This is a two-part post about all of the issues with had with our white oak floors that are on the lower level. If you’ve read part 1 and woujld like to skp it, then, please click the link below which will take you to part 2. If you’re here for the first time, please start the post from the top of the page. There’s a lot of great information here and that includes all of the wonderful comments you guys left!
Part 2 Begins Here
(Part 1 begins below)
Hi Everyone,
Well, the white oak floors are proving to be quite obnoxious, as is our weather. We are flirting with 100 degrees today in Boston. After the most delightful June weather I’ve ever experienced, we’ve been socked with super high temps, high humidity, and thick air. And with all of the bricks, it’s like one gigantic brick oven.
Okay, this post is about the white oak floors downstairs. The original bedroom floors are white oak, not red oak, as previously thought.
However, before we get into the white oak floor issues, thank you for your terrific input the other day regarding the bathroom floor tile design.
I have made my decision. Before I tell you, I must apologize for my eccentric numbering system. lol The first example, the original design, had no number. So, some of you who preferred #1 might’ve referred to the original design, not the example with the #1.
While I, too, love that design, I had to let it go because it’s too much with everything else.
Anyway, I am going with the final rendering, #3, because less is more, and it doesn’t lock me in if I want to do a small area rug. Plus, I have a lot of the 3×12 Dolomite tile left over.
While the Dolomite coordinates pretty well with the Thassos, I found a 1″ Dolomite hexagon with the same thickness as the border. I also found a black 5/8″ Nero Marquina square mosaic for the border. That one’s missing, and you’re still looking at the Thassos hexagon tile.
I will order all the tiles tomorrow and hope to install the new bathroom floor before the month’s end. Hooray! Yes, the shower tile is different, but it’s barely visible and still has a lot of white in it. The Dolomite is already on the shower walls. Plus, there’s Carrara on the shower and WC door jams. I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, I can always change the shower floor tile down the road.
Alright, it’s time to visit our “problem child.”
It’s the white oak hardwood floors.
Who knew? I mean, who knew that was a problem? Everyone is always complaining about the red in the red oak.
Well, I learned recently that white oak is a misnomer if ever there was one. It is anything but white. In fact, it is nearly as pink as red oak and usually a fair amount darker. However, that darkness results from the heavy dose of tannins inside the wood fibers. Red oak, while redder has far fewer tannins to leak through a white stain.
In the image above, the border is red oak, and the rest of the floor is white oak. To be clear, this is the old bedroom floor, newly sanded.
Those tannins get released when certain chemicals hit the surface. This doesn’t happen with typical floor stains, but it happens when trying to get a translucent white floor.
Oh, we tried everything.
But, before we go on. Some of you suggested Rubio Monocoat and using a pre-color easy as a base. We could’ve done that if not for the Harlequin floor. The monocoat is a hard wax oil and we need to stencil over it. So, that is almost definitely going to be problematic.
Still, Gary Dessert, the owner of Sequoia Floors, has had a good experience using the pre-color and then either Bona Nordic Seal or Bona White Stain over it. However, these are both too dark, with pinkish tones coming through, giving it a muddy look.
We also tried bleach.
Ahhh, yes, just bleach it, Laurel.
Nope, like I always say, there is no just; well, not with white oak floors. If you want to see green tannins come pouring out of white oak wood grain, just hit it with floor bleach.
Gary warned me about bleaching white oak, saying it would turn the wood GREEN. He was correct; however, Chris said vinegar could neutralize it.
The bleach was Chris’ experiment. Look at what happened when he first poured it on.
It took two heavy rounds of bleach, followed by a vinegar bath. However, the lighter boards were practically white, and the darker boards were an ashy gray color. Because of this, it would mean a coat of white sealer and a coat of white stain, followed by two coats of poly.
This doesn’t include the intermediate sanding steps. However, there are four extra steps than one typically has when staining wood.
