Should I stain quartersawn white oak?

I just got a new hardwood floor put down and it will be sanded next week. I chose a provincial stain to be applied to the quartersawn white oak but I'm now rethinking my decision. I'd like the floor to be darker but love the rays and flecks of the unfinished wood as is. Is it blasphemy to stain quartersawn white oak? -Jessica

Reply to
JessicaG
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The rays are harder than the surrounding wood. Try staining it and then giving it a light sanding to lighten up the flecks. As Paulie would say - try it on a sample - don't experiment on your floor.

p.s. provincial is a bit dark - try golden oak instead.

Reply to
Frank Nakashima

Reply to
Ramsey

If you do it right, you will get the rays and fleck to really pop - it will be very nice. Unfinished QS white oak is very subtle to me, it really wants stain or dye to get it to come to life. Now, I have no idea of exactly what recipe to use, sorry...

Reply to
Brian

Go back to your supplier and scrounge some offcuts. Then finish them however you like, at least 18" squares of each finish, put them down in the room and see how they look. Make sure you do it in both daylight and artificial light.

There are any number of oak-finishing resources around. Stains are one method, wiped ammonia is another (easier to do on the raw stock, but you can do it in situ). You can also fool around with pigments as a grain filler.

Make sure your chosen colourant is compatible with the finish you're putting over the top. Also see what the colour is like with the finish over it. Personally I always use acid-cure formaldehydes on a floor (Rustins Floorcoat), but the clear water-based varnishes work too, although less hard-wearing. Non water-based varnishes are distinctly yellow.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

We did our oak floors (2800sf) with Golden Oak, and I would prefer it to be just a shade darker.

I use a good bit of QSWO for furniture and I stain as a matter of course with ZAR's Provincial 114 ... it is NOT a dark stain, just a wee bit darker than Golden Oak.

If you want to see the difference, take a look at my website. The kitchen cabinets and floors are "Golden Oak", and there are some furniture projects(traditional end table, A&C coffee table, lamp) that are Provincial

114.

Do try it on scrap first, otherwise you will be experimenting on your new floor.

Reply to
Swingman

I am a natural kind of guy but a light brown stain really makes the flakes stand out. Beautiful. It would be a mistake to go too dark. Don't know who makes Provincial, you are using a stain meant to be used under floor finish, right? The type of stain is somewhat dependant on the type of finish used. Bona Kemi is now making a line of fast-drying stains that are easy to work with. They have also abandoned the standard names and I am not yet familiar with the colors.

All the DuraSeal stains(Minwax floor stain line and most commonly used) seem to boil down to Golden Brown which I feel is too orange. Cut the darker colors such as Antique Brown with neutral and you end up with Golden Brown. Some folks like it though. Glitsa makes(or made) a beautiful true light brown named Lt. Oak. Very nice rich stain with plenty of depth. All floor stains can be mixed within their own line.

There is no reason not to apply some samples directly to the floor, in fact it is the best way to show samples, on the wood in the room with your decor. I don't do it any other way. Areas must be sanded to spec first for true color. It will sand out later. As the stain is applied wet is how it will look when finished. Once dry, you need to cover with finish to see the true look. Your floor guy should know all this. Work with him.

Mark S. Hamlin The Oak Floors of Marco Los Gatos, CA

Reply to
MSH

Hi Jessica

To stain or not to stain. Pretty much an individual call. Staining is neither blasphemy nor blessing. You do what you have to do to get the appearance you want.

The finish itself will darken the wood. Best bet is to take a piece of scrap and test it with the finish that is to be applied. You may find that that darkens the wood enough for what you want.

You could also try out a coat of natural Danish oil on the wood. It will darken the wood and still bring out the rays. If you are not going to have the wood finished till next week it should give you time to apply the oil and have it cured by then. Once cured there won't be any compatibility problems.

Of course if you are having the job done by someone else it would be best to see what they are comfortable with and won't void any agreement you have with them as to the longevity of the finish.

Reply to
Mike G

MSH is the pro here. Pay attention to whatever he says. As far as Provincial, I just finished an oak floor in my home with Bonakemi's Provincial, and it turned out the PERFECT color for my purpose. I had a definite color in mind (the floor used to be WAY to yellow) and had purchase (like an idiot) Minwax. I got straightened out on that score, returned it for a full refund, and picked up a couple of cans of Bonakemi. The color difference is slight, but something about the Bonakemi makes it just PERFECT. it dries fast, doesn't show overlap marks (unless you have zero staining technique) and is compatible with the water based Bonakemi I used. It works under other finishes too, of course. it's an oil modified product.

dave

JessicaG wrote:

Reply to
Bay Area Dave

Jessica has left us with many unanswered questions, but one thing is for sure. If she wants to maintain the finish manufacturers warranty(a contractor relys on the manufacturer), she needs to use their system. I don't know of any floor finish manufacturer that considers Danish oil an acceptable floor stain/sealer(call them first). I'm sure it works on furniture, but many things can and do go wrong on hundreds of sq ft. Bleeding, lapping, dry time, etc..Best to follow the directions on the big-ticket items, in my experience *nobody* knows their product better than the manufacturer. Failure is very expensive. That said, any neutral stain/sealer would accent the flakes just like you say. She could also cut the Provincial with any amount of neutral if its too dark. Best to do a sample area across several boards on the floor with her light, wall colors, and decor. Usually done during the sanding process when the contractor has the equipment in the house. I checked my price list and Glitsa no longer sells the Lt Oak...I see that Bonas Provincial is one of their lighter colors

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Disclaimer-I don't work for Bona, I don't even use their finish-this looks like an outstanding product...

M Hamlin

Reply to
MSH

Blasphemy depends on the observer If you are applying a waterborne poly, The Oak won't darken very much. If you are using an oil based poly or lacquer, the oak - especially red oak will darken considerably. Ask your contractor to provide stain and finish samples on wood from cutoffs from your flooring. If you are finishing yourself, get some of the cutoffs & stain one piece. Finish the piece as you would your floor. Finish another unstained piece. Let dry & compare. You do have some pieces of the floor left over-- right?

Reply to
Phil

Hello there,

How many square feet are we talking about?

Is this new construction?

Is the house occupied?

Are there carpet down and drapes up?

Wouldn't it be nice if you could fume it. Know anybody with SCUBA gear? Tape up all the windows and doors, leave trays of ammonia around for a few days. Open and air out the house. Have a colour and ray fleck beyond comparison anything a stain can provide.

Ahhh, one can only dream...

Thanks,

David.

Every neighbourhood has one, in mine, I'm him.

Remove the "splinter" from my email address to email me.

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Reply to
David F. Eisan

And the ammonia will kill every insect, mouse, etc. in the entire house.

Reply to
Jim Record

Thanks everyone for your replies on my flooring question about applying a provincial stain (I'd quote my own posting but I can no longer retrieve it), you've all been so helpful!

My new white oak floor will be sanded on Monday. I love the suggestion to test the stain out on some scraps (yes I saved them) or a sample area to see whether the flecks and rays will still be visible. My floor guy told me there will be 1 coat of stain and 3 coats of "poly". I don't know who makes the stain but it's not Minwax, I'll ask on Monday. As suggested I will find out if the poly is waterborne or oil. If I have a choice should I choose one poly over the other? Also, my builder already installed the baseboard trim, will that affect the sanding? -Jessica

Reply to
JessicaG

Finish choices depend on brands and the lines within the brands. The best water is better than the best oil. The best water right now are Bonakemi Traffic and Basic Coatings Street Shoe. I used the Street Shoe Super Matte last week and it is outstanding, a nice warm sheen and the finish is flowing and curing like nothing else. Probably a step above Traffic now. In oil, Fabulon Pro is the better product.

IMO there is no excuse for putting up baseboards before the floor is sanded. You get a much cleaner sand job with the base off. Harder to stain too. Floors are often sanded with existing baseboards in place, but not new ones. More wood is removed on the first sand. Overwood. Make them do it right.

M Hamlin

Reply to
MSH

I confess to getting in late on this thread. Has anyone talked about dye rather than stain? I have used dye on QS white oak (thought not on a floor) with dramatic results! Would this work on a floor?

Grant

MSH wrote:

Reply to
Grant P. Beagles

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