Hi Everyone,
This is a two-part post, focusing on the floor finish I’m going to use. While there’s already a post about floor finishes, it’s old school. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and the comments are terrific for that post. This post is looking at some of the newer finishes and more! If you’ve read part 1, please click the link below, but if not, please keep reading from the top.
Part 2 Begins Here
Okay, I wrote about the hardwood floor stain in my condo just days after I closed on the sale in November 2020. Yes, that was almost three years ago!
So, where are we with the floors?
Wellllllllll, I wish I could be one of those designers like William McLure (see above) who just does stuff, and no matter what, it always looks fabulous.
He has done floors in everything from white to black. Please check out his Instagram. In his most recent home, he painted the bedroom SUB floor in black gloss. I adore this man!
Okay, I realize I’m a little odd regarding hardwood floor stains, at least in the USA. In England, I fit in better.
Basically, I love white, and I love black. I’m not a fan of caramel as a floor color, nor gray, but a grayed-down beige is beautiful, like Gerald Bland’s shop floors.
Looking at his Instagram, you’ll see many examples from his shop and home. His Greek Revival country home in upstate New York has natural pine antique floors.
However, that “no color” is a fantastic foundation for his gorgeous antiques.
Now, some might think this natural no-color is too contemporary and not traditional enough.
Of course, I understand why you might think that, but the reality is that 200 years ago, they laid the wood down, maybe with a light sanding, and then brought in the furniture. There was no finish whatsoever.
So, Gerald’s no-color, matte raw wood finish is 100% historically accurate. This IS what a traditional floor color looks like.
Please look at Rose Uniacke’s home.
Above is a cropped image from Rose’s shop.
Imagine telling the floor finisher.
I want the floor to look like it’s 400 years old, with dirt that’s seeped into the crevices and cracks. Also, no sanding whatsoever. I want it all splintery.
No, I’m not that extreme. I like to walk around in my socks. :]
Circa 1985, in my upper Westside, NYC apartment, I was metaphorically sliding into home plate to pick up the phone in time. As I did so, I felt a sharp pain in my foot.
Oh, shit, a splinter in my foot!? Well, my sweet roommate came home about an hour later, and she tried to help me yank it out. I think she got something out, but by morning, I could barely put any weight on my foot, so I went to the doctor, who froze it and extracted it, not a splinter. No. It was a sliver of wood, over an inch long!
Therefore, pleeeeease sand the hardwood floors!
I also adore white floors.
See the beauty above by William McLure. Or, if you missed it, I very much recommend the companion piece to this post written in 2020.
In addition, I swoon over black or nearly black floors, like in this exquisite Greek Revival home in Kinderhook, NY.
Here is the problem with black floors, and I mean shiny black floors. (aside from the dust factor)
I think they look amazing at night, but in the bright light of day, they would be too heavy for my place. Please see this post about dark floor stains.
I think that super dark floors are better in smaller spaces or rooms where most of the floor is covered by a rug. OR when a truly moody vibe is intended.
My place does not have a moody vibe, except maybe more so with the den. While I could paint just the den dark, that room will already be mostly rug, so there’s hardly a point.
The dark wood stain works beautifully in the JK Place Capri because there is an abundance of white AND dark blue walls to balance the depth of the floor.
In my case, I will not be able to cover much more than half of the floor, as the entire bay with the dining table will be rugless. It would look better with a lighter floor.
Like here, in Gerald Bland’s shop in NYC.
Ack! That table! Love!!! The marble chimneypiece is in his 1stdibs shop for $96,000!
Oh, wait! That’s my designer’s net price. I can’t see the retail price.
Although I love black and white, as seen above in this charming home decorated by Albert Hadley, I think it’s not right for my 19th-century Brownstone. Please see another beautiful post with lots of lovely white floors.
There’s much more of Albert Hadley and Billy Baldwin in one of my favorite posts about furniture that needs to go on a diet. (There are also both white and black floors.)
Okay, we’re making headway. However, there are some more things to consider when choosing the best wood floor stain.
I’ve decided 100% that the kitchen and entry will be painted with a large-ish checkerboard for the entry and kitchen. And, not a dead black or a neon white, but also a little old-looking. (It won’t be this marbleized.)
I also want to do the checkerboard downstairs for the new entrance, the adjacent embrasure hallway, and probably the bathroom.
If you missed it, all of the new floors are now wood. Yes, you can do wood in the bathroom.
We’ll be going over that in another post.
Another important piece of the puzzle is the staircase railing. Overall, I think the railing will look best with a lighter floor.