In the top strip, I believe he used Bona Nordic Seal or Bona White stain. That’s not bad, but the other thing about this wood is the variation in the boards. The darker boards have more tannin, and that’s a problem child on steroids.
In addition, white oak flooring still has an inherent unpredictability.
Some of the boards have more tannins than others. We experimented for seven days, including last weekend, with Gary and Chris, the painter. I added some coats on Sunday to allow adequate dry time.
The color we used for our experiments is an off-white with a slight green undertone, White Wisp.
You can see it above.
Chris did further experiments with diluting the paint with an extender. Well, that turned the wood either greenish or blueish.
The lower left shows the white oak after the double bleach had dried.
Okay, I am sure I have put y’all to sleep by now. So, let me conclude.
Without bleach, it’s impossible, and even with bleach, it’s risky– and super expensive. It’s not worth it. Chris and Gary came by on Saturday, and a few hours later, my assignment was to put on a layer of Bona Nordic Seal, a sealer with a white tint. Well, that product pulled off the paint!
So, I went to sleep Sunday night, but not before sending Gary and Chris an email telling them I wanted dark floors, like super dark floors.
However, I realized when I woke up that I sounded like I was drunk dialing.
This is why I don’t drink. It’s redundant. haha
I adore super dark floors—at night. However, in a large room, during the day, not so much unless it’s a dark room overall. But that’s not what I have. My bedroom is light and bright during the day.
No, I want a white or off-white floor. But not a blue floor.
So, Laurel, you tried to get a white floor, and it failed, but you still want to have a white floor. I’m not following, Laurel.
We were trying to create a white wood floor that still exposed a touch of the wood grain. However, the fallback solution is to do a solid white floor with a polyurethane topcoat.
This is the Albert Hadley look I’ve often shared on the blog.
And, below, the same room. Would you believe this room was done in 1972?
For more rooms like these, please check out one of my classic posts featuring many white floors, many of which are painted.
Its sister post is Should You Embrace the Dark Side of Wood Floors?
So, tomorrow, Gary is coming and he and his crew will put down a coat of primer.
Do you mean you’re covering that expensive white oak with paint?
It wasn’t expensive, and please stop the neggy chitchat. Thank you. :] Most of the white oak came with the house. In the 19th c and earlier, bedroom floors were typically painted.
It’s fine if you’re not a fan of painted hardwood floors, but many people love the look of them. So, please don’t kill our joy.
On Monday morning, Chris came by and sanded the samples on the floor. He also sanded the bleached section above, and it looks like he added another translucent coat of white on the bottom left strip. That’s gorgeous, but it’s a tremendous amount of work, is the problem.
The final experiment was where you see the yellow tape.
We gave Rubio Monocoat pre-color easy in white another go. We let it bake in the sun to get it dry enough. Then, around 4:30, he added the Bona White Stain.Seven hours later, I put on a coat of Bona poly.
Now, can you understand why I went mental and said I wanted super dark floors?
I kept thinking about my Gustavian-style bookcase and how gorgeous it would look against a super-dark floor.
Okay, please cross your fingers that all goes well tomorrow. We need to finish the lower-level floors by the end of the month so I can move back into my bedroom. Chris can hold off on his stenciling until later. More about that in a future post!
There will be an update on Thursday and I also can’t wait to show you what the painters have been doing.
Oh okay… One photo.
Look at the number they are doing on my historic trim! This was my dream!
xo,
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
July 19, 2024
Hi Everyone,
Thank you for all the terrific comments regarding solutions for creating a white-painted floor.
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have wasted the time we did. Every product you guys mentioned I already know about. Gosh, I better. Between all the posts about hardwood floor finishes over the years, plus my research, I’ve learned a tremendous amount.
Many of you mentioned brands that make hard wax oil finishes such as Rubio Monocoat, Pallmann and Loba. However, much of the white floor will be stenciled later, and a hard wax oil could create adhesion issues with our black diamonds.
In addition, based on the comments, some of you didn’t realize we were having issues with the wood being both pink AND green when the chemicals caused the tannins to rush to the surface, thus staining the stain green.
