hard wood floors

I nave been sanding and staining and clearing floors for two weeks - maybe 1/3 done

Sanded tonight till 10;30 then took a shower My left leg is permanently numb from sitting and running the edger- drinking now to get the rest of me to catch up - cat on the lap= dog at the feet - life is good

So whats the trick with this staining - I do an area I can reach and the floor is blotchy - so I go back and darken the light spots --- I do a large area and it gets too dark == ???? whats the trick

Sting wrote: whats the trick

"Keep a wet edge". That is, stain it all at once. If done in sections every section can be seen. Stain & latex paint, you gotta keep a wet edge and keep adding to that wet edge until the job is done. With stain, after a minute or two go over it with a rag.

My opinion: Never ever use "polystain" type products. Stain and finish in one can is the dumbest idea ever!

Did you put a wood sealer on first? Sometimes using a wood sealer, makes the stain go on easier and smoother, it gives you more time to work with it.

It's time consuming,but, when I did mine, I did the whole floor 20X20 all at once--used a sponge mop deal w/ an old sweatshirt wrapped trightly around it--let it dry--YES--let it dry--then took 00 steel wool to the whole floor & did my second coat--I did use any kind of sealer & after 10 yrs she still (semi-gloss) in excellent shape--yep, dogs,mud,snow the whole farm type traffic---let it dry & stop looking at it so close until you're done--hopefully LS Farm will chime in here

Ill try to keep that wet edge Smitty -- Thanks for the tip

Doing the whole floor might not be a option as some would find me ending as the first stain was about completely dry - some rooms are smaller.

I thought about sanding then stain = and I have had to in spots where the stain was too dark, ( I even somehow had foot prints in one room) but I worry that sanding would cause more shadows and blotches - some boards of this 200 year old fuel used for flooring is harder than others and that must make a difference too.

Dave - never knew about the sanding sealer !

Fred - I have been using a brush the paint store recommended and old towels from the laundry company for wiping

Well -- coffee chocolate Tylenol and oatmeal about in me -- I am going the apply the first coat of clear finish in a closet - about the size of my first bedroom - and see if i did any good here - Hope to move on and get two more and the music room sealed today then stain the east shotgun living room floor. Nice sunny morning - I am impressed how letting the stain rot in for a week has changed the floor color to a nice golden

Thanks for the support group -- I need to drink more or get this done before I get any older and age denial becomes completely ineffective.

What type of wood is your floor?
In older homes it's usually Oak, Heart pine or Fur.
Oak should take stain with no problem but... the companies that manufacture stain have had to change they're formulas to meet
EPA standards..... Low VOC's
The old formulas did a much better job.There seems to be a lack of pigment now.
For softer wood you can try Minwax wood conditioner. That's what I use on Pine and other softwoods before staining and polyurethane
It seals the pores and gives the stain a more uniform look. makes a big difference.
When you stain, go with the grain from one end to the other. That makes it easier to avoid overlap.
Give the stain 24 hrs to dry completely before doing the poly. If you poly too soon, it will soften the stain and cause streaks in it.
A lambs wool applicator is the weapon of choice for applying poly.

Good luck

I never heard of putting on sealer before stain....
My silly opinion, ya gottsa pretty much put it on all at once.
This floor was battered so I had to go with a nice dark stain.

IT would seem expensive to get enough conditioner for entire rooms. I have refinished many floors and each one is different, depending on age, condition, type of wood, and method of sanding. Just remember, it is a floor not your kitchen table, a nice new coat of poly will look great no matter what. Sometimes when I think a floor is hopeless and not worth refinishing, I am surprised by how attractive it is all polished up. I agree with the lambswool applicator but care must be taken to not get puddles. As with any part of a skilled trade, there is a learning curve and technique's. Just mix in plenty of beer and the results will look great anyway!

Kevin

Also, you'll see every single "defect" while you're doing the job and know where they are, but once it's all done and the furniture and a few throw rugs are put in place, it will look fantastic and nobody will notice any of them (except you).

That's the only thing I hate about DIY projects - I'm a perfectionist but I know it all can't be perfect. So everytime I look at a finished project, all the little things that aren't "perfect" look at me and

That is true europachris!! I am doing some drywall right now and can't stop dabbing at it! Just freaking paint it and move on!

Kevin

So, like Kevin said, each floor will have it's own issues.
And a lot of time and effort can be put into the finish, or you can put on one coat of sealer and two coats of poly and be done with it.
That's usually what I have my guys do. In fact I just finished six apartments that way and they look fine.
There will be defects in it because of it's age, but I like to label it as "character"
The beer I'm not so sure about though

PS. If you have rags that are wet with oil based stain or oil based clear, make darn sure they go into an airtight metal can, or are laid out flat so they can dry. A balled up oily rag can spontaneously catch fire in a very short time.... especially linseed oil.

ok

Rags are out in the snow bank

Two rooms with stained and two coats of clear

One room stained - Ill have to go back and darken some spots tomorrow on a long lunch break and Ill let the stain rot in for the week like the other rooms -

Pealing carpet from stair cases this week -- oh boy - thinking about sanding treads

Sounds like you've got it down pat my friend--that's where my rags would of ended up,and yes the best thing is to just let that wood suck it up. Sanding the treads sux but well worth the time. Looking fwd to seeing some pix when you're set

Sting wrote:ok

Rags are out in the snow bank

Two rooms with stained and two coats of clear

One room stained - Ill have to go back and darken some spots tomorrow on a long lunch break and Ill let the stain rot in for the week like the other rooms -

Pealing carpet from stair cases this week -- oh boy - thinking about sanding treads

Without pictures, I think Sting may have just been dreaming about redoing his floors

C'mon Mr. Beer Belly, show us what you've done !!!!!!!



Rick