Medium term floor decision

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Gothichome
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Medium term floor decision

Post by Gothichome »

Folks, a question for those with restoration experience on flooring. It may take a while for us to make a decision on our floor. My question involves the application of oil on the floor. Would oiling the floor for the short term inhibit our options should we descide to sand and shellac, should we go that route?
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Willa
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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by Willa »

As far as I know shellac should only be applied on bare wood or previously shellacked surfaces ? From what I have read shellac may be a fussier finish for rooms where water is expected like kitchens and bathrooms. Of course you could make some sheet flooring "rugs" for by the sink that would protect the floors in these areas.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpai/shellac2.html

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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by Gothichome »

Willa, thanks for the thoughts. My issue is we need to put some thing down that would help with the splintering and offer some protection from spills ect. Waterlox seems to be the favoured product of the pros. But all the applications have been on sanded floors. At this time I need some thing that I can put down now for the short term that would not limit our options.

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Willa
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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by Willa »

What about giving the floors a good scrubbing, let them dry thoroughly then apply a couple of coats of wax ? If/when you want to shellac/Waterlox, etc. the wax can be removed with mineral spirits and sanding ?

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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by SkipW »

I would think anything oil or wax based is going to impregnate the wood and severely limit your down-the-road options due to adhesion of the later finish, even if you cleaned and sanded.

If you are willing to give the floor a good sanding later, prior to final finishing, maybe a light coat of poly, which would be fairly easy to remove by sanding for the final finish. Prep now would be minimal because you can simply cover all the bad things you would later sand away.
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Willa
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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by Willa »

According to this article wax only sits on the surface of the wood and does not penetrate v.s. poly which would:

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/under ... -finishes/

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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by Mick_VT »

Danish oil can be used under shellac. I have a bookcase that I built where I used stain then danish oil then shellac over the top. I think the varnish component stops any issues with the adhesion afterwards. I believe other oil finishes can be used so long as the oil cures.

As this is medium term, consider paint - it's period appropriate, forgiving, covers all sorts of repairs, and can be sanded off relatively easily at a later date
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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by SkipW »

Willa wrote:According to this article wax only sits on the surface of the wood and does not penetrate v.s. poly which would:

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/under ... -finishes/


From the article: "You can apply wax over any other finish and it will give the surface a soft sheen and smooth feel, but don’t put other finishes over wax."

My concern with dissolving the wax with a solvent is that during the process, you are essentially dissolving it into the wood which may affect the ability for another later finish to absorb into or adhere to the wood
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Willa
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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by Willa »

I assumed that if the floor was stripped of wax, then sanded as part of the refinishing that the amount of wax present would be very, very little. I suspect that the floors had been previously waxed, 100 years ago +/-, then covered up by sheet flooring.

When the floor dudes sanded my floor there were several layers of old oil paint, and newer latex floor paint, as well as patches of flooring goo under the paint (leveller and/or adhesive). It all came off except for some low/deep gouges that I told them not to worry about. All my shellacking went on top and I haven't had any trouble spots with regards to flaking or adhesion issues ?

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Re: Medium term floor decision

Post by phil »

I'd say yes you are safe to use either danish oil or linseed oil and turpentine. sanding will remove it. I wouldn't use paint or poly because it will fill the cracks and be hard to remove should you want to restore the floor later. even if I sanded the floor I would start with clear danish oil. I wouldn't use the colored stuff.

If you dont plan to sand first I wouldn't put any finish that may flake off.

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