One final point is that the floors in the living room ARE old.
I do not want to make them look new, but I also don’t want them to stay the orange-y color they are.
Above is the new floor in the entry/kitchen, which will be the black and white checkerboard. It is juxtaposed next to the existing old oak floor. Interestingly, it is probably original. However, it was laid in the wrong direction, so there are gaps in the wood.
This floor is inherently rustic.
Admittedly, it looks pretty cool here, but as a whole, it’s not quite there for me. In addition, some of the floors will be new, so it must blend.
So, I spent a few hours today looking for something to help me decide.
Here’s what I came up with.
the_fox_group_ on Instagram lovely floors kitchen/mudroom
This is a very popular post on their page. I can’t believe how many people are asking the same question repeatedly. The cabinet is Swiss coffee. They didn’t say, but the wood floor looks red oak with no stain and a satin water-based poly finish.
You can see all of that from an image, Laurel.
In this situation, yes. The marbles are Calacatta and Bardiglio. At first glance, I thought it might be painted. I’d love to do a well-done faux finish, but that is very unlikely because it’s bloody expensive. However, we can get some nice effects so the checks don’t look too flat.
We’re a long way from that, but there will be more information about all of that next summer.
Just kidding. They better be finished before then!
I went back and looked at Gerald Bland. His floor looks old. Alas, his showroom has an industrial vibe, even though his antiques are quite refined. I just don’t think I can go quite this greige in tone.
However, it looks different depending on the light.
And then, I saw it. I dare share only a tiny portion of the gorgeous image taken by S.i.m.o.n Upt*n.
Believe me. The trolls will have my ass in a vice if they find one of Mr. Upt*n’s images on my website. Too bad. I would link to him and have his image tagged with his name. However, I can’t. I can’t even write his name out.
Laurel, is there a way for us to see Mr. Upt*n’s images? And, if you post one or two on your blog for us to see and link back, isn’t that a good thing for him?
Yes, but let’s not go there regarding the images.
There are numerous articles written about this exquisite property. At the time, it was for sale and belonged to Jasper Conran.
Please enjoy the gorgeousness!
I don’t want mine to be too gray, too yellow, or, God forbid, in any way pink.
So, for Monday evening, I will share a rendering or two for what I have in mind.
In the meantime, feel free to discuss products you’ve used and can recommend for this type of no-color matte finish.
One product I know that gets high marks is Rubio Monocoat.
Most of the Jamb images have these fairly light floors that are historically accurate in that they look like unfinished wood that’s aged naturally and gets swept with a broom daily to keep it clean.
But, that’s all.
Speaking of mantels, mine is all paid for, and I expect to leave the Netherlands before too long.
xo,
Wait…. Laurel! Stop!!! You forgot about the marble slab. Remember? You left us hanging the other day. What happened?
Oh sure. Well, for those interested, I finished the story at the end of Thursday evening’s post.
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for your fantastic comments. Yesterday (Sunday), I spent hours researching the hard wax oil finishes that are very popular in Europe but gaining traction in the USA.
While I helped dozens of clients with their floor finishes, for two decades, the technology has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years but is only catching on here in the US for maybe the last ten or so. Like I often say, I am constantly learning new things, along with y’all.
But, you know where a lot of that research happened?
Right here on my blog– in the comments of the main hardwood finishes post and this post about the controversy of hardwood finishes. There are also some great comments on this post about dark hardwood finishes.
However, before that, I found this amazing website, which I’ve seen before, that’s written by a professional floor finishing company, Naperville Hardwood. I’m sure some of you know about them already, but if you don’t, I highly recommend heading over when you can, to check out their posts. I will be linking to them near the end.
There are numerous blog posts where they systematically review the top brands for hard oil wax finishes and more.
They are all very well-written and easy to understand. However, I will cut to the chase and give you their top recommendations. Please know that whatever information I’m giving you, is only the briefest overview.
BUT, here’s the thing with the hard oil wax finishes. Despite the words oil and wax that evoke a vision of a gleaming sheen, most of these hard oil wax finishes are dead flat. Or, at the very least, towards the flat side of satin. But, they do not look like the very plastic-looking polyurethane satin.
Now, I need some of you to chime in if you can, and have experience with hard wax oil finishes.
Rubio Monocoat, one of their recommendations, is typically dead flat. It’s flat as if there’s no finish on the wood. Or, what they call “build-up.” It’s the lack of build-up that makes this a tough sell for some of us, as it seems like there’s nothing protecting the floor. But, there definitely is.
