Ebonizing/Blacking Out NEW Pine Floors

[Brittany Downs]

Hey! I'm a Great Dane owner and we are working our way to a moderately siz ed family. In a couple weeks, we will have the keys to our new 1994 home. It has carpet everywhere and baths have old linoleum, which are coming out ASAP. Fist floor (1300 sq ft, 3 beds, 2 baths, open living/dining/kitchen ) seems like it'll be OSB/plywood sub-floor and the basement (600 sq ft, 1 bed, 1 bath/laundry room) is concrete.

Everyone is pushing this new water resistant laminate (Pergo Outlast+) or l uxury plank vinyl. I have found a vinyl I can live with aesthetically, unti l I start thinking about walking on it in every floor of my house. Shudder . So, I've kind of come up with a few idea for myself. I have to keep in mind cost. We've agreed $3/foot is the goal and we want as few floors as p ossible. So here are my proposed options:

A) Dark, handsome, hardy, but hollow, wood look vinyl plank through my who le house except maybe a bathroom or two. Pretty much kid and Great Dane pr oof. QUESTION: Straightforward, no questions.

B) Oil finished New England White Pine wood floors in fist floor-except ba throoms. Reason for pine: character will be developed from day one of install an d I won't cringe every time my dad marches in and forgets to take his shoes off. Also, $1.29 sq ft! Reason for oil: easy enough to apply. Easy to spot refinish high traff ic areas. Matte finish will subtract from new "character" while a more eve n patina is being developed. Drawback: light and yellowed color. We're a white trim, graige walls, near black floor family. QUESTION: would a walnut Danish oil fight the yellow in addition to add ing a little more depth of color in the long run? My self made samples are only a week old and look much better than the basic non-colored oil, but t ime is what brings on yellow.

C) Now hear me out... India ink on either $0.99 Red Oak or New England Wh ite Pine wood floors with polyurethane coating in fist floor-except bathroo ms. Reason for ink: that color! I won't be desecrating any mesquite or wal nut. lol. I haven't gotten my ink in to test yet, but my research has sho wn how beautiful it can be. It penetrates pretty deeply, so some scratches might not immediately show the white wood beneath. I'm fine with character and dents and scratches still, to be clear. QUESTION: ideal finish? I'm assuming lots of thin layers of quick dry ing poly, but I don't know. I'm not finding answers for floors. Most peop le are using this technique for furniture, pianos, or if it is floors, they are SUPER INDESCRIPTIVE of their process. :/ QUESTION: should I follow with a Mahogany or Gray or any stain or somet hing to cut the black just a smidgen?

Opinions are welcome!

[Ed Pawlowski]

Be careful. Dark can be rich looking but too dark can be dreary. I'd also buy a couple of pieces of wood just to try it out.

My lower level hallway was wood called Cherry Spice. I liked it but it made the hall too dark. I replaced 10 years later with with a much lighter ceramic tile and we really like it.

[krw]

I've seen some "wood" tile that looked really nice, too. No, not the crap at the BORG. We're planning on using it in a couple of bathrooms and laundry. Someday.

[Brittany Downs]

I appreciate the advice, I intend to make some 1.5' x 3' samples of everyth ing we kinda like to give me us a solid idea of how it'll look installed. Plenty of natural light in this home, so I have hope. We have always pref erred the darkest floors in our homes, BUT we've never done anything this d ark.

[Brittany Downs]

Krw, You are so right, there really is some gorgeous ceramic wood look tile out there! This would honestly be my preference over vinyl/laminate, but it's a nonstarter for us. To get the good looking stuff and the hardy board put s us into the $4.15+ sq ft and, primarily, my husband is endlessly worried about the lack of any kind of give and kids skulls. :/ I've tried arguin g it. I might use it in the baths and laundry if we go with wood and carpe t over laminate/vinyl.

[krw]

I found that tile was cheaper than anything close to a decent grade of sheet vinyl flooring, all in. The tile I was talking about above is significantly more expensive than the basic stuff, though. Tile is a lot of work to install but it's not difficult, just labor and time intensive. I certainly don't have time to do it these days but maybe soon.

I never worried much about kid's skulls. Kids bounce and when they don't, they heal. Either way, they learn something important. ;-)

[DerbyDad03]

t there! This would honestly be my preference over vinyl/laminate, but it' s a nonstarter for us. To get the good looking stuff and the hardy board p uts us into the $4.15+ sq ft and, primarily, my husband is endlessly worrie d about the lack of any kind of give and kids skulls.

Will he allow the kids out of the house? Helmetless? ;-)