Refinishing Antique Heart Pine Flooring

I have finally reached the point of not being able to stand the unfinished heart pine, or perhaps doug fir, kitchen floor in our 1903 Queen Anne home. We uncovered the original floor way back in 1998 when we bought the house and removed layers of plywood, vinyl, and linoleum. We were forced to remove all the layers due to previous tenants leaving dogs in our kitchen. After removing all the layers and exposing the original wood floor we chose to leave the wood floor exposed so it could dry out. We moved on to other more pressing issues & repairs and covered the kitchen floor with many rugs. The small sections of floor that have not been covered with rugs now need sanding. The rest of the floor is as smooth as glass.

My question is: Once the floor is sanded, what do I finish it with? There are so many articles out there on the internet, and so many products to choose from, I am at a loss as to what type of ffinish and what type of product to use.

Has anyone refinished a heat pine floor? What did you finish it with?

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lair Tienter on December 14, 2011 at 10:52am

When I had mine done it was back in '92. They sanded, stained, and applied 2 coats of oil based poly. Sanding lightly between the coats. While I don't live there now I still talk with the owner. She said the floors are still wonderful. I had no kids but had 3 dogs. She has 3 kids and 1 dog so they get plenty of ware. Good luck with yours. Lair

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan on December 15, 2011 at 9:00am

Thanks for your info. What type of wood did you refinish? Do you remember what brand of stain you used?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lair Tienter on December 15, 2011 at 11:09am

We used Minwax stain, i think the color was golden oak mixed with a little pecan. The floors were pine, some said yellow pine but it didn't look like the yellow pine I have seen since . Some of the boards were very light so that is why we used the stain to even out the color a little. Lair

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan on December 17, 2011 at 9:47am

Thank you. This info really helps.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark Goff on December 14, 2011 at 6:32pm

Hi Susan

We are using Waterlox on our walnut floors, including the kitchen. Waterlox is a tongue oil product with resin in it. The nice thing about it is that when you end up with wear spots, or traffic areas, you simply wipe some more finish on.

http://www.waterlox.com/

Merry Christmas

Mark

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan on December 15, 2011 at 9:02am

I have never heard of Waterlox, then again, I have not really checked out refinishing products for floors until now. My kitchen floor is heart pine, or maybe doug fir. I will have to see if this is something I can use. Thank you.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bill Hendrickson on December 20, 2011 at 6:34pm

We are getting ready to do the same thing. We have a mixture of hardwoods and fir:

See before Pix:

And after sanding:

So we are now just deciding what to do next. Some stain and then what to seal it with.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Goderwis on December 21, 2011 at 11:52am

Susan,

I'm the president and head tech support person for our company Sutherland Welles Ltd. We manufacture a fabulous line of Polymerized Tung Oil based products and have been doing so for 46 years! In addition to offering the products themselves, we offer terrific customer service in products choice, detailed finishing guidelines and helping sort out the myriad of decisions and options available for restoring your floor. Give us a call at 800-322-1245 or email me mary@tungoilfinish.com I'm sure we can help.

Regards,

Mary Goderwis

Sutherland Welles Ltd.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan on December 21, 2011 at 9:45pm

Mary,

Thank you for your information. Where would I find your products? Are they in the big box DIY stores?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Goderwis on December 22, 2011 at 12:12pm

Susan,

No big box distribution. Most of what we sell is direct from our manufacturing facility in VT. We do have several dealers around the country. You can see those contacts on the "Where to Buy" section on our website.

You can view our website at www.sutherlandwelles.com

or call us toll free 800-322-1245. Our hours are 9am-4:30pm

Our offices will be closed 12/23 -12/26 but we'll be back 12/27/11

Looking forward to assiting you!

Mary Goderwis

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bill Hendrickson on December 21, 2011 at 5:19pm

One thing I read about Tung Oil vs Poly is that TO may have to be reapplied more often. In fact one site said yearly. Also, I read, Poly will hold up better in high traffic areas as well.

We are still trying to decide, but right now leaning toward poly.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Goderwis on December 21, 2011 at 5:50pm

Bill,

It's true that raw Tung Oil is a softer finish. But with Polymerized Tung Oil, you essentially give varnish-like properties of sheen and hardness to an oil without adding a resin. Sometimes high traffic areas benefit from an oil because it is easy to spot repair to keep that area protected.

Your pictures of the sanded floor are beautiful, but the reality is that you have a very limited amount of sanding in floors such as yours. Timely maintenance will be crucial in extending the life of your floor, regardless of the finishing choice you make.

We offer a hybrid line (Murdoch's Resin system) that is Polymerized Tung Oil in the initial coats followed by a urethane alkyd resin topcoat which is very durable. The recommendation for which product to use is a function of the space and whether a film coating such as a resin is a better choice or more preferred over a penetrating oil. With the hybrid system you get a bit of both!

A urethane may be the best approach, you will just want to be diligent to re-coat to preserve the floor without having to sand down to bare wood again.

I've attached a document that explains the difference and characteristics in both approaches we offer. You might find it helpful.

Attachments: