A floor refinishing company has told me they can stain our pine floors by mixing one or two small cans of minwax stain with the Ace polyurethane they use and apply both things together at once. I was under the impression that you'd have to stain the floor first and then later apply the polyurethane to seal it... Is the method they are proposing to do really viable? Also, how many coats of polyurethane would be recommended for pine floors?
RL
It can be done. Essentially, that is what Minwax Polyshades is. I'd want three coats total of poly.
As Edwin notes, it's doable. It's an advantage to them as they can save a day in waiting for stain to dry before the first poly coat. Disadvantage to you is that if the color isn't quite what you would like it's much tougher to do anything to correct it. At least before the finish coat goes on you can add a second coat to change tint and possibly darken w/ little difficulty. More difficult if trying to do it in the mix.
I'd want to see a sample section before giving the nod...
Sounds like they're mixing up a tinted glaze coat, which looks better on pine than staining raw wood. Hit raw pine with stain, and the color reverses, since the softer spring wood drinks up stain much more than the harder, darker winter wood. Ever wondered why construction plywood looks like absolute crap when you stain it?
Do a sample of scrap pine to test. For regular staining of pine a pre stain like Bix is necessary or a shellac base sealer. Your samples will save you from making a mistake
You can do that, but now the stain is contained within the polyeurethane (not within the wood). The main problem is when the floor is scratched, the whitish pine floor will show through.
The proper way is to stain the wood, then clear coat to protect it. When the clear coat is scratched, it is only the clear coat that is scratched, and it will age better.
The contractor won't care, because he's long gone.
good luck, tim1198
Amateur wrote:
Even better is to forego stain, and let the wood age to color.
There may be method to their madness, as pine is soft and can absorb stain in inconsistent manner. Is this a new floor, never finished? Old floor with old finish on it? Old floor, stripped?
The prettiest finish I have ever seen on pine was woodwork with only sanding sealer used on it. When I finished some new pine furniture, I made my own stain; artist oil colors in very dilute ms, oil and varnish mixture. Let it dry and put clear varnish over it. Chose color that would help counteract natural yellowing of pine as it ages. It worked.
If on bare wood, some of the finish would undoubtedly sink. I would get more particulars from your floor company and ask to see their work.
We've been told by staff at both Lowes and the Do-It Center that minwax polyshades is not made for use on floors and wouldn't be durable enough. They recommended minwax "Prestain" as a first coat on the bare wood to ensure more even coloration in the final result. It is supposed to harden the soft areas of the pine, in a sense, so that they don't absorb so much more of the stain. That's the route we're going to try, anyway. Thanks for your input, everyone. RL
RL
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