True, I wanted to see a bit of the wood grain and then have a chalky, matte finish, ala Frank Babb Randolph (below)
However, I also love a solid white floor with a satin finish. So, our only option was to seal the floor with a good primer made for this purpose.
Yesterday, around midday, Gary Dessert of Sequoia Wood Floors came over to prime the floors. A few hours after he left, (with permission) I was sitting on the newly primed floor to select a floor color. I realized it was a waste of my good time to select this color until the primer went on.
The primer turned the floor a pale gray BLUE! It’s not a terrible color, but I want to see more warmth. So, that ruled out a couple of colors I was considering.
Unfortunately, Gary won’t be able to return until tomorrow, (which is now today) ;] when he will apply the only finish coat of white paint.
Then, early Monday morning, he will return to put on one coat of Bona satin Traffic HD water-based-two-component poly.
He’ll be able to recoat it with a second coat later in the day.
On Tuesday, we are giving the floor a chance to harden up. It will not be fully cured until three days later. However, after one day, it will be 80% cured, and it is fine to walk on it in socks after 24 hours. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of waiting until Friday to move my stuff downstairs.
However, a breathable paper meant to be laid over a newly polyed floor will be laid down and attached to the baseboard, not the floor.
Okay, that’s all for today.
Wait, Laurel! Aren’t you going to show us the primed floor?
Oh yeah, I took some pics. However, we have primed walls and a primed floor. My mommy would’ve called that a marshmallow in the snow. However, I adore white on white. Remember this post about Charlotte Anne Fidler’s most charming English country home?
There are too many designers to count who’ve done white-painted floors, but here’s a short list off the top of my head.
Darryl Carter
William McLure
Albert Hadley
Frank Babb Randolph
Furlow Gatewood
Bunny Williams
Vicente Wolf
Okay, let’s examine the primed floors and some other photos from this past week.
Cale bussed into town for a day on his way to Europe.
We met for a hotpot in Chinatown.
My boy sure knows how to live.
I admire that, but I couldn’t live his lifestyle, and he couldn’t live mine, either. But, we sure do have fun together when he visits. By the way, those are natural highlights. Cale is a natural blond! But, it goes dark when he’s not in the sun. When he was a baby, if you can imagine, he had the most beautiful golden blond curls. Strangers would stop in their tracks to coo all over my beautiful baby “girl’s” beautiful spun silk yellow curls.
hahaha
The biceps are from his jobs in construction out in western Mass. And yes, he’s currently single.
It was only a 22-hour visit, but we did a lot. One was an errand to return the offset pivot hinges I purchased from Cook & Boardman. They were about 1200 bucks; luckily, there was no restocking fee. Still, it was an ordeal, (for me, it is!) and it was 95 degrees outside.
As we melted down Boylston Street, Cale started laughing uproariously. “Look at that sign, Mom!”
Hilarious!
Meanwhile, back at the condo…
Aside from the floor drama, the Brazilian painters have been here every day since the last week in June. This week they quietly took the living room by storm!
That’s the den door! It was such a mess with copious amounts of peeling paint. I love this image of the painters doing their thing.
Sergio is busy sanding the den door.
The same den door, the next day.
Some misguided soul had painted over numerous coats of varnish on the old oak or walnut door.
This is the door taken yesterday. Today, it’s even better. And yes, it’s upside down.
This is one of 14 rosette plinth blocks that adorn the door and window casings in the living room, entry, kitchen, and vestibule.
Now, I have a treat for you. Remember this post about gloppy paint written shortly after I knew I was buying this place?
This is the same rosette!!! The trim will still look old, but it will look like it’s been old and well-maintained.
No more virtual spackle. This is the real thing.
Let’s compare the real spackle with the earlier doctored images.
Before the moulding, of course, but with virtual spackle applied by me.
This one has a virtual mural, floor, and paint.
Laurel, why are you torturing us? The floor, remember?
