I think I hate our newly restored edwardian floorboards..

6 years ago

We've just had laminate pulled up and the original edwardian flooring restored. The original flooring is a fairly light yellow pine and although I love dark wood, there isn't a great deal of light in the back room so we went with a light team. It looked good with just a small sample stained but with the whole floor, I'm convinced it looks bright Orange. And I hate it. Obsessively! It's been laquered and all the furniture has been moved back - in 4 rooms and the hallway. So there's no changing it.. Should I have gone with an oak? Or would light pine always result in an orangey colour? Will it fade? Will I learn to love it?!

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Emmanuelle

6 years ago

I actually love your floorboards! Such a lovely colour! ( and I am known to be fussy ;-/) they have been done very nicely. You are just not used to them yet... They will grow on you I am sure! (happens to many of us when you have a drastic change in your house: you need time to get use to it!)

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Comments (38)

Jonathan
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I think loads of people will love these floorboards. If you are think of selling any time soon then don't worry about them.

If you are staying then cover them up and have what you want.
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Looking at it, I think it's a mishmash of periods. the mantelpiece and overmantle is characteristic of a late victorian/edwardian style. We are more used to seeing these with vertical side panels of decorative ceramic tiles and a cast iron firebasket raised off the floorlevel. the actual ceramic glazed fire you have in there appears possibly to be anywhere between 20s & 50s, probably a replacement because the original burned out (assuming it's in the main living room it will have been a main source of heat for the house). So the question is, what do you love and what do you hate about it? Because it's not working for you right now. Usually edwardian fireplaces with an overmantel (and edwardian/victorian furniture in general) comes apart into sections. the tricky bit is finding which sections! But I'd imagine the entire overmantel with the mirror could be taken off leaving the mantelpiece intact, albeit with peg holes that would need filling on the top of the mantel at the back. Usually there were wooden pegs and holes for placement. If you are on a very tight budget, and assuming you don't want to keep the rather lurid carpet, simply keeping what is there, and adding a fender would work (as someone suggested above). You can get low level ones in brass that are extendable to fit relatively cheaply, or there's vintage ones that range from low level right up to having padded seats. If you intend to actually USE the fire, then it may be possible to pull up the 20th century ceramic tiles (if that's what they are) lay a screed underneath and then relay the tiles a bit higher so they are proud of the floor level. If any are broken it might be possible to relay them at the edges where they are less in the way - but at the end of the day, open fires are messy and what you really need is a slab of clean smooth hearthstone to make it easy to keep clean. Alternatively if you don't like early 20th century mashups, then you could (carefully) take out the fireplace, sell it on (someone would love it - personally I don't like the murkiness of that sort of fireplace ceramic colourwise, but I do recognise it's a nice and unusual example of the genre) and buy a replica more suited to the surround. You can get some rather nice ceramic edwardian style tiles for the sides. Have you tried to light the fire? it may be the hood is necessary if the chimney doesn't draw well. Or it could just be an aesthetic choice a previous owner made without considereing how the fire actually performs. As people have said above, you can paint it. Whatever paint you use, make sure you aren't totally knackering the wood underneath in case you want to have it stripped back to wood in future. The suggestion of hanging a picture over the oval mirror is a good one. Though I suspect with a different less instituttional carpet and the fitted cupboard gone, a judicious choice of plants or ornaments might make the whole thing recede into the room as a whole and be less 'in your face' at the end of the day, it's actually a time and labour intensive decorative heat source, so if you aren't going to have an open fire, and it's not a listed building, consider selling it and getting rid completely. It's a mishmash anyway that doesn't work so well aesthetically, though individually the separate parts of edwardian/ mid 20th century do have charm. but together? ouch you are living with some dearly departed's poor design choices! Which I suspect are not going to be so easy to marry together. Though as people have said above, painting it white is going to help a lot! My final thought is that you've got off lightly with that overmantel with a plain oval glass! When I was a kid we had an edwardian house near manchester, in what was the day nursery, behind a baize door, on teh first floor, had an overmantle with a plaster of paris insert that weighs 25kg with rather terrifying fairies playing in the moonlight as it's subject. The house was due to be demolished so we took the plaster behemoth with us. It's currently hanging in my hall and scaring all small children that pass by!!! 40 years on I still can't decide if it is actually totally hideous or so ugly that it's beautiful. Mostly though I just don't want it to fall off the wall and kill one of the cats! Here it is in all it's fugliness. Framed in the 1980s in somewhat ungracious proportions to just top off the general weirdness of it!
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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/
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georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you for your comments. I was wondering whether it's just a matter of adjusting.. I just keep thinking that I should have taken more time and chosen a different stain. I meant to say teak! Also not sure the Orange light comes out in the photos.. It's most noticeable at the back of the house.. Does anyone know if it's likely to fade?
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
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ASVInteriors
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Pine will always have an orange undertone and if you are sensitive to it now it is unlikely to go away. I just worked on a mountain apartment home staging with existing design where we embraced it by ramping up other colours to diminish its effect or make it part of the scheme. Ecru, cream and tan
Ski Apartment · More Info

work very well. Rugs, curtains and furnishing will make it look good
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Oh wow, that's beautiful. We've just gone for a Manor House grey in the hallway and a lichen green in the front room and it compliments it well..

i'd been told by the flooring guys that it would "mellow" but not sure what that means?

also read that you could eliminate the Orange tinge with a blue/greyish stain but assume the boards would have to be re-sanded as they've been laquered..
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
The back room (last photo) needs a rug doesn't it?
minnie101
6 years ago
You'd need to resand it if you want to revarnish. I think you can apply a little white dye to prevent the Orange. Are you sure you won't grow to like it? The floorboards themselves look great and it's really not too orange. I had oak and rosewood parquet restored when I moved in and I found the oak parts too yellow but have grown to like it and everyone compliments it. I think I personally would much rather have the original floorboards than an alternative type of floor. Maybe do just add a rug to that back room? If you still hate it in 6 months then it get resanded.
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Hi minnie101, thank you for taking the time to comment. I don't think re-sanding is an option (in terms of time or money). Maybe it'll take time for me to grow to love it? Currently I'm too fixated on the orange! The original boards looked like they would be quite yellow if just left unstained and I'm not sure that would have looked right either. Oak and rosewood parquet sounds beautiful?
ewooles
6 years ago
There's a lot of bare wood in the room, I would definitely put a large rug down to combat the impact. You'll adjust to the colour a lot quicker when it isn't so prominent.
minnie101
6 years ago
Hi Georgina. No, it's not cheap! I just thought if you were tempted to lay an alternative flooring it would be a much cheaper option. I'm sure you will love it soon, floorboards always look good and the paint colours you've chosen look great with it. They look as if they've done a really good job too. I don't appreciate my parquet quite as much as I should although I do like it now. I love the herringbone pattern which it's not, I'm not sure what the pattern is called but my brother recently told me it's the most expensive as he's currently having parquet fitted. Normally I seem to choose the dearest option of anything but not this time! I'd add the rug to the back room and see how you go. You can always add more rugs after a few months. Hopefully you prefer it to the laminate?
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Stella Michael
6 years ago
I too have pine Edwardian floorboards but don't like too much wood and wanted a backdrop for brighter colours (both walls and furnishings) so when I sanded them I had them stained ... a dark teak/walnut colour and that reduced the effect of the woodgrain so they do provide a great but more neutral backdrop.

Saying that, you are where you are. Once lacquered I'm not sure how much it will fade so best to try and make it work for you. It is worth living with it for a little while (2-3 months) but if you still hate it then best to do something otherwise it will always pull on your energy.

Suggestions (without re-sanding/staining) ... I agree that with the wooden floors and all the wooden furniture the back room does look a bit too much and would probably still be the case whatever colour the floor was so I agree a large rug would definitely help ... and do make it large, have at least the front of the furniture sitting on it (I don't see the point of little rugs in the middle of the room!)

The other thing is that would work is giving the floor another layer of sealant (not sure what you have used) but with a slight colour in it. Either a green/blue tinge to offset the orange (it's on the opposite side of the colour wheel - the same way you can get a green makeup base to tone down redness on your face) or add a darker colour in it to take away the pine look.

You may get some resistance from traditional decorators but from experience it's worth experimenting and once you are clear what you want to do then just tell them what you want. Of course try it on small samples (not too small like you said) before you roll it out and even start on one less obvious side of the room and do a few boards to see what they look like. This way you can keep disruption to a minimum as there is minimal mess so could move the furniture to one side of the room, do it, wait until it dries thoroughly and then vica versa. It's not ideal but better than re-sanding or just putting up with something you hate and could actually work quite well. Like I said, worth a try in a small area or one room. If doing it in this half and half way then remember to mix the colour well regularly so the whole room looks the same.

The type of sealant also makes a difference. I had been using oil based gloss which added a honey depth and feel to the floor but was persuaded to try a water-based flat/matt polyurethane for my studio/office and even with the same dark stain underneath it came up orange and flat ... and I hated it! ... so I immediately re-sanded and went back to the richness of the gloss oil lacquer which I still love. Let us know how you go.
amw122
6 years ago
In my last house, I pulled up old carpets in the bedrooms and discovered floorboards. They weren't in as good condition as yours but I decided to keep them and liked them more as time went on, even with all the flaws. There was a lovely warmth about them, both to look at and feel unfortunately I don't have that in the place I've moved into now. You can always put a big rug down if you're not sure about such a big expanse of wood. Make sure you don't spoil them if you still want to cover them up, they might be a selling point if you think of moving again.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
6 years ago
Hello Georgina, The floor is indeed very nice... I would always suggest having the floorboards on show, especially if they are the original! They look gr8 and putting something else on top would be a gr8 shame and a waste! There are several alternatives you could look at...

