Decorating
Decorating: 10 Ways to Transform Your Floorboards
Make the most of your home’s original floors with these tips for transforming old boards
If you live in a property benefiting from old floorboards, you can save a tidy sum on carpeting and make a style statement by incorporating them into your scheme. Timber floors are easy to maintain and wood that has already been in place for many years is unlikely to warp or shrink (provided you treat it correctly). Bare floorboards are also a practical choice, requiring only a quick vacuum and mop to keep them looking their best. There are numerous techniques to consider for finishing your floors – here are some favourites.
Paint them white
For homes in need of a brightness boost, nothing matches the light-reflecting powers of white-painted floors. Instantly transformative, white floors add contemporary flair to period homes where boards may be in poor condition or mismatched.
Select a specialist floor paint – to avoid a slippy surface – and be prepared to mop weekly and repaint occasionally if you don’t like scratches or worn areas to show.
For homes in need of a brightness boost, nothing matches the light-reflecting powers of white-painted floors. Instantly transformative, white floors add contemporary flair to period homes where boards may be in poor condition or mismatched.
Select a specialist floor paint – to avoid a slippy surface – and be prepared to mop weekly and repaint occasionally if you don’t like scratches or worn areas to show.
Opt for elegant grey
When black might be too dark but white feels stark, try painting floorboards in a mid tone, such as grey or pale grey-blue. A warm grey floor paired with pastel walls adds depth to a room and highlights attractive period skirting boards.
Learn how to paint stripes on your floor
When black might be too dark but white feels stark, try painting floorboards in a mid tone, such as grey or pale grey-blue. A warm grey floor paired with pastel walls adds depth to a room and highlights attractive period skirting boards.
Learn how to paint stripes on your floor
Fall for varnished boards
For a hard-wearing, fuss-free finish, try a varnish for your wooden floors. Most contain polyurethane, which coats wood with an impermeable, plastic-like seal. Finishes vary from gloss to matt, and brands such as Bona are pioneering innovative formulations for more natural-looking timber.
The downsides of using a varnished finish are that once the surface is damaged – by repeated wear or furniture scratching the surface, for example – it’s very difficult to spot-repair, and the best option is to sand and revarnish the entire room.
For a hard-wearing, fuss-free finish, try a varnish for your wooden floors. Most contain polyurethane, which coats wood with an impermeable, plastic-like seal. Finishes vary from gloss to matt, and brands such as Bona are pioneering innovative formulations for more natural-looking timber.
The downsides of using a varnished finish are that once the surface is damaged – by repeated wear or furniture scratching the surface, for example – it’s very difficult to spot-repair, and the best option is to sand and revarnish the entire room.
Try tone on tone
Take a leaf out of interior designer Abigail Ahern’s style pages and match your floor and walls for a tonal effect. The difference in the paint finishes of each surface will create textural interest, and you can add punchy hits of colour with accessories in shades from the opposite end of the spectrum – this room contains a bright red floor lamp.
Take a leaf out of interior designer Abigail Ahern’s style pages and match your floor and walls for a tonal effect. The difference in the paint finishes of each surface will create textural interest, and you can add punchy hits of colour with accessories in shades from the opposite end of the spectrum – this room contains a bright red floor lamp.
Go back to black
If your property is already flooded with natural light or you’re keen to embrace a dark and moody hue, black-painted boards could be for you. Black floors add drama and make it easy to introduce dark-toned wooden furniture and luxe textures on fabrics and upholstery.
Choose your finish carefully, as black gloss floors are notoriously difficult to keep in top condition. And remember that dark boards will highlight animal hair, so beware if you have a pale-coloured dog or cat!
If your property is already flooded with natural light or you’re keen to embrace a dark and moody hue, black-painted boards could be for you. Black floors add drama and make it easy to introduce dark-toned wooden furniture and luxe textures on fabrics and upholstery.
Choose your finish carefully, as black gloss floors are notoriously difficult to keep in top condition. And remember that dark boards will highlight animal hair, so beware if you have a pale-coloured dog or cat!
Work a waxed finish
Fans of traditional wooden floors may prefer to alter the appearance of their boards as little as possible. Hardwax products contain a mixture of natural oils, such as linseed and sunflower, as well as waxes to protect wood and highlight its natural grain. Clear hardwax will turn wood the same colour as it is when wet. For a paler tone, white-tinted wax products are available from brands such as Treatex and Osmo. Finishes include matt, satin and gloss.
