On 2008-06-04 10:03:05 +0100, "Mark BR" said:

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2008-06-04 08:30:07 +0100, "Mark BR" said:

I have a very old wooden plank floor - probably over 100 years old.
The wood is just planks, nothing special but SWMBO likes it, bumps,
holes and all. I've sanded it to clean it up and want to give some sort
of
protection but NOT a gloss finish.

Can I just use a light stain or does it have to be floor varnish -
or have I missed something about floor protection?

--
Mark BR

Is it hardwood or softwood?

Soft wood - in some places very soft wood!

--
Mark BR

Stain won't protect it.

I'm completely with you on not wanting to create a gloss finish. Why
people want to make a natural wood look like plastic escapes me - they
might as well have laminate if they want that.

Staining of softwood can be a tricky business because different areas
may have different amounts of absorbency and reaction to the colour.
Certainly trying to make it look like something it isn't such as oak is
likely not to come out well - e.g. patchy and the wrong colour.

Something like Ronseal Hard Clear Floor Varnish is available in satin.
Rustins make a similar product.

These would darken the wood very slightly bu not impart much of a
change of colour.