Why, whatever do you mean? ;]
Okay, standing in the bathroom entry minutes before, the white oak floors were primed for paint. I bid farewell to Gary and went back upstairs.
However, I couldn’t resist going back down about an hour later, as I knew he had to do a quick sand and vacuum, first.
My timing was perfect.
Of course, I only stood at the door long enough to snap a pic and leave Gary to do his work in peace.
Three hours later, I came back down. The floor was dry, so I set about finding the perfect paint color for the floors. I also opened the door a crack to let the fumes out. Even though this was low VOC, it was still pretty pungent.
Here I am in the middle of the bedroom. It is so light and airy. I love it. And yes, I have decided on the floor color.
It looks fantastic with the tile that’s on order, and it looks terrific under natural and the horrid LED lights which I can’t wait to see gone.
And tomorrow, the one and only coat of white paint will be applied and left to dry all weekend. Monday will be two coats of poly and then, except for the stencil, the lower level floors will be done. When things have settled way down, Chris will come back and do the stencil. After he tapes, he’ll have to abrade the poly. Then, after it’s all done, he’ll most likely repoly the area where the harlequin pattern is going.
Um, Laurel, for the love of God, what shade of white paint did you pick out?
One of them. ;]
To be continued…
Thank you again for your much-needed support. It’s exceedingly helpful. However, I do have my moments and I.am.pooped!
xo,
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The Perfect White Bedroom Paint Color
Laurel’s Home Renovation 2024 – News & Deets!
The First Renovation Tour Of The Upstairs Living Areas! (Parts 1 & 2)
Hardwood Floor and Primary Bathroom Update!
14 month Renoversary! and I’m Back In My Bedroom!
The Renovation Construction Ending Soon & The Painter Is Fired!
Did the Oil-Based Polyurethane Work Out? + Fume Mitigation!
55 Responses
I adore painted floors and can’t wait to see the end results!
Could you explain why your floor guy is putting poly on the white floor that will have to be abraded to add the black harlequin pattern and then adding more poly? It would seem more efficient to put the black directly on the white paint and poly the whole floor. Is it a timing issue, that you need to use the floor before there is time to do the stencilling?
Laurel, the breadth and depth of your blog is so inspiring! And I love your candid voice. I have just started trying to create blog posts and man is it a lot of work! Thank you for all you put in.
Good luck with the floors!
Yay, Laurel! It’s all coming together and looking awesome! That last rendering with the green walls, etc is swoon-worthy to say the least. I’m looking forward to hearing about your white paint color for the floor! P.S. So happy to hear about how much fun you and Cale have; that’s just the best. AND, it’s great to see a pic of you near the end of the post. You are so lovely and you look happy :]
Laurel, your painters are fantastic! Am eager to see the posted results when they are done. Given what you went through with the previous contractor, my guess is you are more than thrilled with what you are seeing each day. The finish line is in sight!
Hi Laurel,
Painting the floors is a great idea. Your bedroom is going to be so bright & sunny! I love it.
Maybe after things have settled down you could do a blog post on how you pick a white paint color that works with the surrounding walls. Especially if the walls are also white.
It’s great to see Cale again. And his muscles. 😂 Thanks for the eye candy.
I adore white painted floors. I can’t have them now, but someday:) I can’t wait to see the color you choose.
Hi Laurel!
You are doing a great job – hang in there girl! Your painted floors will be so beautiful.
P.S., and BTW, Did you happen to see photos/video of Kate Rheinstein Brodsky’s house in the Hamptons. Not super traditional but so drool-worthy, especially the floors in her bedroom. (Oh, and all that green! Yum.) Also gorgeous are Bunny Williams’ bedroom floors in her new NYC apartment. You’re in good company for sure! xox
Laurel, I know I’m late to the party, but have you tried oxalic acid for bleaching the red out? I’ve not used it on wood, but it’s an old, old remedy for getting the red out. Mostly for red staIn when refinishing furniture, but it may be your salvation. Many people are scared away by the ‘acid’ but it’s not dangerous, you can put your bare hand in it. It comes in a powder form that you mix with water to the desired strength. I got mine at a rock shop. It’s used to bleach and clean the red clay from rock crystal clusters. I hope this is helpful.
