I finally managed to sand the original floorboards in our dining room
this weekend and they do look very, very well. I would like to keep
the colour as it is so want to apply a clear varnish (we have a little
boy so need a tough finish). We have pine doors and a pine fireplace
which have been stripped and which I will probably wax so I'd prefer a
non gloss finish if possible.
I'm thinking of Ronseal Diamond hard clear floor varnish or Perfect
Finish Diamond Hard Floor Clear Varnish, (not sure what's the
difference?) as they have been recommended on this site.
It comes in gloss and satin finish, is satin a more matt finish than
gloss or is it more yellow because the one thing I don't want is
something which gives that horrible yellow orange colour.

I'm not too worried about cost, after putting so much effort into it ,
I want to finish it properly. I'm not worried about re-coat time
either as I'll probbaly just do a coat every evening or every other
evening.

I know Rustins do a product which has been recommended but gives off
quite a lot of fumes. I won't be allowed use anything like that with a
small child in the house.

Is it best to use a brush . pad, roller or rag or does it not matter?

Any advice greatly appreciated?

I know Rustins do a product which has been recommended but gives off
quite a lot of fumes. I won't be allowed use anything like that with a
small child in the house.

and i thought uk laws were strict, which country are you in?

I'll leave the varnish experts to make recommendations on brand, but what I
will add is this:

If you have sanded the floor, then you have sanded off the very compacted,
hard top surface. The wood underneath will be quite soft, and will dent
easily as you move furniture around. It may also crack any varnish coating
you use.

So, whatever goes on first, has to be very thin and be able to penetrate the
wood to make it really tough. I've made the mistake of not watering down
(with whatever solvent) the first few coats sufficiently, and the floor
looks terrible quite quickly as the soft wood gives way to constant use.

-- JJ

wrote:
I finally managed to sand the original floorboards in our dining room
this weekend and they do look very, very well. I would like to keep
the colour as it is so want to apply a clear varnish (we have a little
boy so need a tough finish). We have pine doors and a pine fireplace
which have been stripped and which I will probably wax so I'd prefer a
non gloss finish if possible.
I'm thinking of Ronseal Diamond hard clear floor varnish or Perfect
Finish Diamond Hard Floor Clear Varnish, (not sure what's the
difference?) as they have been recommended on this site.
It comes in gloss and satin finish, is satin a more matt finish than
gloss or is it more yellow because the one thing I don't want is
something which gives that horrible yellow orange colour.

I'm not too worried about cost, after putting so much effort into it ,
I want to finish it properly. I'm not worried about re-coat time
either as I'll probbaly just do a coat every evening or every other
evening.

I know Rustins do a product which has been recommended but gives off
quite a lot of fumes. I won't be allowed use anything like that with a
small child in the house.

Bourneseal.
http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.u...0202&langId=-1

Oleo Resinous seal which soaks into the wood instead of forming a coating on
top. Easy to patch up high traffic areas. Only disadvantage is the drying
time 12 -16 hours.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

Bourneseal.http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.u.../DDCUK/ICIPain...

Oleo Resinous seal which soaks into the wood instead of forming a coating on
top. Easy to patch up high traffic areas. Only disadvantage is the drying
time 12 -16 hours.


Dave, Do you mean to use just this , or use this to seal the wood and
then put varnish on top?

wrote:
Bourneseal.http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.u.../DDCUK/ICIPain...

Oleo Resinous seal which soaks into the wood instead of forming a
coating on top. Easy to patch up high traffic areas. Only
disadvantage is the drying time 12 -16 hours.


Dave, Do you mean to use just this , or use this to seal the wood and
then put varnish on top?

Technically either, oleao res will stand a lot of traffic on its own. Top
it with a water based acrylic polish if you want.

Varnish forms a surface coating on top of the wood, oleo res soaks into the
wood.

IME oleo res on it's own is more than adequate for domestic traffic. I'd use
two coats and leave it at that.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I know it's a clear gloss but does it cause any discolouration of the
wood, ie yellowing etc?
I presume it doesn't give off any fumes etc being resin based?

On 22 Apr, 23:32, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
wrote:
Bourneseal.http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.u.../DDCUK/ICIPain...

Oleo Resinous seal which soaks into the wood instead of forming a
coating on top. Easy to patch up high traffic areas. Only
disadvantage is the drying time 12 -16 hours.

Dave, Do you mean to use just this , or use this to seal the wood and
then put varnish on top?

Technically either, oleao res will stand a lot of traffic on its own. Top
it with a water based acrylic polish if you want.

Varnish forms a surface coating on top of the wood, oleo res soaks into the
wood.

IME oleo res on it's own is more than adequate for domestic traffic. I'd use
two coats and leave it at that.

--
Dave
The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I don't have any experience of the material Dave is talking about but
I would certainly support anything that **doesn't** form a hard skin.
You do have to remember that pine is a soft wood and takes up moisture
very easily regardless of what finish is on the top so that the wood
will move throughout the year - a hard finish will therefore have the
potential to be weakened by this movement. Hard wood floors are less
susceptible to this. I also do like the idea of being able to repairs
to heavy use areas.

