Wood Floor Stain

Wood Floor Stain Instructions

Ensure the floorboards have been thoroughly sanded and prepped before staining. For pine flooring, or any softwood floors, use a pre-stain conditioner first. See below, under the heading ‘Staining Pine Flooring’ for more information.

Clean the wood to remove any sawdust and dirt. Test on an unseen area first to check colour. Shake bottle thoroughly. Apply the Stain liberally with a cloth, brush or applicator pad, going in the direction of the grain. Leave the Stain to soak in for a minute then wipe any excess off using a clean cloth.

Wait ten minutes for the stain to dry. Once dry, a second coat can be applied if desired; apply in the same way as the first. After staining the floor, it should be finished with a lacquer, oil, or wax.

Staining Pine Flooring

Pine flooring is a popular type of wooden flooring and is common in Victorian properties. Pine, and all softwoods, will react to stains differently than hardwoods, and so require a more thorough level of preparation to achieve an even stain.

However, if you are looking for a rustic, worn, used, or antique type effect, you can stain the flooring without the additional prep. If you’re unsure, try some stain on a hidden area to see the results.

Pine, and softwood flooring, will absorb the stain at different rates all over the floor. When dry, you can be left with a floor that has darker and lighter patches throughout. The idea of the additional preparation is to even out the absorption of the stain into the floor, so you are left with a more uniform coverage.

There are two ways you can prepare softwood flooring for staining. The simplest is to use a Pre-Stain Conditioner. Wipe this over the floor and leave it to dry. The more absorbent areas of the floor will be equalised by the Pre-Stain Conditioner, so when you apply the stain, they won’t soak up as much and the floor will dry to a more even colour.

Another option, which isn’t as good, but is an improvement over doing nothing, is to wipe the floor with a damp cloth (or mop) all over. This will cause the wood to swell slightly, then sanding it afterwards, helps to equalise the absorption of the stain too. This option is a good idea if you’re looking for a used look to your floor, but you don’t want it to be completely raw by doing nothing.