Whatever you end up with. I’m sure it will be worth the struggle. Hold on tight to your dream.
Hi Jill,
Yes, it’s in the post. We used floor bleach as a test. I’m assuming that’s what oxalic acid is. There’s no odor, it’s a peroxide based. However, it’s a labor-intensive process and would be very expensive to do an entire floor. Plus, white oak has so much tannin in it, that it’s still problematic.
White wash floors. Use 2 coats. 50 50
Hi Marian,
50 50 what? Anyway, I probably didn’t make it clear. I don’t want white wash. I want white floors. However, as I tried to convey in the post, putting additives in the paint causes problems with the tannins in the wood.
I lean towards the dark floors because floors ground the room. Those white floors are looking pretty good though ….. risky but could be really special…. Good luck.! It’s going to be lovely.
Just paint the floors! Very William McClure, it will be perfection!
Painted floors will be beautiful, Laurel! Great choice for the bathroom floor too. Hang in there!
Wow! I never would have guessed that there would be so much hassle trying to get the floor finished in the way that you wanted. Like others, I’m impressed by your perseverance! Here’s the thing: I never have to worry that something you’re going to do in your reno will look bad, because literally everything that you have done is so fabulous! I just know that whatever you choose to do will be lovely :]
Should have added to my previous post, I absolutely love a painted floor.
Probably too late but wondering if your floor guys are familiar with CIRANOVA product, PINK BLOCKER 2C. I have had this used on oak floors before to reduce the red. It’s not cheap so it was not mentioned to me, I found it on my own and asked why I hadn’t been offered this product. I was told it wasn’t mentioned sometimes as most people don’t want to pay for it. However, I was already using Pallmann Gold, a low VOC, for the finish which is pricier option.
Hi Christine,
Unfortunately, the pink blocker won’t work on white oak, only red oak. I do know of the terrific Pallmann products, both their low VOC super quick drying AND curing poly and their spectacular hard was oil finish. Alas, my flooring contractor is not familiar with Pallmann and is happy with the results he gets from Bona.
I learned about the Pallmann products through the Naperville hardwood floors website. They have an amazing and very helpful blog. I’ve shared this information in a few posts.
Four years ago I followed William McClure’s directions for painting a floor and changed our bedroom from a medium brown stain to a creamy white paint. That first few minutes of rolling paint onto perfectly good hardwood was a little stressful! Once the paint cured and everything was loaded back into the room we immediately loved it and haven’t looked back. Reflects light and the room seems more open. No chips or scratches after years of heavy use including two large dogs. Dust seems to collect next to the trim which makes it easy to find and clean. We put down a sisal rug and used neutral fabrics, but a white floor goes with everything! Looking forward to seeing how your expert floor guy finishes your room with a checkerboard pattern. Definitely eyeing this process for a future project in our home. Love how you help us learn to pivot while still achieving your overall goal. Your finish date is right around the corner!
The bottom left bleached. My dream look.
I realize I am a little late to offer a suggestion, but have your floor finishers tried a pigmented lacquer? This was done on my cabinets in the 80s because I wanted to see the grain of the wood, but wanted them to be the same color as my walls. It took a while to find someone to listen because everyone was pushing the “pickled” finish. I have never regretted my perseverance and
I still love the finish to this day.
Lauren,
Your renovations are impeccable. After looking at all the pictures, my opinion is painting the wood floors a solid color takes away its true beauty. Almost cheapens the look as a coverup for bad wood which is not the case here. I would leave it natural with several coats of clear poly or just a very light stain and focus on any rugs you may have in mind. No matter what.. your home is beautiful!!!
You are quite a trooper to go through all of this in quest of a jaw-dropping home.
