POLL: Hardwood flooring - paint or stain?
Tom Flanagan
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Flooring can be the basis for the theme of a room and set off the style you're going for, meaning the style you choose on the floor matters more than you might think! Hardwood flooring is a great example of how different treatments can have a variety of effects.
But what's your choice - do you prefer to paint them or stain them? Vote now and tell us your opinions below!
My white Scandinavian home. Splash of colors. Old & new. Always in change. · More Info
Paint!
Stain!
I wouldn't know the difference!
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Comments (9)
Najeebah
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Parquet floor disaster? Help
Comments (166)Those are wise words Karen! am so glad it worked out for you. Love to see a photo, what colour or shade did you choose? Jools, The bitumen is a right pig, best way we found is to make it cold, so it becomes brittle, then you can scrape /chip it off. We used a window scraper, coarse wire wool and various sandpaper. We left the window open on a cold night, turned heating off in there, and you could try a cooler fan on it. Putting ice bags on it didn't work as well as we hoped. we used a round sander, but it can cause swirls, it's really awkward ! To be honest a few dips and scratches on an old floor are okay in the end, don't be too afraid of it, they are only pieces of wood stuck down on the floor, not bone china, as long as you try not to break them, or set fire to them, otherwise you can't possibly do more damage than I did, and they recovered!...See MorePOLL: Would you ever let your partner design your home?
Comments (39)My husband trusts me and prefers I make all those decisions. That said I always ask his opinion on large pieces. If I left it all to him he would lose interest before finishing! Design is so not his thing. But then I'm not interested in documentaries on outer space or Lego.... Best we stick to our own interests I think! ;)...See MorePOLL: Do you have a fireplace in your living room?
Comments (50)A flickering flame surrounded by ancient carved stone - Antique stone fireplaces add both character and a sense of place to any room, the knocks and bumps of the decades nay centuries, connecting hearth to home. Even with the advent of central and underfloor heating we crave that focal gathering point that a fireplace provides - a room without a fireplace? Nowhere to hang the picture, mirror or tapestry, no were to put your cards and certainly no place to hang your Christmas stocking!...See MoreStain or wax table?
Comments (24)Hi, if you sand it back down, you can use whatever you like. The product you use would be dictated to by how use the table & how you want to continue to care for it. Wax is lovely, it's mellow, but you can't put anything hot directly on it. Even when you buff, it can leave little streaks, but the more you buff the better the sheen. It certainly gives a beautiful finish for internal furniture. You don't use a sealer with wax it's a water repellent surface. With wax, the after care is dusting / buffing and just more wax. If you go with a varnish, then it will seal the surface, but I still wouldn't put anything hot down on it regardless. You may find over years that the table surface develops little fissures and gets a little brittle under direct sunlight. You just sand lightly and re-varnish, or if not bad, just re-varnish Oil, also gives a nice sheen, I prefer it for rustic pieces like yours, and of course floors and worktops. I don't think oil will be a good match for the benches. If It were me i'd be waxing them. I still think you can cut that down with clear wax and 0000 steel wool, and achieve a better finish than it has now. However, if you really want to start again, just remember the wood has to have that even finish with no patches. The wife says, she would give either one coat of the old pine and a clear coat ( depending on colour match to the benches ) - or if the colour isn't deep enough following the first application of the old pine, then a second coat of the old pine instead of a clear coat. With the wax, you can build the colour slowly. You have to put the wax on as thinly as possible -put it on conservatively with a cotton cloth ( she used to use old shirts ) - little circles and then finish down the grain to even out. Leave for 5-10 mins and buff -only buff down the grain There are lots of instructional videos on using was on YouTube that you may find helpful....See More
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