Rubio gets high marks because of its immense library of colors and the fantastic effects one can get with their products. For example, they have products that give the floors an antique look before the stain goes on. You can use their fume product with other stains and typical polyurethane top coats.
However, it was tied for first with another brand, Pallmann, which makes numerous products that they love.
Their hard wax oil does come with a way to produce a lovely satin finish.
In addition, Pallmann also makes their favorite product, which is a new wave of polyurethane with exceedingly low VOCs, super quick dry time, and only three days to fully cure! It also does not look like plastic. I can’t stand that.
Way back in ’96, when we put in our hardwood floor in our New York townhouse, we used golden oak stain on red oak and a finish of three coats of Fabulon oil-based poly in a semi-gloss finish.
I loved it! I loved it so much I didn’t want to put the furniture back. lol
So, to escape the fumes, we went on vacation for a week and returned about one second after the floor was dry enough to tip-toe on with socks. But, we couldn’t put the furniture back for a week, and it took at least a month for the finish to cure fully.
What else about that finish? Well, it looked like a beautiful waxed finish. It was exceedingly durable and still looked gorgeous when we sold our townhouse 16 years later.
The finish DID NOT YELLOW! While some oil-based polys do yellow, ours did not. It did lighten slightly where the sun beat down on it, and it may have deepened slightly in the north-facing den where the sun never hit it.
So, here’s the latest on Fabulon.
Duraseal bought it out. And, Sherwin Williams owns Duraseal and Minwax. Duraseal does make a product that is probably like or very similar to the old Fabulon.
One thing I know for sure is I do not want to stink up the house for a week. I can’t move out again. So, I love the idea of using a low VOC poly.
But, here’s the thing. I do like flat, chalky finishes for the no-color pale and whitewash stains.
However, for medium to dark finishes, I prefer a semi-gloss finish.
Okay, here are the links from Naperville Hardwood that are super interesting.
What’s also incredible about these posts is they were originally written 11 years ago and recently updated.
This post is a review of Rubio Monocoat
The Pallmann hard wax magic oil experiment
The hard wax oil experiment and the winner!
This one is one of my favorites because of the beautiful burnished floor.
Of course, there are numerous other fantastic blog posts on their website and images, as well.
There are two more terrific companies for hard wax oil finishes, Fiddes, and Osmo.
Both are from the UK. Fiddes’ product does come in a semi-gloss finish, I believe. If any of this information is incorrect, please let me know, and I’ll fix it.
Otherwise, I told you I might have a rendering for you today. Well, I’ve been working on that, too, but I want to do one more. So, that will have to be for tomorrow’s post.
xo,
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47 Responses
I like the transformation. I am happy to see the outcome.
Hi. Young House Love Florida House. They found a floor color/sealer that didn’t change the tone of the wood. It looks natural.
Thank you SO much for this post and all your wonderful readers’ comments. I’m about to take up the main floors of a barn house project which has 4,000+ sq ft of ugly brown, orange and white marble tile floors and radiant heat under them. I used wax wood floor finishes through the 1980’s exclusively, then my floor guy retired and I switched to poly with some version of that since…Swedish the last 15+ yrs. Contractor will demo everything then install the new radiant heating. Despite everyone saying that what I wanted was a unicorn, not to be found, I have located and contracted for all reclaimed long, wide board white oak floors for this project. Had just started the research on finishes, when you wrote this blog. Wonderful info…will read and study everything posted but am leaning to returning to a lovely wax finish. Thanks again.
Laurel – A very respected wood worker, Marc Spagnuolo, better known as The Wood Whisper, did a comprehensive video review of a number of Hardwax Oils including Rubio. You can find his video on Youtube. It’s dated June 26, 2023 and titled “Step Aside, Rubio; The Game has Changed | Hardwax Oil Comparison. I think you’ll glean some good information from it.