“birth pangs” Informal. the hardships and difficulties accompanying a major innovation, change, or new venture
But well worth it when your restoration becomes a show-stopper!
Stay cool!
I work at a design build and we have had a lot of success with a product called Loba!
https://www.loba.de/us_en/products
Rep is super knowledgeable, James.Toal@loba-wakol.com
We have run into same problems and this product worked amazingly. Better than any of the other products and with the additive you can get the color you desire.
Loba 2k invisibleProtect A.T., LO-FI-238 with whitener additive, LO-FI-294
Good luck!
It takes a lot of strength to stick to a vision despite the setbacks. Stick to your guns girlfriend! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your dream white floor. In my 1911 home in Victoria, the original floors were fir. You cannot stain 100 year old fir. I tried everything. The best was a wash made from vinegar and fine steel wool. That created a bleached grey, exactly like driftwood. But my house was not beachy and the look was wrong. Before we sanded, I found two painted floors under old carpet. So, I painted them again. Black (BM Onyx). Loved it! PS I’m glad you fixed the bathroom floor and I like the more simple design with just the border since there’s a lot of lovely detail everywhere else. Simple is elegant. Those painters were a find! Lovely prep work.
In my 1884 cottage we used a thin coat of B/M Porch Floor enamel on our old wood interior floors. They have held up with heavy use for 24 years and look appropriate for a vintage cottage. In the bathrooms we painted the 1970’s vinyl flooring with full strength B/M Porch Floor enamel and they have also held up.
Hi Laurel, the last picture of the wood trim getting the care it deserves made me wonder whether you want/can remove the iron bars outside your windows. After all, you don’t even need them for the window A/C unit they seem to be designed for. You’ve talked about redoing the iron scrolls on the door downstairs to better suit your taste, so I was wondering if you have plans for those bars upstairs. (Not that you need other headaches 😉 )
Whoa, do I feel you on this, babe (sorry, that was a little familiar)!
We installed a white oak floor with a Nordic wash finish and love it. But our staircase was builder grade chorange… so we spent a couple months, stripping, bleaching, vinegaring, sanding, scraping, and everything else-ing.
All the original red Oak on the stairs is now oakish pink… We hope to give the Bona Nordic seal a try but may eventually just paint the treads and rails black.
I know the devil is often in the details and your reno has plenty of gorgeous deets to spare. The only advice I would give you on your floor is something my husband‘s been saying throughout our entire ongoing renovation: “Don’t let Perfect get in the way of Great.”
I can minutia anything to death.
Laurel,
First off your home is going to be GORGEOUS. Secondly, I LOVE the white painted floors, I think it will look so good with your design! It’s probably what Furlow would have done! (WWFD 😉)
Laurel, I guess I am confused. The white oak after sanding looks lovely, light and soft in the pics you posted. Would treating them with a satin clear coat not work? I like painted floors but am not a fan of the how all the dust and dirt shows. Also the little vacuum robots have a tendency to scratch as they pick up things in their bristles. Do not mean to be negative – just like how your sanded floors look now.
Laurel, it’s always been funny to me how often your renovation challenges of recent years have mirrored something I’m doing. While it is true I am not renovating a beautiful patrician Boston rowhouse, we’ve been renovating historic properties of modest proportions for the past few years.
These past few weeks, you are dealing with exactly what I’ve already dealt with, tile pattern in a bathroom. My tile layer, DH, painstakingly put together a pretty and simple blue on white porcelain hexagon tile.
And now you’ve got white oak floor challenges.
We put top grade white oak throughout our 1940 bungalow and did not staiin it. First, I hated that but now I like it. we kept one room, the living room, that had an old floor that had developed a lovely brown patina, but we stripped it. I regretted the removal of the patina, but now I like the freshness of the new looking wood.
Anyway, my question is: why do you need to stain these floors at all? Something to consider.
Hi Kim,
lol – I’m afraid you don’t know me very well. I’ve been obsessing over every detail for nearly four years.
I’m not a fan of lots of wood grain and widely varying differences in the boards. Putting poly on without a stain is only going to accentuate what I don’t like.
Yes Laurel, I was completely confused with the numbering system and looking at all those whites on the floorboards reminds me of a girlfriend, newly married bought a California Bungalow House and painted their bedroom floor. She first sanded the floor and then stencilled her floor and it looked beautiful…. I love paint stripped off old floorboards, windowsills, bookcases and my project a cane mirror stand which I look at wondering how I’m going to get all the white paint off it.
In 2013 and in 2016 Remodelista posted articles on whitewashed Scandi floors, by Izabella Simmons, mentioning designer Betsy Brown recipe for all woods (!). Maybe your floor guys can look at that recipe and see if that will give further info for your cause 🤞👍.
Hi Juanita,
Thank you. I took a look at this and am disappointed at best. It is not the entire picture and they’re using a lot of cancer-causing substances. We truly left no viable stone left unturned.
The painted floors will be beautiful and timeless. If they’ll fill you with feel sheer delight every time you look at them, that’s all that matters. You’ve always wanted them, so it looks like it was meant to be.
Intermediate sandings are faster (not such big deals). Don’t rush this decision!!!! In the scheme of calendars, what’s another week or two?
Hi Camilla,
Like I just said, I’ve been obsessing over this decision for nearly four years. No worries. This is the best option for me and I know it will be beautiful.
That square wooden tile with the bending tree relief is gorgeous. You should incorporate that throughout the house.
Hi Beth,
That is a piece of 143-year-old hand-carved wood. There are 14 of them on all of the door and window casings in the living room.
Hi Laurel,
I wish one of the owners of the floors you’ve drooled over would reach out to you & share the secret to their success.
Hi Mary,
Well, if they even know how it was done. haha The problem is I’m doing two painted finishes in a tiny space and they have to work together, AND work with the bathroom that’s going to have a tile floor. That was one of the driving forces for keeping the bathroom with wood. However, after living with male construction workers (during the day, that is) for over a year, I know that tile is a wise choice. ;]
Intermediate sandings are faster (not such big deals). Don’t rush this decision!!!!
It may be too late but a brand called fusion has a stain and finishing oil you can use on floors in white. I’ve used their ebony sfo on all the doors and furniture in my home and I really like the product. They just added a few new colors to the range as well. It’s worth a try I think!
Hi Shaleen,
We can’t use any oil products because we are stenciling later and it could cause problems. Otherwise, Rubio Monocoat is also a good one. There are several on the market which are just starting to get a bit of traction here in the US.
I think a a brown stained floor will be the best choice.
Okay, I’ll do brown then. lol
Well I learned something new about my floor, too, thank you! I got wide and long board white oak about 7 years ago, and it seems so red to me now, I wondered if they gave me red oak instead. Now it makes sense. Tannins! They are the bane of white painted cabinets- make sure they block the tannin bleed with shellac!!!
If you were my friend, instead of a stranger whom I greatly admire, I would say, “12 hours ago you were about to stain the whole thing espresso-dark. Maybe give it another 24 before you start painting!”
You’ve worked so hard to achieve this Gustavian vision. I know you’ve tried everything, but in another post years ago, you theorized that adding a slight green tint to your poly might correct an underlying pinkness in stained wood. Have you tried that?
Hi LMLM,
The only problem is the white oak is both pink AND green. The green is what comes through when the tannin is released. The pink is its natural color. At least downstairs, it is.
As always, you have come to the best solution that will also look and function beautifully for time to come. I’m amazed at your vision and tenacity through this project and details.
Dark floors are gorgeous!
…and they need swept DAILY or else they look like a dusty mess.
Hi Elena,
I’m living with espresso floors in my borrowed apartment and after 9 days, they look fine. I do need to vacuum, but I don’t see any dust.
I vacillated for 6 yrs over what stain for wood floors. I picked my original choice, white birch. It’s what I wanted in the first place.