward Bona Traffic now after reading so many negatives about Rubio. Thanks for your reply.

Kim. If it's an old house, I would recommend you test for lead in existing varnish before you contaminate your home. I would also recommend you use Bona Traffic vs. Rubio. Good luck

I recommended the Rubio as opposed to the linseed oil, for a safer alternative to an oil rubbed look. You do need a contractor with experience with this product. Rubio conducts training sessions and offers support to flooring contractors.

Rubio Monocoat Training

As for the Bona Traffic, that is a great finish, different appearance. You are headed in the right direction looking for a water based (or waterbourne) product. If you are going with a dark stain, I am going to steer you away from Bona. The Bona looks like skim milk when you pour it out. It actually lightens the color of the floor. We love it on natural oak for a European finish. For darker colors, we recommend Pall-x 98, two component finish. This finish has an amber finish and resembles an oil modified finish. These options are more expensive than the traditional oil modified finish, but the durability can't be beat. Duraseal also makes a good 2 component finish.