1 of which is to paint the floors entirely any colour really, I have white, but I have seen navy, dark green and even a dark purple colour.. All looking fantastic.in a period property with mid century modern furniture or even period furniture, have seen both.... Anyway that's one suggestion...

The other is you could look at liming the floor... It gives a slightly white finish like the Scandinavians do. You have a lot of wooden furniture too, so I think you just need to give yourself time to get used to it...

I personally hate varnish, I'd always recommend to have a matt wax.. You protect the floor but you don't have all the shine... This could also make a bit difference...If you decide on a rug.. choose something that is a similar colour unless it is a very large room.. That way you don't create the illusion of a small space... I would perhaps look at sanding the floor at some point and a different way to polish the floor... Wax (low sheen or matt) and hire a polisher if you don't have one... Don't buy a paint on varnish they are never any good... : ))
ali270
6 years ago
I think your floor is lovely . The colour seems " in your face " at the moment because you are constantly looking at it . Live with it , as others have suggested, alter wall colours if necessary, put down rugs or put art distractions on walls . You might grow to love it , I do .
lucinia
6 years ago
I think that once you put a rug down you will be a lot happier. You will still get the 'floorboard' effect, and the wood will look less orange as only a small amount will be on show. How about something striking like a black and white rug? Black and white always looks gorgeous with wood and will dominate putting the wood in the background.
Lexi Revellian
6 years ago
I think many of us have doubts after a major, expensive change to our homes. Did we make the right choice? Was it better before we spent all that money? I call it Refurbisher's Regret. But your original floorboards look lovely, and I'm sure you will end up happy with them :o)
rhferg
6 years ago
I would be worried about using pine. It's not just the colour, but the knots and the grain. It has an IKEA feel to it, whereas oak, for example, has a timeless elegance you can't beat. You will have to make the best of it! At least it's real wood, not laminate. Use lots of rugs and carpets and bright colours.
kelvinrharvey
6 years ago
Judging from the photos I would say the problem with the final look is the uniform finish caused by the varnish which has given an unnatural finish and sheen. The floor boards in Victorian/Edwardian houses were never intended to be seen in their natural state, they were usually stained with a very dark brown/black concoction to imitate dark oak of a more prestigious house and usually only around the edges and the centre filled with a large rug, fitted carpets not available. Dependant on your style I would place runners and carpets around the main traffic areas and in rooms. Again dependant on your style I have seen a mix of persian style rugs spread around to give a certain look. In my house of a similar age, I started with stripped back floors whilst retaining some of the marks to give character, another room whilst removing the original stain with meths in preparation for sanding it made an interesting stain, then I spread the solution out across all the the floor turning the pine into a poor mans dark oak floor. On another level painted the floors with 'Buttermilk paint' by a company called Colourman, finishing with a couple of coats of water based varnish, this gives a slightly uneven finish but very pleasing if you like the look. Whatever you think now it will grow on you and will wear in given time as you adapt from what is just the base finish of bare boards.
jasondt
6 years ago
I would leave it a while before doing anything drastic. The colour will change in time, I had Oak parquet sanded and sealed, and it looked like birch for a while but has toned down over the years. I've also sanded floorboards in a previous house, stained them rosewood and satin varnished them, they also looked too shiny and fake to start with, but with a bit of 'traffic' it knocked that back, and they looked much better.
helen m.
6 years ago
I love your golden pine floor, but personally I don't think the wall paint goes very well with it (first photo). I would choose a lighter colour with a golden hue to match the floor. A oriental type rug with colours/patterns (if that is your taste) would look very nice. But it is the wall colour that would make the difference in my opinion.
pcarpanini
6 years ago
Paint them grey
PRO
Pat Oliver Interior Design
6 years ago
In an unobtrusive area, like a closet, try waxing over the varnish. Use a darker wax like medium oak and see if you like the colour better. You can always remove this wax with turps substitute. If you do like the darkened effect, consult a local flooring company about using a stained wax all over.

