Best finish for old pitch pine floorboards?

flynnboy

Hi

I have just recently laid a floor from reclaimed pitch pine. I have sanded it ready for finish but now have a quandary.

I have bought some Ronseal diamond hard floor varnish (satin) and had intended to build it up and then rub it down with wire wool and wax. However I have had the cat thrown amongst the pigeons as I have just stumbled across the suggestion that an oil finish is the best, even possibly purely a wax finish???

Does anyone have any experience of this or perhaps can give an informed opinion about the best finish ? I haven't actually opened the tin of varnish yet and so I am confident I can take it back if I need to.

Thanks for any advice

CBYR1983

I used yacht varnish on my floors and it is very hardwearing but it is quite a lacquered finish which may not be to your taste.

flynnboy

CBYR1983 wrote: »

I used yacht varnish on my floors and it is very hardwearing but it is quite a lacquered finish which may not be to your taste.

Thanks CBYR. I thought of that but I want more of a 'natural' finish which is why I want to take it down with some wire wool and wax. It's just some people elsewhere were going on about oil and stuff - which I hadn't really considerded as I didn't think it would give much of a finish. But they thought different.

CJhaughey

I have solid red deal floors, and they were finished with 2 coats of a white oil and polished with a wax paste.
They look great but in areas that get a lot of grit and movement the finish has worn a bit.
Not a problem to fix just resand the floor lightly and apply the white oil again.
You can also get 2 pack floor finish in Matt called Synteko Classic.
I might try this stuff on the areas that wear a lot.
It sets as hard as nails.

flynnboy

CJhaughey wrote: »

I have solid red deal floors, and they were finished with 2 coats of a white oil and polished with a wax paste.
They look great but in areas that get a lot of grit and movement the finish has worn a bit.
Not a problem to fix just resand the floor lightly and apply the white oil again.
You can also get 2 pack floor finish in Matt called Synteko Classic.
I might try this stuff on the areas that wear a lot.
It sets as hard as nails.

Thanks CJ In what way would that be better than or superior to what I was intending to do with the Ronseal floor varnish built up in layers then rubbed down with wire wool and wax ?

CJhaughey

What were you intending to do?
Give it 4-5 coats and then wax it?
I am not sure what you intended to do.
Once you apply the varnish thats it. You can use matt or semi-gloss but waxing after the application is a bit of a waste of time.
I would either use Oil like tung/danish and then a wax finish OR varnish.
Not a combination of the two.
Wire wool on floor varnish? I have never seen so am not qualified to know what it would look like.

mad m

Personally I wouldnt wax, I have red deal myself. I put on 3/4coats of two pack lacquer as the sitting room does get a good bit of traffic. You will get at least 5years out of it before you will think of even re-lacquering it. A floor like this you could possibly get 30years or more out of it depending on how many times you sand it down over the years...

I have another floor in the dining room which I put down a water based lacquer finish (Dulux Diamond coat), but its not as hard wearing as the cellouse based lacquer...

major deegan

I refinished oak and cherry floors ,used 3 coats of ronseal diamond coat satin in the oil based version.Buffed in between coats with 150 grit paper.Still looks the part 7 years on...Good luck

flynnboy

So what is the difference between the proprietary floor varnish e.g Ronseal Diamond and this 2 part laquer ?

I have the Ronseal Satin finish. I was going to (probably will stil) put down about 3- 4coats 1st coat (maybe 2) thinned with turps for penetration to seal the wood and give it a more thorough coating - which is better than putting on layers of neat varnish which will be more like a skin that can crack.

I do not like the artifical look that neat varnish can give and also you will not get a really good smooth finish without taking down the final coat with something. You could use a machine but, I intend(ed) to finish off with wire wool and wax. This will both get rid of all of the sealed in lumps and bumps from dust and grit particles, and with the combination of wax give it more of a natural 'lustre'. Wax and wire wool is a tried and tested method of reducing varnished surfaces to give them a more natural look.

mad m

Well if its spirit based then you will have a longer drying time (But some have great drying times these days). You will probably have to leave it a full 24hrs before you can sand it down for the next coat.

The two pack lacquer is cellouse based which you put a catalyst into the lacquer, so you have a certain time to use it in. Normally though you are only meant to put 3 coats on a day using cellouse based lacquers. Sanding in between coats (The two pack dries very quickly). There is a draw back though, the fumes can be overwhelming and it can last for a day or so (So a good mask is needed).

The two pack you cut in the edges and roll the main floor with a mohair sleeve (9inch), be very carefull with blobs as they will stay blobs if not rolled out....

What does it say on the Ronsel tin about thinning the varnish? You might find it is waterbased? Also to note cellouse/spirits based lacquers/varnishes will not stop the floor naturally darken over time, less or not at all if you use waterbased finishes...

CJhaughey

The two pack stuff I have is Synteko Classic acid cure two pack.
1st coat is dry in 1,5hrs next coat can go on in 2-3hrs and the third 2-3hrs after that. The matte is a very flat finish not glossy at all.
Cleans up with ethanol.
You are correct, wire wool and wax gives a nice traditional finish that feels very silky. A faster way is to rent a floor buffer with a new pad and use that to buff the wax that you apply by hand.
I am going to try the 2 pack over a test piece of white-oiled and waxed pine to see what it does.
Its not suitable for overcoating all finishes.

flynnboy

Hey MadM

I have to say that I have always used, and never presumed, varnishes were anything other than Cellulose based....after your mail I read the instructions and to my great surprise it is water based !

This will change my modus operandi completely. In fact the can also says do not use wire wool ! Thank you. Since when did hard wearing varnishes become water based ? I would still use cellulose based varnishes thinned with turps and wire wooled for things other than floors but this is a different departure for me - and I've never done a floor before.

I am not going to be too precious about this because you can go around in circles with this sort of thing getting all manner of differing opinions which simply leaves you more confused than when you started. I am just going to go ahead and apply the Ronseal and follow their instructions.

Thanks for all of the input.

mad m

There is a difference between cellouse and spirit based lacquers/paint. You wouldnt normally put turps/white spirits into cellouse as you can buy cellouse thinners for this. White spirits is for normal spirit based finishes.

Goodluck with it...

Just a tip though, when your using the waterbased finish, you can get yourself a 4inch sponge rad roller sleeve and little frame and roll it on. You can do a good few boards at once while working your way back to your escape. Rememebr to cut in edges first though....

flynnboy

Yeah. I was actually thinking of poluyurethane varnishes which are the ones I have normal experience of. I would normally thin these with white spirit for the 1st couple of coats as it penetrates and seal really well and gives you less of a 'treacle' kind of finish. Building up in many thin layers has always been my preferred option with varnish - polyurethane varnish.

I've never used water based varnishes before so I'll see what happens. If I'd noticed that I might have gone for another varnish with which was polyurethane as I don't like the idea of unthinned coats.

I_M

The OP was specifically enquiring about Pitch Pine floors, which are naturally very durable and contain a natural preservative, and generally go decades rather than years between treatments. Lacquers and other hard finishes which are suitable for red deal are not necessarily the best course of action, even without the issue of the unnatural look.

I have a 200+ year old pitch pine floor which I would probably have left without further treatment, except for the fact that the edges of the room were covered in black tarry varnish several decades ago. I want to restore a consistent natural look to the floor, so will have to sand it in its entirety. I am very interested in whether, as OP suggested, anyone has used wax or similar materials to treat a pitch pine floor, and whether the outcome was satisfactory.