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whitewashing heart pine flooring?

nycbluedevil_gw

4 years ago

Hi all

In my country house, which was built in 2002, we have heart pine floors everywhere except the kitchen, entry foyer and entry to garage, which are flagstone (irregular tiles of gray, blue and dark red). I think they are about 8 inch planks. The floor is in good condition, with just a few dings here and there and some of the knots have developed some holes, which I imagine can be repaired.

When we bought the house, literally everything was pine. Way too much. We just finished a giant project where we replaced all our windows and doors and repainted all trim and interior doors white. Everything is so much brighter now and the house has a much more modern look.

Now the question is what, if anything to do about the floors. The yellowish pine is fine, but I think it would be nice to whitewash the pine and cool things down. The golden pine color doesn't really seem to work that well with the house now. It's not terrible but I think something else could be better.
I have no idea what is involved in whitewashing the floors or whether this would make sense. If we did this, then I would need to deal with the stair treads and banister, which are just a standard oak. Sort of boring. Would I whitewash the oak steps too? Then I could paint the banister a color that would bring out the flagstone floors in the entry foyer.

I have attached a picture which I shot from upstairs looking down. You can see the steps, banister, pine floors and the flagstone entry floors.

Featured Answer

millworkman

4 years ago

Tough to tell if it is a true "Heart Pine" but it definitely has the appearance of being a Southern Yellow Pine.

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Comments (10)

nycbluedevil_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
I guess the photo didn't post. Trying again.
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
White washing a wood (pine) that has TREMENDOUS amounts of tannin (the colours that make wood the colour of wood) in it can lead to a floor that loves to turn PINK. Heart wood pine is extremely valuable. It is rare...and it is expensive. Especially if it is wide plank.

We will need a photo of the floor, and not the banister. I personally would look to a white table rather than changing the colour of the flooring. If you want to cool down the flooring, you might want to look at changing to a water based finish rather than an oil based finish.

The ORANGE comes from the oil or solvent based polyurethanes. These cheaper oil based products (the things that stink up a house for 30+ days and cause migraines) naturally turn orange. If you coat a piece of white paper with them, it turns the paper orange. We call this 'ambering'.

Before you look at white washing, please look at using a water based polyurethane from Bona or Loba. These finishes are clear and COLOURLESS. That is to say, the colour of the RAW WOOD will be maintained. They will NOT turn orange.

It is possible that this is all you are looking for. A classic Scandinavian Modern home has natural wood toned floors and white walls with plenty of glass and chrome. The furniture is then used to add colour. The Scandinavian wood is often finished in the water based finishes simply because it is illegal to use the oil based finishes in Europe. Indoor air quality is heavily regulated in Europe...which means most of the N. American products are impossible to buy over there.

Go ahead and find some 'raw' wood used for your floors. See how you like that colour. A water based finish WILL keep that colour.

I would prefer that over a pink floor.
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nycbluedevil_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you so much SJ. I am attaching a picture of the floor and a picture of the banister. First photo is with lights on. Second has lights off but in front of a window. Third has lights off.

So are these heart pine? I thought so but maybe not. If not, what are they?

Pink definitely a no-no!

Dining room set is staying. It is the star furniture in the house. Table is extra wide and over 10 feet long. I found the set at an antique dealer. It was custom made by an artisan at the Toklat Gallery in Aspen. There are very few other large wood pieces in the house.

so based on the pics, you think that a sanding and clear water-based finish will change the look?
nycbluedevil_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you so much SJ. I am attaching a picture of the floor and a picture of the banister. First photo is with lights on. Second has lights off but in front of a window. Third has lights off.

So are these heart pine? I thought so but maybe not. If not, what are they?

Pink definitely a no-no!

Dining room set is staying. It is the star furniture in the house. Table is extra wide and over 10 feet long. I found the set at an antique dealer. It was custom made by an artisan at the Toklat Gallery in Aspen. There are very few other large wood pieces in the house.

so based on the pics, you think that a sanding and clear water-based finish will change the look?
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
First thought is the lighting is throwing off a LOT of yellow. And the cream/yellow based paint on the walls are also throwing quite a bit of yellow. And the wood itself is throwing the MOST amount of yellow.

You won't know how 'yellow' the floors are until you have a patch sanded down to raw wood and a coat of clear finish (water based polyurethane such as Bona or Loba). Once you can compare the two products you will be able to decide if the floors are the biggest problem.

I think you have a three pronged issue: lighting (very yellow/warm); wall colour (soft yellow tones) and the floors (strong yellow tones. Right now you have yellow adding to yellow adding to more yellow. Which means you have a LOT of yellow.
nycbluedevil_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks for the good advice. I can find an inconspicuous area to sand and then see what it looks like.
PRO
Johnson Flooring Co Inc
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
We have sanded Pine and finished with both white pickle finish, and bleach and pickle finish. The pickle does have a fairly strong red component. Bleaching and pickling comes out quite a bit whiter. It still has a bit of a maroon color in the darker grain but it might be preferable to your existing golden tones.

Refinishing with either a neutral sealer like Bona ClassicSeal or light like NordicSeal, followed by Meha HD Clear would be a nice look reducing some of the yellow without going into all the issues presented in going to a whiter finish.

I did two wide plank Yellow Pine jobs recently. They both looked like your floor.
nycbluedevil_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
Probably is a Southern yellow if heart pine is rare and expensive, as SJ suggested. The guy we bought from built the house, and while there is much wonderful about it, he started cutting corners after the house was mostly built since I hear he ran out of money.
PRO
Oak & Broad
4 years ago
Looks like SYP to me! Heart pine has gotten less expensive recently i've noticed.

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