Hi Laurel,
I just had 2500 sq feet of red oak flooring refinished. I used a company called E star flooring, here in Pennsylvania, headed by a man named Ed. T. (If you want more information I can get it to you, but he has a complicated last name.) Ed is not only interesting (with a degree in philosophy from a prominent university) but a fabulous technician, and he travels for the right job. He wants and seeks out what he calls ‘interesting jobs’. I don’t know for sure but I think yours would be in that category. He is very knowledgeable about all aspects of wood floors and will spend a great deal of time to get the job done right. He actually repaired a horribly done previous job for me–I’m not going to go into all of that here–but believe me, it was awful and I have photos to prove it. In any event, Ed recommended a German finish for my floor that is so safe it’s used on children’s toys. I needed that as I have pulmonary issues. I don’t want anything off gassing or anything toxic in my home if I can prevent it–it’s not cheap though. I chose a light stain on my floor, slightly grayed, because I can never get enough light–but after my recent cataract surgery it turns out the floor is very light. It does look really pretty but would have chosen something darker if I’d had the surgery prior to the staining. If you want me to go back through my records to find the name of the German company or you want Ed’s number I will happily provide it for you. Just message me if you want that. In the meantime, good luck with whatever you choose, I’m sure it will be beautiful in the end!
Hi Laurel,
I just used Pall X Gold Satin, Waterborne 2 component, 3 coats sanding between coats, on my floors. It is almost Zero VOC. I am allergic to all fragrance groups and some weird chemicals. Allergic as in I cannot breath. I was fine. After the 3 day period I and the moving vans showed up. The floors held up fine. I did open as many windows and doors as possible to air out. I did notice a slight smell for about a day, most did not.
I believe I made a comment about hard wax oils to you years ago and referenced the Naperville company and Tadas. I really wanted to use Rubio Monocoat. I based my selection after rereading the Naperville Flooring blog. I think the key with products like this is 1-prep and 2-someone who has worked with this product and knows what they are doing. The man I used, knew the product Rubio Monocoat, said he had used it, but I did not get the feeling that it was something that he did routinely, so I used the Pall X Gold. 2 Component finish. Floors turned out great, color was what I wanted, neutral light to medium brown. Finish is holding up well and I have a big dog.
I cannot wait to see your home when you are moved back in. It will be wonderful.
I have learned a lot about wood floors and old house repair in general from The Craftsman Blog. The website has gotten really big, but it is a great resource, especially for DIY, for window repair (one of the few that covers casement windows) or if you have to educate your contractor. His e-books are reasonable and well-done too.
the craftsman blog . com
Thanks so much, Kathy. I will look into that.
Hi Laurel. For a completely zero VOC floor varnish check out Lakeland Paints (I think available in the US as Ecos?) It has literally no smell. I wouldn’t use anything else now. (Plus, treat yourself to the video of their lovely chemist eating their paint off a spoon.) My vote for hard wax oil goes to Osmo, which is also easy for us Brits to access. It doesn’t stink like some do, its flat, I’ve treated it pretty badly and it’s been easy to clean and doesn’t bubble up or flake off. The tints are all easy on the eye and include a white, which my brother has used and raves about. For the kitchen we used the Osmo wood protector first to waterproof, and then the Polxy on top. After 6 years we’re ready to recoat the areas by the sink and hob. (But we largely don’t wear outdoor shoes in the house.) And for anyone who wants a no-nasties external wood treatment for furniture, decking or cladding (think you call it siding) Sioo is the only thing I’ve found. Again, fabulous company, great product. It binds with the wood, increasing its longevity, and it greys really quickly if that’s your thing. I’m gathering info on low off-gas building materials and hope to build a no offgas house one day.
Hi Laurel,
Sorry for not writing back….tough year….getting back on track, new projects, etc…thank you for continued inspiration and advice.
I used a Sawyer Mason hardwood structured UV matte finished wide plank. Stonewood Products has a show room in Mashpee and flagship (fabulous) is in Harwich. I used Madaket for all of my wood floors and in the master I used the Westport Chevron.
I also looked at a company called Pave out of Western MA. The couple who own it are just lovely. He’s French and she’s adorable. They have very high end, often one of a kind reclaimed materials from Europe.
I did a foyer, kitchen and other odds and ends (bar, fireplace surround) with shades of grey and white, checkerboard marble from Paris Ceramics (Boston). I reached out for a client a few months ago and was disappointed to see that pricing for the tile had nearly tripled in 3 years.
I’ll send you photos.
Hang in there! The end is in sight!
Kindest regards,
Kelly
(Lancaster, MA)
We have some uneven floors due to settling but isn’t a structural problem. Can we even have hardwood? The structural engineer sort of shrugged his shoulders…. The hard wax look is gorgeous and what I would choose if there were no major obstacles. Do you have a suggestion? I don’t want to spend a fortune on hardwood if it’s going to buckle or crack or whatever it would do. I don’t want an engineered floor either. I would rather have carpet and it look nice — vinyl🤦‍♀️
The floors in our townhouse have that yucky Swedish finish. Is there anything I can do short of replacing them for a fresher or even a more traditional look?
