I am refinishing wood floors on the smallest budget possible. I believe the wood is a red fir. It was installed in the late 50s and I think it has a worn layer of urethan. It has been under carpet for appox 20 years.
The goal is a rustic, rougher look – in as much that it reduces labor. I dont want a high gloss / glassy smoothy. If costs were not such an issue, we would spend the effort distressing it. I am leaning towards a hardening penetrating finish, but would like to get out of sanding it to wood (time, PITA, I dont want it perfectly smooth).
Q1. What determines if I can get away with scouring the surface of the existing urethan (some type of poly?) adding more build up layers of a polyurethane?
If I do have to sand down to wood, I will go with penetrating oil. Im not going to spend a weekend beating the floor with chains and wielding an ice pick, but I would like to highlight some of the existing distressing.
Q2. Can I put a dark stain on places of distressing before the initial sanding or do I really need to standings?
Q3. What are the trade offs of a hardening penetrating oil finish?
Best Answer
A1: Whether you or another appearance critic (spouses are common) can stand the way it looks. You pretty much have to try a spot and see what you think.
A1a: Don't use poly if you don't want a high gloss "look". Use an oil and see what you think. Even "matte" polyurethane is pretty shiny, as things go - but also look for yourself, that's my opinion.
A2: Sure, if you don't sand that deep and remove it all.
A3: a hardening oil finish will actually get dry. A non hardening finish, won't. Much easier to get the floor somewhat clean if it's not sticky. There is some problem of marketing confusing the issue - some vendors sell a "hardening oil finish" that others (more truthful) would just call a varnish. At the most basic level you have raw linseed oil and "boiled" linseed oil (not actually boiled, for the most part) - the raw never hardens, the boiling (or other chemical treatment) makes the boiled harden. Or "salad oil" (soy or canola) .vs. walnut oil - walnut naturally hardens, salad oil never does. But salad oil can go rancid...
Most of the stuff sold as "tung oil" or "Danish oil" is better described as a wiping varnish