DIYbanter - View Single Post

jo_jo

wrote:
jo_jo wrote:

I am in Waco, Texas, which is pretty central to Dallas and Austin. I'm
always up for a road trip - in fact, I wanted to get some waterlox for
the top coat and drove to Cameron to a hardware store that was supposed
to be a Waterlox dealer per the Waterlox web site. They had no clue
what Waterlox was.

Anyways, I think I'd like to dye the floor and will experiment with
sealing the wood before the dye,

SNIP

I personally would not use Waterlox on a floor. Waterlox has its
strong points, but I don't know that abrasion resistance for flooring
is one. Also, Waterlox has a strong yellow amber tint that comes
through on soem woods. That would certainly skew the colors that you
work up with your staining and dying test panels.

You could go to something like Sherwin Williams commercial (I have met
a couple of the guys from Dallas at trade shows and they are great) or
Benjamin Moore to ask for some ideas on finishing. Lots of other
smaller stores can help you pick a floor finish that is made
specifically with floor abrasion and occasional water duty in mind.

Before I picked a finish, I would determine if I was spraying, or
brushing. With wiping (Waterlox) I think you would have to put a lot
of coats on to get a good build. How big is the surface are you
finishing?

Robert

Hey Robert - thanks for the advice. The area I'm finishing is 20x22,
or 440 square feet. The floor is 5" (actual dimension) tongue and
groove southern yellow pine. I love the character it has, but don't
want to finish it "natural". I do like the slightly rustic, or early
american look, but am not terribly fond of the "country" look.

Anyways, I have tried minwax and olympic stains until I have probably
amassed a collection of stains that would put Home Depot out of
business. I've tried water based, gel, and oil stains. I've tested
tinted danish oil. I've tried shellac. I've tried linseed and tongue
oil, and none of these produces the color I want consistently. I've
tried sealing the wood, then staining. None of this produces the warm
tones that I've seen at some of the online sites (you know, the guys
who actually know what the heck they're doing!)

As always, all testing done on leftover southern yellow pine scraps
that I've sanded to 120 grit. I realize that pine, esp. new pine, does
NOT stain well, but I had no idea it was THIS horrible. The good news
is, I was advised to let the floor settle in and dry out or acclimate
for about 6 weeks. I had the wood in the garage for two weeks prior to
installation, so the moisture content could still be a little high and
this could be causing trouble. So, I'm basically down to about 4 weeks
to finding a staining and finishing solution (and a scraper, scraper
plane, scrub plane, in case I want to try to hand scrape the wood).

Basically, leblanc flooring's web site has a graphic on it's home page
that is the ideal color I am shooting for. It's a very warm
yellow-orange color. I tried shellac, but got more of a honey color.
Thus the post related to finding dyes. I thought I would give dyes a
shot where pigmented stains may have failed. I'd like to end up with a
warm color and a hand-rubbed appearance.

I am patient. I work hard. If I have to hand rub the thing 10 times,
I will. I don't mind using some sort of wax finish, either, although I
know it will require much more maintenance. Nor am I opposed to poly,
but don't imagine it will give a "hand rubbed" finish.

Again, I appreciate the advise you guys are giving me.