Dear Laurel, I didn’t put in the whole of the sieve anecdote. After you see what the cookmaid did to the rejected sieve, you wouldn’t blame Verral for rejecting it. And the idea that boiling water was ready to hand is, shall we say, unrealistic! Yes to the lightbulb moment, of course that’s where sandpaper comes from.
I will send you a JPG of the double page of Verral’s story. It’s a most unusual cookbook: Verral worked for a few years in the 1730s under the celebrated French cook Clouet, when Clouet was cook to the duke of Newcastle (both these facts verified from Newcastle’s household accounts). Clouet commanded a very high salary (but his recipes were not extravagant), and his dinners were famous throughout London society. Verral preached his methods, and the fricassee mentioned is excellent, although I think he puts in too much flour.
Hi Laurel! I am so excited to see the progress on your townhouse coming along! I am one of the non Rubio fans after trying it out. The floors were fir and over 100 years old, but the “dryness” issue that some people had was a problem for us; they just looked thirsty, old and dirty (even after 2 careful applications), not beautifully matte like I hoped. I wasn’t happy with what I read about their 2C oil(?) “fix” at the time (I see they have just released a new product overcoat to address the dry look so I wasn’t the only one). It may have been different with a harder type of wood, I don’t know. The light floors will look so lovely and flowing in your house, can’t wait to see the final product!
Sorry, I missed this part – the 2K water based polys are fully cured as soon as they are dried!
If you’re concerned, one night in a hotel is all you need!
Hi Laurel,
I do not comment often, but in this case I will. Please DO NOT use a hardwax oil! I have extreme allergies to all chemical smells. I did thorough research; my husband talked with people at Rubio BEFORE we even bought the product! We had over 2200 sq ft of maple flooring done in 2015 – it has been a nightmare. I have posted extensively on discussions on Houzz where others have also questioned their experiences – MANY negative outcomes there! I can link to those if you would like to read them.
It is just my husband and I – no dogs, just 1 indoor only cat, and we don’t even wear shoes in the house!
The look is beautiful – the upkeep is a nightmare!!
We’re currently researching a product that can go over the hardwax oil without resanding!
We’re only looking at low VOC water-based products – one is from Centurion out of Texas, but water-based has come a LONG way in the last 10 years, so there are others available – in almost any sheen you want!
(I do think Rubio is the worst of all of them, but I can not recommend hard wax oil on floors!)
I’m from Naperville. How did I not know about Naperville Hardwood?
Dear Laurel, I love your blog. We used Tadas from Naperville Hardwoods in our previous place, and I can honestly say, he is amazing and talented and just excellent. We used Pallman magic oil hard wax oil. We did a custom Duraseal dark stain with the natural magic oil on top. Yes, it smelled a bit. But we opened the windows in cold Chicago in November, ran the heat, and it was completely fine. The magic oil was terrific. Loved there for 4-5 years, with a dog, never had a problem with the floors. I cleaned them with Pallman cleaner, or plain water. Nothing else. We used a different company after taking out a wall and we needed to patch the floor and list to sell. Tadas was booked solid. Not the same quality. We used the same other floor refinisher because Tadas was booked again for our family room in our new house. Terrible. Tadas came and redid the upstairs a year ago, which looks just stunning. Duraseal dark walnut on white oak with natural magic oil. The hard wax floor doesn’t show sunlight and fading. Around rugs. And you can move your stuff in 24 hours later. Love it, highly recommend it. And be careful of who you use. The other floor refinisher was very expensive, and did a bad job, so make sure they have used the product you want A LOT! Tadas knows exactly what he is doing, and his end product shows it. The other idiot, the floor has faded in a few spots in 18 months. We will have to redo it with Tadas. Good luck!
I had Rubio Monocoat on white oak floors in my old house. I loved them. We lived with them for about 10 years and they held up well, even in the kitchen. They really did look like the wood was untreated but they were protected. The only difficulty was convincing the floor guys to use it, the process is different from the usual ploy finish. Once they had they loved it and started recommending it to other clients.