Wax is applied with a roller and left to set. After two coats, your floor will have a hard-wearing finish that can easily be maintained with top-up treatments in the future. The downside is that it will need these top-ups fairly frequently.
Fans of traditional wooden floors may prefer to alter the appearance of their boards as little as possible. Hardwax products contain a mixture of natural oils, such as linseed and sunflower, as well as waxes to protect wood and highlight its natural grain. Clear hardwax will turn wood the same colour as it is when wet. For a paler tone, white-tinted wax products are available from brands such as Treatex and Osmo. Finishes include matt, satin and gloss.
Wax is applied with a roller and left to set. After two coats, your floor will have a hard-wearing finish that can easily be maintained with top-up treatments in the future. The downside is that it will need these top-ups fairly frequently.
Learn how to go over to the dark side
To get a dark finish that also shows off the grain of the wood, your first step is to stain your floorboards. This is not a straightforward process and requires patch testing various stains on sanded boards to see which one works to create your desired final colour (so find a discreet spot destined to be under a piece of furniture).
You will also need to experiment with diluting your chosen stain to get the correct strength of colour and may even need to mix several tones together. The final stain must be allowed to dry completely overnight before finishing with at least three coats of clear varnish.
Don’t be tempted to skip the staining and go straight in with a dark-toned varnish or every scratch will reveal the original pale wood underneath.
To get a dark finish that also shows off the grain of the wood, your first step is to stain your floorboards. This is not a straightforward process and requires patch testing various stains on sanded boards to see which one works to create your desired final colour (so find a discreet spot destined to be under a piece of furniture).
You will also need to experiment with diluting your chosen stain to get the correct strength of colour and may even need to mix several tones together. The final stain must be allowed to dry completely overnight before finishing with at least three coats of clear varnish.
Don’t be tempted to skip the staining and go straight in with a dark-toned varnish or every scratch will reveal the original pale wood underneath.
Distress to impress
If you’re partial to the patina of well-worn boards and can’t wait for them to acquire a few scuffs and scrapes, you could experiment with achieving a distressed finish. You can try similar techniques to those used to distress furniture, including applying wax in some areas to prevent paint adhering, or adding several layers of paint and scraping off sections to reveal contrasting colours beneath.
I’d recommend trials on spare boards or scrap wood to see which finishes you prefer. There are various workshops around the country teaching techniques for using paint and wax in this way.
If you’re partial to the patina of well-worn boards and can’t wait for them to acquire a few scuffs and scrapes, you could experiment with achieving a distressed finish. You can try similar techniques to those used to distress furniture, including applying wax in some areas to prevent paint adhering, or adding several layers of paint and scraping off sections to reveal contrasting colours beneath.
I’d recommend trials on spare boards or scrap wood to see which finishes you prefer. There are various workshops around the country teaching techniques for using paint and wax in this way.
Install reclaimed timber
If you’re craving the tactile qualities of well-trodden real wood floors but your property doesn’t have floorboards, you could look into reclaimed timber.
Available from specialists and usually costing a pretty penny, reclaimed flooring uses boards removed from period properties to add character in new builds or to replace damaged areas where owners want a consistent finish.
Those craving a fancier floor could even opt for reclaimed parquet blocks, which add instant wow factor and can be arranged in a variety of different patterns. Be warned, however: fitting reclaimed parquet is a highly specialised job and will not be cheap.
Get inspiration for incorporating parquet flooring
TELL US…
What have you done to the floorboards in your home? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
If you’re craving the tactile qualities of well-trodden real wood floors but your property doesn’t have floorboards, you could look into reclaimed timber.
Available from specialists and usually costing a pretty penny, reclaimed flooring uses boards removed from period properties to add character in new builds or to replace damaged areas where owners want a consistent finish.
Those craving a fancier floor could even opt for reclaimed parquet blocks, which add instant wow factor and can be arranged in a variety of different patterns. Be warned, however: fitting reclaimed parquet is a highly specialised job and will not be cheap.
Get inspiration for incorporating parquet flooring
TELL US…
What have you done to the floorboards in your home? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
For a subtle whitewashed finish on pine or oak floors, take a tip from the Scandinavians and soap your boards. Typically, wood lye is used on sanded boards to lighten them and remove warm tones. After further sanding, a white-tinted wood soap is applied, which has an oily finish and acts as a protective sealant.
Soaped floors need to be maintained with frequent reapplications of soap solution. Look out for brands such as Woca, which makes Danish floor products.