Is staining older pine floorboards a dark stain, a no no?

9 years ago

I know I've posted before about my colour dilemma with our pine flooring ie I wanted a dark rich colour & not keen on natural pine.
However, the more I read about pine the more I see that going dark is not advised due to showing every mark & dent. I read that I should go as light as possible to avoid this - even though I don't really want light floors downstairs (my colour scheme is moody dark greys, blacks & whites with splashes of bright colour.

So should I play it safe and stick to a light oak stain or just go dark?

Anyone else had this dilemma?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Dr Hanan Batarfi
9 years ago
I love dark wood too, cover the middle with a carpet
https://www.houzz.com/photos/farmhouse-dark-wood-floor-living-room-ideas-phbr2-bp~t_718~s_2114~a_47-346
annamarie3363
8 years ago
Hi, I've stained my bedroom floorboards a deep mahogany and I've not noticed any particular problems with it showing any more dents, etc. It looks quite gorgeous, in fact! :>) :>) :>)
Related Discussions
I think I hate our newly restored edwardian floorboards..
Q
Comments (38)
Georgina, you are most welcome. Yes, I saw that you said in your initial query that you had lacquered them and did not want to sand it all back, hence my suggestion for the least messy option (otherwise yes would be better to sand it all back etc etc like others have said but let's be practical not perfectionists). Yes a tinted lacquer, yes I'm sure you can buy it, I've mixed it myself but best to just buy one but beware not to go too far the other way and take tiny steps. Paint a bit that's going to be under a desk etc and leave it for days to dry and look at it in different light etc. It's not ideal, but I suggest you use the same clear lacqer and add a tiny bit of tinted one because you are painting on a darker colour already so experiment with small amounts of each, keeping track of how much you have put in. (I mix my own wall colours so have just learnt to give it a go in small portions). You also mention wanting a black and white rug, these colours will clash with the wood (colour theory) and make it look even more orange so best to use a colour that tones more. It's hard to tell the exact colour from the photos but go with warmer deeper colours which will then tone down the orange rather than clash with it and make it look cheap and more orange. So if you want to go dark then a rich chocolate brown with some creams, khaki and even a bit of burnt orange for example will make the orange in the floorboards recede.
...See More
Bathroom floorboards finishing
Q
Comments (3)
We used to have white painted boards in the bathroom. Used white matt paint and then sealed with 3 layers of heavy duty varnish. I don't like 'all in one' products,they remind me of '2n1 shampoo and conditioner',never as effective as the single product used individually. Yacht varnish (used on yachts!) is really effective but takes an age to dry between coats.
...See More
What colour hallway will work well with stained glass?
Q
Comments (5)
I agree with campo, I would try to ensure the the colour complements the rooms leading off of it. The hall appears a little dark so you could have a look at the warm neutrals by either little Greene or farrow and ball and add colour with art and/or an oriental runner which would suit the house. Or as you love colour maybe paint the walls in ochre (there are some nice shades of it around atm) but I would team with white woodwork in that case as a contrast to the floor
...See More
I think I hate our newly restored floorboards obsessively
Q
Comments (22)
Not sure on the exact science of this but use Tea! From what I can gather is that new pine lacks in tannin which is present in most woods particularly woods like oak, mahogany etc. but not so much in new pine. Over time the tannins do balance out but could take many years hence why the older floorboards (which are lovely btw) have a much more even tone. Solution is to wash freshly sanded new pine with a fairly strong brew of black tea (quantity/ratio not sure). Tea contains tannin so basically you’re adding it to the wood before staining, varnishing, oiling and so on. Might be a bit late if you’ve already oiled the zebra floor boards as it needs to absorb into the wood but thought I’d let you know if you plan to do steps. Do bear in mind that this finish may appear darker so perhaps use a lighter stain and absolutely test first. Here’s a link which isn’t great but sort of explains: https://sawsonskates.com/tea-stain-wood-furniture/
...See More
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
Hello Tani,

What about painting? So many fabulous colours or why not find a coloured wood stain.. What's going on the walls as this might inform your choice further..

Like those folding doors... You could paint those as a focus.. Lovely with a brass and glass door knob.. Or two.. :))
Tani H-S
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi both - so sorry but this is a really old post (at least a year ago now! Lol) so we have already finished all the flooring. We ended up wimping out after sanding the kitchen and dining room and ended up putting wood flooring down.
The wood was just too soft and we would have needed to fill in all the gaps as there was a draft through to the ground.

However we did paint the main bedroom floor in white which I LOVE. Except .. on all the instructions I read online, no one mentioned priming with a knot blocker so I have to go over it all again as they are showing through and it looks grubby
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
Hello Tani,

Ah well :) ) not to worry as there's always an idea for another time! :))

Is staining older pine floorboards a dark stain, a no no?

Comments (5)

Dr Hanan Batarfi

annamarie3363

Related Discussions

Amber Jeavons Ltd

Tani H-S
Original Author

Amber Jeavons Ltd

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Is staining older pine floorboards a dark stain, a no no?

Comments (5)

Dr Hanan Batarfi

annamarie3363

Related Discussions

Amber Jeavons Ltd

Tani H-SOriginal Author

Amber Jeavons Ltd

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Tani H-S
Original Author