I do have personal experience with Palmann, and using it on white oak floors. Background: I went to University to study Chemistry, so I’m a bit obsessive/nerdy about what chemicals I use in my home. I’m also a wee bit on the crunchy side, so I care about not filling the home with nasty fumes. We landed on the Pallman Magic Oil 2K, and refinished the 1960s white oak in our living room. After six years of children and adults abusing it (and me hardy every cleaning it because I’m kinda lazy that way), it still looks amazing. We then had two more floors re-finished, plus we had our entryway torn up and replaced with white oak to match the existing hardwood. We had it all finished with Pallman Magic Oil. I’m thrilled with the result, and I don’t think it looks “flat,” but rather has a subtle velvety sheen. We opted to have the wood stained Special Walnut first (I think just with a low-VOC conventional stain from a big-box store), and then coated it with the “natural” finish by Pallmann–the “natural” just means it’s colorless. They do have the Magic Oil in some pre-tinted colors, but since you can put the “natural” on top of ANY stain you want (or have no stain at all), we chose that route. I’ve always had a soft spot for walnut-colored floors. Hope that helps!
The use of sand to clean floors in the 18th century is documented in household manuals of the time. Examples are: the directions given in Hannah Glasse’s The Servant’s Directory (1760), and the notebook kept by Susanna Whatman (modern edition, The Housekeeping Book of Susanna Whatman (ed. Thomas Balston, 1956; ed. Christina Hardyment, 1987) after the family moved to their new house in 1777/8, but the book contains text copied from an older book dating to 1776. Glasse and Whatman recommend turning carpets over for a few days to let the dirt fall out of them; Glasse recommends wet sand to clean the floors, while Whatman insists on not wetting the floors, but using dry sand: “All the rooms to be dry scrubbed with white sand.” The sieve detail comes from a cookery book, William Verral, A Complete System of Cookery, 1759. Verral gives a series of anecdotes in his preface about cooking for the local gentry in Sussex; in one, he asks the cookmaid for a sieve, and is given a sieve with gravel at the bottom. Asked about this, the cookmaid replies, “Rot our Sue […] she’s always taking my sieve to sand her nasty, dirty stairs.”. Verral rejects the dirty sieve and makes use of a napkin to strain his sauce!
Let me know if you’d like more, Laurel.
Hi GL,
Oh my, that’s fantastic reporting! But, lightbulb moment. That’s why we call is SANDING!!! Only we put the sand on paper to make SANDpaper! I would think wet sand gives better traction. I imagine the floors were totally smooth and velvety to the touch.
Love the story of the cook thinking a napkin was the better alternative than a sieve he was perfectly capable of making sterile by dipping it in some boiling water for a while.
The floors in my 75 year old home have become a hazard to bare feet. Splinters galore especially in the winter when the humidity is low. They are fir and, splinters aside, I have come to really like the wood. It is tougher than pine, and not as heavily grained as oak. I had wide board pine in another home which were gorgeous, but I couldn’t wear high heels in the house.
Anyone have any experience refinishing fir?
sigh, my floor debacle has entered the second stage. no need to go on about it now; however, the natural pale maple of the floors I have/had is just lovely.
I love pale wood.
While we’re on the subject of wood flooring and marble, I have a pet peeve that I need you to validate. Why, why, why do some so-called dumb blond (no offense to blonds) HGTV “designers” insist on calling Calacatta Calcutta? Should I just let it go?
Hi Francine,
I guess you missed the previous post where I said the same thing. Calcutta (now Kolkata) is a city in India and Calacatta is named after Calcata, a village in Italy, so I’m guessing it really is supposed to be Calcata, but Italians often pronounce vowels where they don’t exist, so it probably sounds like Calacatta. That would mean all of us are wrong.
As to why they do it? Americans have terrible hearing. No, really. Very rarely does anyone call me by my real name. I had a boyfriend once who introduced me to some friends as Lauren. (I should’ve broken up with him then and there.) :/
Since they have never heard of Calcata, Italy, but they have heard of Calcutta, that’s how it comes out. However, if they’re a designer (AKA: television personality) ;] on HGTV, theoretically, they should know better.
Laurel. First I love your work and have followed for years. I have purchased items you recommended and have never gone wrong. I am confused about your floor color. Somewhere in one of your blogs I read that you preferred Minnwax English chestnut. We built 3 years ago and that’s the color we used and love it. It goes great with the rugs and antiques.
Hi Mary,
Please reread the headline. lol The problem with my room is also what makes it so spectacular. It’s a good size with a sky-high ceiling, giant windows on one end and nowhere else. It’s inherently grand.
So, please understand, I have and will always love English Chestnut! It’s a beautiful floor stain. There’s no yellow undertone which I can’t stand. (forgot to say that) It’s not too red like red mahogany is, and not too dark.
So, why am I not doing it?
One reason is I’d like to try something new. Also, we are talking about two floors and 7 or 8 areas within those floors. Whatever I do, the process is going to take weeks to complete.
