White Wash Wood Floor Finish
There are thousands of types of wood floor finishes available on the market. Some are dark, some are neutral while some are very bright. All types of wooden floors have a natural colour that will stay natural as long as a clear lacquer is used to seal it. Most types of wooden floors can be overcoated or impregnated with a colour to create unique finishes or to enrich the tone of the wood. Some people buy very bright types of wood and while they enjoy it for a few years, they might want to darken up the colour in the future as things are changing around the household. Other people bought very dark types of wood floors and over a period of time they are tired of it and ready for a change. Within this article we will talk about those that are looking to achieve a white wash finish, also called ‘scandinavian finish’.
Many people think that a pure white finish is the answer to white wash finish on the floor. Far from it. The point of a white wash finish is to brighten up the wood and to create a hint of a white in the grain of the wood. You do not want to create a perfect pure white finish because if you are a person that likes real wood, you will lose the real wood finish by painting it with a white rubber paint or any type of oil based paints. The white wash finish can be achieved in a number of ways based on the type of wood that has to be treated.
The most important thing on the road to achieving that white wash finish is to find out what type of wood floor you own. Hardwood is a type of wood not a species. Some floors are very bright from the start and it could easily be kept bright while some other types of floors are pretty dark and creating a white wash finish on a dark type of wood is a very time consuming process.
Most people that are interested in a white wash sealer or a white wash lacquer, are only really interested in getting rid of the yellowish tint that has developed over the years and has transformed their beloved floors into a mustard like finish that is very tiring. In these cases we would advise to actually sand the floor first, remove the solvent based protector that has changed the colour and they might discover that the natural look of the wood is not that dark or yellow actually. It can be maintained that way with 2-3 coats of clear water based floor lacquer. The good thing about the new water based floor lacquer is the fact that it does not contain solvent so it will never become yellow again. If the base colour is not as white as expected, then you can look into white wash finishes.
Another group of people are looking into white wash finishes because they have decorated their homes and the old and yellow floor looks bad now. As long as the walls were dark, the furniture was dark and the whole place was tired, the floors were not bothering anyone. But now after the walls were painted, new blinds fitted and the new upholstery is due in, something has to be done about the floors.
Other people are just buying houses that were pre-owned by other people and they had no say on what type of floors they get. They love the floors but the colour could be not in line with their taste. They are usually provided with two options, replace the old floors with a new and modern finish or have the floors sanded and white washed. They usually go for the second option due to the high costs associated with removing the old floors, buying the new floors, disposing of the old floors, installing the new floors and in some cases sealing the new floors. The maths are ignored in most cases when people plan ahead. The question is how much is the full price of getting new floors. Here is what to expect:
Remove the old floor and hire a skip to get rid of the new floor
Buy the new floor and all the attachments required
Source a contractor to install the new floors
Seal or deep clean the wood floors after installation
Oak Floors I The oak floors can be stained with a white wood stain, a white primer and a tinted floor lacquer.
Pine Floors I The pine floors are part of a very large family. Red deal, white deal, the pine, etc are all pines but not all of it can be white washed. The white deal is too white to be compatible with any of the wood stains, primers or tinted lacquers. The red deal on the other hand is the perfect candidate for creating a white wash effect with a few coats of white primer or a tinted floor lacquer. The white stains do not look well on a red deal wood.
Maple Floors I There are many types of maple floors available on the Irish market. Some maple is pure white while other types of maple floors are dark and light brown. There is no point attempting to create a white wash finish if the wood type is already very white. But the brown and the light brown wood can most definitely be treated with a few coats of white primer or a few coats of tinted floor lacquer.
Walnut Floors I The walnut wooden floors are not compatible with any light wood stain. The wood stains just disappear into the wood without really affecting it. But the white primer or the tinted wood floor lacquer can transform your dark walnut floor into a nice white washed floor.
Cherry Floors I Just like the walnut floors, the cherry floors have a very strong colour. A white wood stain will not be visible on it. A few coats of white primer or a tinted floor lacquer will fully transform the floor.
White Wash Finishes I Which one?
The white wash finish can be achieved through a wood stain, a white primer or a tinted lacquer. Regardless of what type of finish you might go for, the floor has to be sanded in full and all the old finishes removed. None of the above finishes will attach to a pre-existing finish. The white wash product has to reach the raw wood, penetrate and dry inside the fibre of the wood.
White Wood Stains I A white wood stain is a product that can and will transform the colour of most types of brown or yellow wood floors. The white wood stain is not compatible with already bright types of wood species or with very dark types of wood species. When applied to a maple floor or a white deal floor, the white wood stain is nearly invisible. When applied to a dark wood species like mahogany, walnut or teak, it transforms the original colour into some unpleasant mix up of colours that looks silly. The white wood stain looks amazing on yellow pine floors and oak floors. All oil based wood stains will require sealing with a two pack water based floor lacquer. Applying white wood stains is not that easy and it can end up bad if not done right.
White Wash Primers I The white wash primers are the easiest way of transforming bland and boring floors into beautiful white or scandinavian finishes. The white wash primers like Bona White and Chimiver Ecowhite are the most highly recommended because they are easy to apply and dry very fast. The wood has to be fully sanded and finished with 100 grit sanding paper. The primer can be applied with a varnishing roller and a varnishing brush. The first coat will not do a lot to the colour. The second coat will create a light hint of white while the third coat will create the proper white wash finish. The white wash primer has no protective qualities and it has to be sealed with a single pack or a two pack water based floor lacquer. You can apply as many coats of white wash as you want until the white finish expected is achieved.
White Wash Additive I The white wash additive is the professional way of creating a white wash finish on all types of wooden floors. The white additive comes in small bottles and it has to be added to the amazing Chimiver Ecostar Polyurethane Floor Lacquer. The user can add 1 or 2 additives per 5L of floor lacquer. One bottle of additive added to a 5 L bottle can create a light white wash effect. Two bottles of the white additive added to the Chimiver Ecostar will create a proper quality white wash effect. The main advantage is the fact that there is no need to overcoat the product with any other floor lacquer. This system is the most efficient, cost effective and easiest way of achieving a white wash effect.
The Final Result
The final result will vary from surface to surface. The wood has to be fully sanded, as smooth as possible and dry. The wood stains can only be applied in one coat. The primers and the tinted water based floor lacquer can be applied in as many coats as needed to achieve the level of white desired. It is highly recommended to use a matt two pack water based floor lacquer over a white wood stain.
Other Uses
The same white wash finish can be as successfully used on furniture as well. The same basic requirements apply. The wood has to be fully sanded, dust free and dry. Our amazing white wash finishes can be used on real wood floors, wood stairs, wood doors & frames, worktops, wood toys and so on. While the product is highly recommended for indoor use, there is no reason not to use it outdoors as long as the final coat is outdoor suitable.
The main difference between the white floor primers and the tinted floor lacquers is that the white floor primers require overcoating with at least two coats of floor lacquer to provide protection against the daily traffic while the tinted floor lacquers do not require any extra coatings. So the question will be why should anyone ever use a white primer that is much more expensive and time consuming than using a tinted floor lacquer? Well, the white floor primers are easier to apply and it looks a slight bit whiter than the tinted lacquer. That`s it.