Rob

I suppose that does make sense though these floorboards are over a 100
years old so they are quite well seasoned. Does that make them any
harder?

wrote:
I finally managed to sand the original floorboards in our dining room
this weekend and they do look very, very well. I would like to keep
the colour as it is so want to apply a clear varnish (we have a little
boy so need a tough finish). We have pine doors and a pine fireplace
which have been stripped and which I will probably wax so I'd prefer a
non gloss finish if possible.
I'm thinking of Ronseal Diamond hard clear floor varnish or Perfect
Finish Diamond Hard Floor Clear Varnish, (not sure what's the
difference?) as they have been recommended on this site.
It comes in gloss and satin finish, is satin a more matt finish than
gloss or is it more yellow because the one thing I don't want is
something which gives that horrible yellow orange colour.

I'm not too worried about cost, after putting so much effort into it ,
I want to finish it properly. I'm not worried about re-coat time
either as I'll probbaly just do a coat every evening or every other
evening.

I know Rustins do a product which has been recommended but gives off
quite a lot of fumes. I won't be allowed use anything like that with a
small child in the house.

The 2 pack product in question blows your head off with fumes, but only
for a couple of hours. After that you can't smell anything, plus you can
walk on it

Is it best to use a brush . pad, roller or rag or does it not matter?

Any advice greatly appreciated?

wrote:
I suppose that does make sense though these floorboards are over a 100
years old so they are quite well seasoned. Does that make them any
harder?


What makes sense?
The boards will be softer.
This is the smelly stuff
http://www.rustins.co.uk/product.htm?chgprod=PCF
You can prevent the high gloss look by wiping the surface with a rag as
you apply it. Bear in mind that it is genuinely clear so will highlight
any difference of shade in the wood. Might be better to harmonise the
colour with a very pale stain first. I use vandyke crystals.
Horrible job, but soon over!

wrote in message
ups.com...
I finally managed to sand the original floorboards in our dining room
this weekend and they do look very, very well. I would like to keep
the colour as it is so want to apply a clear varnish (we have a little
boy so need a tough finish). We have pine doors and a pine fireplace
which have been stripped and which I will probably wax so I'd prefer a
non gloss finish if possible.
I'm thinking of Ronseal Diamond hard clear floor varnish or Perfect
Finish Diamond Hard Floor Clear Varnish, (not sure what's the
difference?) as they have been recommended on this site.
It comes in gloss and satin finish, is satin a more matt finish than
gloss or is it more yellow because the one thing I don't want is
something which gives that horrible yellow orange colour.

I'm not too worried about cost, after putting so much effort into it ,
I want to finish it properly. I'm not worried about re-coat time
either as I'll probbaly just do a coat every evening or every other
evening.

I know Rustins do a product which has been recommended but gives off
quite a lot of fumes. I won't be allowed use anything like that with a
small child in the house.

Is it best to use a brush . pad, roller or rag or does it not matter?

Any advice greatly appreciated?


I'd use Dulux Diamond Glaze, its more of a laquer than a varnish, quite low
build. But, its water based so no fumes as such, just a bit of a smell. Plus
when it's dried (which it does quite quickly) it is as hard as nails. And,
no colour to it at all. I used this on nearly a whole house with 2 kids and
a dog. Not cheap but has lasted well and to-date virtually indestructable.

wrote:
I know it's a clear gloss but does it cause any discolouration of the
wood, ie yellowing etc?
I presume it doesn't give off any fumes etc being resin based?

Given that all treatments will silightly change the appearance, not
especially. It has a horrible smell while it dries! The only drawback is
the drying time - 16 ish hours.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

robgraham wrote:
I don't have any experience of the material Dave is talking about but
I would certainly support anything that **doesn't** form a hard skin.
You do have to remember that pine is a soft wood and takes up moisture
very easily regardless of what finish is on the top so that the wood
will move throughout the year - a hard finish will therefore have the
potential to be weakened by this movement. Hard wood floors are less
susceptible to this. I also do like the idea of being able to repairs
to heavy use areas.

Oleo res is often used in school halls because it soaks in - stopping any
splinters - handy to keep little bottoms safe when Miss syas "sit down
everyone".



--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

In message .com,
robgraham writes
On 22 Apr, 23:32, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
wrote:





Bourneseal.http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.u.../DDCUK/ICIPain...

Oleo Resinous seal which soaks into the wood instead of forming a
coating on top. Easy to patch up high traffic areas. Only
disadvantage is the drying time 12 -16 hours.

Dave, Do you mean to use just this , or use this to seal the wood and
then put varnish on top?

Technically either, oleao res will stand a lot of traffic on its own. Top
it with a water based acrylic polish if you want.

Varnish forms a surface coating on top of the wood, oleo res soaks into the
wood.

IME oleo res on it's own is more than adequate for domestic traffic. I'd use
two coats and leave it at that.


I don't have any experience of the material Dave is talking about but
I would certainly support anything that **doesn't** form a hard skin.

Charles (Joe) Stahelin, who used to be regular poster here, and IIRC,
had experience with maintain wooden institutional floors used to
recommend Bourneseal a lot.
--
Chris French