Could it be complete before I move back in, in eight weeks?
Welllllllllllllllllll… No floors can get finished before the damned staircase is put in. But before that happens the cabinets need to be installed, so the answer to that is a resounding NO. Or, I should say highly unlikely.
I can’t afford to move out again.
So, if we do a hard wax oil finish, there are no or very low VOCs. I can remain at home without needing a respirator. I found a new brand (new to me) that’s gorgeous, smells like slightly rancid cooking oil and is fully cured, nut just dry, but fully cured in 24 hours. Also, this product might be three steps at the most, the last being one more clear topcoat. And, is possible to get a decent sheen.
There’s more. Please stay tuned! Monday evening. :]
I’m also based in Northern Europe and concur. In the first two centuries of the 1800s soap started to be used instead of sand, and this became more widespread later in the 1800s. Linseed oil soap is a popular choice today. Those pale, silky floor planks (think a Gustavian manor) would have been treated like this, with the finish building up over time.
Linoleum floors over a wooden sub floor was also all the rage after its invention in the 1860s, and very luxurious. A tell tale sign is usually that the wooden floor is of slightly lower quality and laid down with slight gaps (I see these floors a lot in my city, but they were never intended to be visible).
Hi Amanda,
I do know about linseed oil, but didn’t realize they used a soap. I did know about sand. Very interesting! I need to do more research. One thing I forgot to mention is that in Victorian times, at least in Boston, they mostly covered up the hardwood floors with wall-to-wall carpeting (!!!), so they didn’t bother doing anything fancy with the floor. In fact, if my facts are correct, I believe they sometimes just did the sub floor and put the carpeting over that.
This might have been the case with the kitchen area because there was no finish floor under the tile. That was the former reception area between the front parlor and formal dining room.
Sometimes I try to imagine the original owners of the home living there. First of all, I’m sure they would be horrified to see what had been done to their home 100 years after it was built, and would laugh themselves silly to know that someone was sleeping in the kitchen! (the original kitchen)
Hi Laurel. I’m also a fan of the Bona system. Last year when I remodeled my kitchen, we refinished the hardwoods on the entire first floor. I have red oak flooring and also wanted to eliminate any pink or orange tones.
I chose Classic seal over the Nordic. Classic is more clear and doesn’t have the milky tones. We finished it with Bona High Traffic poly. I had sample stain done in several rooms and also made sure to check and see how the colors changed with my cabinets. I have medium-stained cherry base and pale gray talls, walls, and bases in the nook.
By itself, the milky Nordic looked fine. But with my gray cabinet doors propped up to mimic the cabinet, it didn’t work at all. So whichever stains you sample, since you have actual cabinets, see if you can put one of the floor mimicking how it will be in real life. You might be surprised what happens to both the looks of the Nordic floor and your cabinet!
Best of luck!
Hi Anne,
YES! One must always do samples. It can be on a sample piece to begin with, but it should also be done on the floor and with all finishes applied. Even then, I have found over the years, no matter how much sampling is done, and depending on the products and techniques, hardwood floor stains are a bit of a crapshoot. I should’ve linked to my main hardwood floor post that gives a good overview and also has lots of great comments.
By the way, whatever stain I’m doing in the living room is not going next to the cabinets. I’m doing a painted or stained checkerboard floor. That’s a separate post I’m looking forward to producing. I made my life and my contractor’s life easier in some respects and more difficult in others. However, a painted finish gives me a lot more flexibility, and in the meantime, we got the floor in because that had to get done before anything else.
Hopefully, the rough inspections are happening this week and then the kitchen cabinets will go in. The fridge, sink, faucet and fridge are there and the range is on its way. I have to take care of the dishwasher this week. So, it definitely looks like I’ll have a kitchen when I move back in, in exactly eight weeks.
I like wide planks and anything that resembles Gustavian, I’m all for it.
Hi Susie,
Me too! I also love the Parisian floors! They tend to be light to medium in color.
Hi Laurel,
I will admit that I was a bit surprised when you stated your checkerboard floors will be painted as opposed to tiled. I just assumed they would be tiled. I can’t wait to see how they end up looking.
The idea of no grout does appeal to me.
Hi Mary,
I just needed to have a floor and I thought it would be fun to do a painted floor. Painted floors were not uncommon in Victorian times. The other thing is, the marble floor felt a little too formal for me and also, it’s bloody unforgiving, for clumsy me and tiresome to stand on if making a holiday meal. So, wood it is!
