How to Stain Pine Tongue & Groove Wood Floors
Pine tongue-and-groove planks are a noble old style of flooring that you don't see much in new construction. This is because, as a "soft" wood, pine is less durable then hard woods like oak. Pine is also more difficult to properly stain. You should use a vibrating sander (as opposed to a more powerful style) to avoid sanding it too deeply. It's necessary to apply a pre-stain conditioner, because pine in its natural state absorbs stain very unevenly. Sealing the floor with gloss is crucial to protect it. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Vibrating pad-style floor sander
- Sandpaper for the sander, in 60, 80, 100 and 200 grit
- Vacuum cleaner
- Brushes
- Pre-stain wood conditioner
- Rubber gloves
- Light wood stain
- Paper towel
- Polyurethane floor gloss
- Lambswool floor gloss applicator
- 220-grit sandpaper
Instructions
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1
Thoroughly clean the floor. Use your vibrating floor sander to prepare the surface for staining. Run the sander from one corner of the room, going with the direction of the floorboards. If the floor already has a finish on it, start with the 60-grit sandpaper to remove the finish, do the whole room, then switch to 80-grit; if it's an unfinished floor, start with 80-grit. Proceed to re-sand with 100-grit and then 200-grit.
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Thoroughly vacuum all the dust from the sanding.
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3
Starting in the far corner of the room, apply your wood conditioner with a wide brush. Lay it on in an even coat, brushing with the grain of the wood and avoiding any pooling. Allow it to dry for 15 minutes.
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Put on your rubber gloves. Stain the floor, starting in the same far corner of the room. Working in sections, brush the stain heavily onto the surface so that it pools. Let it sit for a minute, then wipe it off with paper towels.
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Let the stain dry overnight. Apply a polyurethane floor gloss from the far corner, pouring a short line of it across the widths of eight to ten floorboards, then using your lambswool applicator to slowly pull it across the floor. Once you've applied the first coat, let it dry overnight, lightly buff it (by hand) with your 220-grit sandpaper, vacuum up the dust, and apply a second coat. Repeat for a third coat.
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Tips & Warnings
Ventilate the room when applying your wood conditioner, stain and gloss.
