What is best for floor boards

[Iceni]

Help pls

The time has finally arrived when I must DO something with our pale and insipid fairly new pine floor.But should I paint, stain, wax, varnish or all or none of these. Preferred colour dark. This is in our 1 liveable room so gets traffic all the time though usually just us 2.

TIA

John

 

[zeb]

Di - we used the Black Bison wax and tint (cire et teint) (small tins I'm afraid from Mr Bricolage). I think it was medium oak - chene fonce or chene moyen (used one of them for the beams). Was hard work - do it by hand (with a sqeegey spongy in one direction) not machine as that gouged out chunks - but the end result looks really good - three coats I think and then a bit of polishing ( not slippery). Also did skirting boards (you can pratice on them first!)

People who visited last week said "oooh, you've used real parquet" I took that to be a compliment as they had spent loads of money per square metre on fake parquet!! Our pine was around 11 euros per sq mtr but the wax and tint (and hard labour) brought the price up a bit!! Looks like real chestnut!!!

Very easy to clean - but not sure how it would stand up to lots of traffic as ours is upstairs.

regards.............helen

PS wasn't it you that said NEVER USE WAX!! LOL I forgive you!

[Dick Smith]

We varnished ours - old boards in France new boards/sanded boards in UK. The French boards look ace, and as we aren't permanent residents they are much lower maintenance (waxed surfaces need waxing every visit, we find).

Don't sand too fine (unless you enjoy visits to A&E). We used one of the Ronseal products, I think it was the Diamond Hard Floor Varnish, satin, available in several tints.

[Punch]

We've just completed a whole upstairs of a house using pine tongue and groove flooring and the client wanted it kept light. The biggest problem is that any stain or mark will be sealed in for good so you have to protect the floor and keep it clean. We lightly sanded it, vaccumed it and wiped it over very lightly with white spirit.

Pine markes very easily so it needs a very hardwearing finish. We used a "vernis vitrificateur" which is a purpose made hard varnish for wooden flooring, available in most outlets. You can either stain the floor to the desired color and then apply a clear vernis, or use a ready tinted vernis vitrificateur.

Paul

 

[Iceni]

Thanks for all yr advice - this is the best bit of LF (along with commenting on the chestal areas of TV presenters of course)

Helen - I don't remember saying NO WAX but that may have been le chef.

Punch - this seems to be the solution for us (and thanks for the translation into French) particularly the ready tinted bit. I admit to being very confused by the myriad variations on a theme on the shelves in the bricos.

John