Hi Laurel, I researched extensively before I refinished red oak floors. What Margaret says about Bona is true. Both the NordicSeal and NaturalSeal have white pigment in them to erase or eliminate pink tones (these are sealers, not stains). It works! I found that the NaturalSeal has enough white pigment to do the job without lightening the floors. The results with NordicSeal on red oak are just as beautiful but the result is slightly lighter (not Scandanavian light though). Two coats of the sealer with white pigment are required to remove pink tones. I was worried the matte Traffic protector coat would be too matte but it feels like satin. There is a famous designer who used this “formula” on her floors after going through her own research and experimentation.
Hi Lauren,
The new wood is white oak and the old floor most likely is too. The orange-ish tone is most likely from whatever stain was used, and poly. It looks like a satin oil-based poly.
Hi Laurel,
I found a person to sand stain finish my floors that had been trained by an old world European tradesman. The knowledge he had was vast.
I like wood but didn’t want the patina chestnut trim with floor so dark I’d feel like I was inside a coffin. 1903 Arts & Crafts house.
The white oak floors are actually now slightly lighter than the floor but nobody has noticed.
To make the floors look old rather than newly done, he added green to the stain!
We did a number of tests and I’ll tell you, that green made a difference.
I get that you want something different than I have. But stains can be mixed- you aren’t limited to just “out of the can”.
For the kitchen floor, I had used 250 yr old white oak. The stain I wanted was “between” two stain colours so I just mixed them 50-50 and went to it. It’s perfect for me.
Best!
Hi N,
Great information. Yes, absolutely, stains can be mixed. Perhaps you don’t realize but I’ve been working in this business since 1991 and helped dozens of clients with their hardwood floors. Like I said, I can tell someone else what to do. lol
I love the idea of adding a green tint to counteract the red. Rubio Monocoat also has a system of pre-stains I think they call them to antique, and change the color, etc.
23(!) years ago I had a client and we wanted super light off-white floors to complement the marble in her entry. But, there’s nothing worse than pickled pink. Her oak was definitely red oak. So, what we did was make a stain out of a Benjamin Moore off-white with a slight green undertone. I don’t remember which one, but I know French Canvas is in that family.
It’s been so long. I don’t recall if the guy bleached the floors or not. It is probably better if they are before applying the stain.
Well, it turned out gorgeous, with no red, but wasn’t green, either. You could still see a bit of the wood grain showing through, just enough so it didn’t look like a flat painted floor. He sealed with two coats of clear water-based satin poly.
Another vote for Bona but matte water-based finish. It’s beautiful, and won’t yellow like many polys.
Just a historical reminder that in the 18th century (at least in England), wooden floors were constantly sanded, as the cleaning method was to sieve damp sand over them and then scrub with a brush to remove dirt and marks before sweeping up all the débris. The result was pale-coloured floors that stayed pale.
Hi GL,
I’ve not heard of sieve damp sand. I get sanding a damp wood floor, but how does it work with a sieve? If you see this. It sounds very interesting. But gosh, everything has to get moved out of the room(s) being worked on. Quel drag! (although, well-off folks wouldn’t be doing the work) Do you happen to know if there are any museums where this technique has been reproduced and there might be photos of it? I’m going to google that.
Hi Laurel,
After seeing the Gerald Bland floors, your living room floors, and others similar examples on your blog, I used Rubio monocoat cotton and absolutely love it. Rubio also do other colors and you might find your black and white for the checkerboard.
Best wishes on your renovation! I love your blog,
Terese Mitchell
Hi Terese,
Yes, I was thinking it could definitely be a stain instead of a paint for the checkerboard. I don’t want a completely flat finish, and I don’t want too stark a contrast. An off-white still appears to be white when on the floor and anything dark always looks darker than it is. However, I’m planning on doing 18″ or 20″ squares. I’ll have to plan it out and see which size looks best.
Hi Laurel, it looks like your floor may be red oak, which means it has so many colors in it. For a really light oak floor-no pink-consider Bona Nordic stain, which helps with the pink. Finish with Bona High Traffic poly. This is a non-oil stain, so your floors won’t turn amber over time. You’ve got to be vigilant about oil vs. non-oil products. The oil in the stain or finish turns an orange color, whereas a water based stain or poly does not. There is a FB group called Ask a Cabinetmaker that is so informative about colors and stains, you could join it.
Hi Margaret,
The new floor is definitely white oak, (or at least that’s what I ordered) and the old floor probably is, too as that was more commonly used back then. I think it looks reddish because of the stain, poly and time.