WOODEN FLOOR COLOURING

How to Colour your Wooden Floor

Colouring a floor after stripping or sanding can add a wonderful depth and warmth to the wood.

However, be warned, colouring a sanded floor is not as easy as it might sound. Any imperfections in sanding will show up on colour application.

Colouring Your Wooden Floor, Choosing Product

Deciding what product to colour your wooden floor with is a key to getting a good result. There are different products with different techniques for application.

First, decide what you are going to seal the wood with since different colours have different effects on different top seals.

We are recommending a professional colouring system which works and is (relatively) idiot proof!

• Polyurethane Seals: we recommend Morrells spirit based colour
  Deep, even penetration, relatively simple to apply.
  
• Wax Oils: we recommend Osmo translucent wax colour.
  Tend to give a wash effect, not so easy to apply.
  

We recommend choosing a good quality spirit based stain. These stains offer good penetration and even coverage. They don’t tend to dry out too quickly which can result in patchiness and uneven application.

Water and oil based stains are also an option but are often more difficult to achieve a deep, even colour on the floor.

To Buy Stain please click here.

Colouring Your Wooden Floor, Application

• Firstly, make sure that you have got a good finish on the wood. This means careful sanding and/or stripping up to at least 120grit
  
  
• After finishing 120grit sanding, it is preferable to use a floor buffing machine or a finisher in order to remove any final sanding marks from the wood.
  
  

Warning! Any and all marks left in the sanding process will be revealed at the moment of application of colour on the floor.

• Vacuum the floor VERY thoroughly. We don’t recommend that you wash down the floor or clean with any thinner, simply vacuum. Then vacuum some more.
  
  
• Take a lint-free cloth and, starting in the furthest corner from your exit point, begin to lay down the colour, one board at a time. This will mean that you keep a workable wet edge. If the colour dries on the edge of the board it won’t show since the crack will disguise it.
  
  
• Lay the colour down in nice, even strokes, not too wet and not too dry. Keep it even!
  
  
• Work yourself out of the room and close the door.
  Drying time is minimum 2hrs.

If you require a deeper finish then a second application of colour on the floor is possible.