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Floor boards sanded and restored -is this normal?

c smith
2 years ago

I have had my pine floorboards restored and
I’m disappointed with the outcome of the stain/varnish but wondering if it’s my unrealistic expectations.
There are lots of boards that have stripes on the edges. The sanding was done yesterday and he left colours for me to chose, I chose a very dark stain but this has come out a lot lighter except for the stripes on some of the edges.
Is this due to uneven sanding? Or did he put the varnish on too soon after the stain (the stain and 2 coats of varnish were applied and finished by midday today). Or is this just me having unrealistic expectations !

Comments (5)

  • Frank
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Floorboards often "cup" (edges bend upwards) a little, and that means when sanding them back, more material is taken off on the sides than centrally in the board, exposing more "virgin" material. This could take a stain more strongly than parts of the board where more of the weathered surface remains. Also, wood is a natural material with variations; the way the boards haopen to be sawn (i.e. how the annual rings fall - more perpendicular or more aligned with the surface) , as well as the part of the trunk the board is from (heartwood or sapwood) makes a difference how strongly the wood in between will absorb a stain.

    Could they have been more thorough and, say, applied a 2nd stain coat ? Maybe so, and if you clearly expressed that you expected a very dark look then they sure should at least have asked. I'd not dare to predict how much a 2nd stain would have helped to be honest, but from previous experience varnishing a pine floor, how things look on a sample board/piece will not reflect "how it'll look everywhere". One of the attraction points to real wood are the variations ...


    (All that said - to me the floor looks very nice - neatly laid, no gaps, straight and even-sized boards)

  • Sonia
    2 years ago

    I can’t answer any of your questions but that floor fab.

  • Sonia
    2 years ago

    Sorry meant • that floor looks fab •

  • pmasmith3
    2 years ago

    I agree with Sonia - I’d be really pleased if it was my floor.

  • Holly C.
    2 years ago

    Same! I've also just had my floors refinished, and I think I like yours better. Pine will always pick up colour unevenly, especially old pine. However, the uneven colour is part of the character of the floor, and what distinguishes it from something artificial like laminate or a brand-new floor. And I think if it was darker you'd lose too much of the beauty of the graining.

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