STAINING

The floors above were recently stained then varnished with 3 coats of Bonakemi water based varnish, by Peter.
He has been staining floors for over 15 years and is an expert. Below is some advice but staining is not an easy task and we are unable to cover the many possible problems you could face when attempting to stain your floors.
Stain is available from all good DIY stores but not professional Bonakemi varnish, you can get that by clicking here.... PROFESSIONAL VARNISH

This is a job we would not recommend you undertake if you are a novice. Peter has stained hundreds of floors and knows how much skill you need to tackle this job. He has also seen a lot of floors that have been badly stained and it's not a pretty picture. When a floor is stained well it has a beautiful even color with depth to it like the floors above. Stained badly and it can look patchy and dull with a dirty appearance, sometimes it can end up looking as if it has been painted.

The professional way to stain a floor is to sand first leaving your floor silky and smooth then use a stain or several stains mixed together and diluted with white spirit (in the case of spirit based stains) look at the instructions of your chosen stain to see if it is water or spirit based and dilute accordingly, to achieve the color you are after. When mixing stains make sure they are both spirit based or both water based. The majority of stains are spirit based. It is impossible for us to give you an exact color to use to achieve what you want the final outcome to be, without seeing your floor first, as all floors once sanded are a different color. All pine floors will be different shades according to:

1. Age
2. Country of origin
3. Age when felled, etc.

The start color of the boards is the deciding factor as to which other colors you must add to that original color to achieve what you want. The only way to tackle this is to do several tests on the sanded floor to see which you like best. This should be done in an inconspicuous area of the room then sanded back to original color before you start. (We do not recommend that you use a colored varnish as small inevitable scratches will take you straight back to the lighter color of the original floor.)

The floor is then varnished with a clear professional varnish, we recommend the Bonakemi range, at least 3 coats applied after the stain has been left over night to dry. If you put down varnish before the stain is fully dry you will have a reaction. If you get a reaction you will have to sand all your hard work off and start again.

Stains are available from your local DIY store.

If you decide to get a professional to do the staining, make sure you can see a floor they have stained recently. If they haven't stained a floor before but tell you it will be a push over then it's time to look for some one else. If you feel you really want to try this yourself, it might help to read the emails we have received from customers about this subject. Peters answers might be of help to you.

BELOW IS A SELECTION OF EMAILS AND PETER'S REPLY. HOPE IT HELPS.

Dear Mr Weller
Firstly I would like to congratulate you on having the best floor sanding advice I have found anywhere on the internet. I will shortly be downloading the videos to help guide me through the process.
I wish to stain my floor. The boards date back to the 1930's and have a good color but I would like to darken them down a little. I found a picture on your site of the ideal finish and have pasted it below
.
I hear what you say about this being a job for the professionals but would still prefer to tackle this staining myself. My questions are as follows.
(1) It seems that you have used a walnut/oak stain on this floor. Can you tell me the name of the stain you have used and can you supply it to me?
(2) Can you give me any tips or advice to aid me in this process.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Kind regards David Innes

REPLY
Hi David,
The color of the floor you mention was achieved by using 2 stains mixed together, Walnut and Dark Oak. I did this because I find that the color of stains, if used straight from the tin, can be too bright. I wanted to use Walnut to give some 'warmth' to the floor but the color was too red. By adding Dark Oak it reduced the redness but kept the warmth. The mix was approx 3 parts walnut, 1 part oak. The final color was then diluted by about 50% because it was too dark. I used a spirit stain, dilutes with white spirit, and I think it was made by Rustins.
Staining.
You will need:
plenty of rags or j-cloths.
Rubber gloves
A 1" brush
Roller tray
Black bags

The floor should be stained in one continuous process without a break. The work is best done by 2 people. Plan where you are going to start and how to work your way out of the room. Spread out a black bin bag and put the tray on it and pour in the stain.
The stain is applied with a rag working along 2-3 boards. Apply quite liberally and work at a brisk pace. 1 person applying, the other coming along behind a minute later wiping off the excess. Use the brush along skirting's and around pipes etc. You may want to mask skirting boards with broad masking tape, they're easily marked. Allow at least 6 hours to dry before varnishing, better overnight if possible.
Regards Peter
REPLY:
Thanks so much Peter I have been experimenting with a few colors and really understand what you mean by too bright. Your reply is excellent and will be of much assistance.
Kind regards David

QUESTION
Hello peter, I need a bit of advise. We have approx 70 metres of new pine floor
boards we want to varnish with the Bonakemi product but we want to stain it first. Any recommendations on the type of stain to use? Thanks. Helene

ANSWER

Hi Helene,
There are basically 2 types of stain, water based ( thinned with water) and spirit based ( thinned with white spirit) both can be used with Bonakemi products.
In the case of spirit based it is important that it has completely dried before varnishing, overnight if possible or a min of 6 hours.
The spirit stains are the ones I use and Ronseal Colron or Rustins wood dyes are available in most diy stores.
Hope this helps. Regards Peter.
Here is a link to Ronseals instruction and data sheet for Colron wood dyes. Use the back button to return to this site. http://www.ronsealcontractor.co.uk/downloads/colronWoodData.pdf
REPLY
Thank you very much Peter for your very useful advise. After extensive color testing, I have chosen the Liberon walnut spirit wood dye which I will follow up with 2 coats of the Mega Bonekemi varnish. Speaking with you on the phone really put my mind at ease that I was doing the right thing.
Thanks again. Helene
Here is a link to the instruction and data sheet for Libron spirit wood dyes. Use the back button to come back to this site.
http://liberon.co.uk/furniture-range/gallery_files/site/2136/7731/7746/7787/10852.pdf