Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Floors part 2

I will be in very much trouble when I get home if all I've talked about is the floor grates...With enough searching, I imagine we can find what we need.

A bigger item on the floor agenda, however, is the finish.

We love the way the shellac looks-- the orangey aged color. And we really love the way the colors are inconsistent. In some places it's streaked honey gold, and it's a deep red mahogany in others. It depends on the grain and the resin and it's soooo nice.

So we're a little afraid to stain it and are thinking of going with Waterlox or pure tung oil. But I don't think this is going to be as dark as we like. It's a tough decision. Stain may, unfortunately, even out the color...Other finishes that "yellow" may take longer than we want, or not be as durable as we'd like (like shellac for example)...The oil keeps the uneven tones, but results are a little lighter than we want. The Sherwin Williams guy was very nice, but of no help whatsoever. I guess we'll be trying a few products in some inconspicuous spots to see which works better...closets oughta be good for that! Just one more little weekend project to add to the list while the electrician works through the rewire.

1 comment:

Di said...

This may e a moot point by this time, but have you considered simply going over the floors with clear shellac to rejuvenate them? If the finish is in good shape, or even halfway decent shape, this could be a viable option. My pine floors were originally shellac, but a very poor grade. They turned black over the years, and the edges had been refinished at some point (don't ask). I had to sand, but I reshellacked them, and they are goregous. Just some food for thought, especially if you're on a tight budget.