Personally, I think the floor is lovely. It looks very mellow and comforting. I have to agree with Helen M about the wall colour. It looks to be a lavender grey which does make the floor look more orangey. Try a grey blue like Dainty or a soft green like Winter's Breath, both by Colourtrend Paints.
PRO
Stella Michael
6 years ago
Pat Oliver Interior Design I didn't think you could wax over floorboards that have been laquered/sealed ... how does that work?
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Wow, thanks everyone for your amazing responses. I agree that the back room would look much better with a rug. It's difficult because it's only a 3m x 3m space and the other side is a children's play area. So much as I'd love a fancy black and white rug, id have to think practically too (I have a nearly 3 year old and 10 month old!) It's a tough one because the flooring colour seems to look different in different rooms/areas and in different light. I suppose because of the natural light but also the wall & furniture colours? Here's the other side of that room, which I don't think looks as bad! That room has only been stained & finished for a week so maybe will mellow a bit?
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Stellahome, thanks so much for your suggestions. They've been laquered over the stain. Does that mean I'd need to find a tinted laquer? Does such a thing exist? As I've obsessed over the colour and looked at different options, I wish I'd gone with a medium oak or antique oak.. But both of these are lighter aren't they? And I wonder whether the pine boards underneath would always have had an orangey tinge? So hard to tell! I was just sure I didn't want light pine.
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
AJ interior, thank you too for the suggestions. I'm not keen on painting them but can I add anything over the top of the laquer or does this need to be removed first??
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks Lexi.. I love the term refurbishers regret.. I'm not very good with major changes to where I'm living so maybe it will take time to adjust!
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks kelvin, the boards had been stained with a mixture of soot and oil I think and were very dark in places. I'd love to see how yours turned out. I love a darker oak but worried it would be too dark for the house..
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Hello Georgina, Welcome... Well painting was just another suggestion. : ) You would need to sand over the top of the finish as mentioned before adding anything else, like wax... In this way you create a surface that the next layer can adhere to that's the only reason here for sanding.. .

: ))
georgina114882
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks Jason.. I'm pretty sure they'll look a lot shabbier quite quickly with two little ones tearing about!
PRO
Stella Michael
6 years ago
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.
hilly_mcgrew
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
If I were you, I'd wait and see how it wears before making any major changes. In my experience of owning and living with an Edwardian wooden floor, if it looks too pristine and neat, it sort of looks wrong. But after a few months of people using the space, creating wear marks - even some more major marks and dents - things start to feel more acceptable and homely. Wood isn't a material that looks at its best when it's all shiny and new (at least not to me).

If you really want to hurry the process along, give your kids free reign to rampage through the house, into the garden, back into the house again, etc, ideally on a wet, windy, muddy day. At the end of the day, mop the floor lightly and see how you feel about your new, bespoke, 'lived in' patina.

Also, kudos for even attempting such a major overhaul with two minibeasts underfoot. We're still walking on a concrete pad in our kitchen which I cleverly exposed by ripping out the existing lino one evening (in my defence, both the three year old and the one year old kept tripping over the edge of it, AND it was reused as a base layer under their playhouse in the garden, AND it was fugly) and all I've done in the year since this happened is to paint the concrete white...to match the original floorboards on the other half of the room so I didn't have to try and sand them properly...
headers13
6 years ago
I recently had my victorian floorboards sanded. Used too dark a varnish so it looked too orange like a fence ! Had them re-sanded last week & a clear varnish put on - looks great now much better. Yours look better than mine did but if in doubt you should re-sand them & start again I think.
PRO
ARC Bespoke Interiors
5 years ago
before the stain was applied to the floor boards you should all ways test patch you colours , if its to rich the stain can be diluted with sprit to lighten the colour , with pine floor boards the stain will usely need tobe diluted with a sprit because pine wood is lighter then oak wood if you are trying to get pine wood to match oak wood finish

that the reason why your boards have gone bright orange pine is light wood and stain was not diluted
PRO
Stella Michael
5 years ago
I also found that the top coat made a big difference. With most of my rooms I used an oil-based gloss which brought up the honey tones and was a gorgeous rich colour. The gloss settles quite quickly and I loved it. For my studio the man at the shop convinced me that the water-based sealer one was so much better and it dried so much quicker so I decided to try it. The same colour stain as the rest of the house came out orange. I hated it immediately, kept it for a week or so and hated it even more, especially as the rest of the house had come out so well so I re-sanded the floor again and started from scratch, so glad I did.

It may be worth a try applying another layer of the sealer with a slight green tinge - heavily diluted! (colour theory - it's the opposite colour. Make-up artists apply a green foundation to reduce redness on people' faces) and see if it reduces the orange effect. Obviously try it somewhere in a corner or on another piece of pine wood.
dianahartaboyne
5 years ago
I think you were very brave to admit you hate the colour! Painting the dark wood furniture in the room would lift the whole look without the need to change the floorboards or perhaps sticking some retro wallpaper onto the front drawers of the desk/filing cabinet. Good luck and let us all know what you decided to do!
Isobel Ramsay
last year
Georgina know this is some time ago - what do the floorboards look like now? Having exactly the same reaction to ours..

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I think I hate our newly restored edwardian floorboards..

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