pitch pine natural colour

[macson]

i'm getting a pitch pine floor which i am going to put a polyurethane varnish onto (it will have a lot of traffic). i want to keep it a natural colour more or less but would like to accentuate the grain without making it a lot darker - ie: i don't want to put antique stain on it. Any ideas ????

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

The Varnish will deepen and accentuate the grain, try it on a scrap piece and see first.

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Chris Bacon]

If you want PU varnish, use some Ronseal Heavy Duty Floor Varnish, although there are other non-PU options.

[david lang]

Tip from The Salvager. Teaspoon of caustic soda in a litre of water, in a spray bottle.

Lightly mist the timber and the colour deepens and the grain shows up beautifully.

Dave

[Andy Dingley]

Why? PU varnish is too soft for good floor use. Use an acid catlysed varnish (like Floorcoat) instead. These are also much paler than most PUs.

[macson]

thanks andy

[macson]

thanks all

[Stuart Noble]

Freshly machined pitch pine is quite pale with a pronounced orange grain. Be careful with the caustic treatment- it can darken this species dramatically, but the effect can be reversed with peroxide bleach if you get it wrong. As Andy says, use an acid cat varnish, like Rustins, as it's much tougher and genuinely clear. Get a mask and evacuate the house for a couple of hours afterwards though.