Stain or varnish wooden floor?

[Mark BR]

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

[Andy Hall]

Is it hardwood or softwood?

[Mark BR]

Soft wood - in some places very soft wood!

-- Mark BR

[Andy Hall]

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.

[Andy Dingley]

There's only one varnish I'll use on floors - acid catalysed formaldehyde. Rustin's Floorcoat or Liberon's. Not cheap, but far quicker, super-rapid curing, extra-hard surface and fewer coats overall (finished prices are comparable with good floor polys).

These come in gloss and semi-gloss. If you want it duller, go over it with pumice on a polisher afterwards. This is always a better way to dull down a varnish, rather than stuffing the liquid full of talc and making the whole thickness translucent.

If you want it darker, stain the wood first and then apply a clear varnish.

[Mark BR]

There is no way I would obtain a none -patchy finish, the wood is very variable in quality and colour even now. I don't want to pretend it is pine or oak or what have you. I just want to protect it a bit, I suppose from a spilt coffee or something. It is a second bedroom floor and the intention is to make it look like an old place.

I'll look at the Satin varnishes.

Thanks

-- Mark BR

[Rod]

Have you considered wax? On its own or over a light oil? You don't have to buff it up to a high sheen. Or even just oil?

Obviously provides a much lower level of protection that sound varnish layers.

[Mark BR]

No ............. I'll give it some thought as it sounds an interesting idea.

Thanks

-- Mark BR