Stain Preparation

I have an area in a dining room floor (hardwood, tongue and groove) that was badly stained from a leaking shower on the floor above. I have replaced the two strips of hardwood that could not be cleaned up an reused, so I have those two white strips of hardwood and about a 4x8 section of floor to sand down and re stain around them. I am looking at a MIN WAX brochure that has a color that should match, but it comes in either a water base or oil base. It also recommends a stain prep product (their brand) and a stainable wood filler. I have used an automotive spot putty on wood before, but always used paint to cover the screw holes or whatever. Do you guys like water base, or oil, and would you use the Min wax wood filler or something better?

 

I prefer oil base stain over water based! What type of finish is currently on the floor? Not sure what 'prep' product you are referring to but hardwoods don't generally need a wood conditioner. Most any hardwood paste should do fine, sometimes I'll just use colored putty [after stain and 1st coat of poly]

 

Oil based. Oak doesn't need a wood conditioner. Don't use any fillers if you don't have to, since they do not accept stain the same as wood... it will make the filler stand out like a sore thumb.

Try to find oxalic acid (powder/flake) to bleach the stains out of your floor, it can often remove a lot of the unsightly stains from flooring prior to sanding and staining.

 

I also prefer oil based but would use what's been used on the rest of the floor, if you can figure that out.

 

Oil base stain is a lot easier to work with than the waterbased stains. The odds are that the stain used was oil base which can be topcoated with either waterbased or oil base poly. Waterbased doesn't change the look of the wood any other than to give it a sheen. Oil base poly will deepen the colors in the wood and amber some as it ages.

 

ten-four onthe oil based preference. I do not know what they used in 1963 when the house was built, maybe the floor came that way? I have to fill some holes, the flooring was badly warped which were replaced, but I could get the ones next to it to flatten out with wood screws, which left some holes to fill. I will try the stain on the Red Oxide body filler, who knows, maybe I am on to something with it? I will look for the oxaltic, maybe sold at building supply stores? (don't let your wife fill up a room with stuff that is under a room with a shower in it) what a mess!

 

I was surprised to find Oxalic acid at my local True Value, but its not a common item. Even most Sherwin Williams dont carry it. Rather than searching store to store it would be easiest to just order some online.

 

They wouldn't have used poly back in '63. Most were lacquer, shellac or varnish in that era.

I don't know about the red oxide filler but with the hardwood past you smear it on, let it dry and then remove 90% of it when you sand .... all prior to apply stain and/or poly.

 

You made me think about a repair I did on this floor when wifey left some potatos in a bag in a corner that rotted and leaked out. It was a small area and I just sanded it and used varnish to match. I found a container of Oxalic at a True Value in a part of town that even the bad guys don't go to at night lol. So I am going to try that for the water stains. If you guys think the Varnish will duplicate the other boards based on what I told you today, I won't have to buy the min wax. Make sense?

 

Poly will wear better than varnish. Hard to say if oil base poly alone will make it blend as we haven't seen the floor. pics could be helpful. Which MinWax stain on the chart matches your floor?

 

the MinWax Chart matching color is called "Natural" (top of the first column in their current brochure.) I can send pictures to email address deleted if that is retrieveable there by you. It was given to me by a moderator as I have no luck making the pictures retrievable from my computer transfer to DYI for some reason. Will That work for you?
Will Polyurethane stain the wood the same way the original varnish did?

 

I deleted that email address, I think it's a personal address of the moderator who gave it to you and not somewhere from which we can all retrieve messages. FWIW, we do not allow posting of email addresses in the public forums for privacy's sake.

This doesn't work for you?
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html

 

I've never seen the point of 'natural' stain unless you were to finish with water based poly, oil base poly pretty much gives the same look.

 

Well the trip into the "hood" was sure worth it. I was able to remove a TON of black water stain off the floor last night, and will hit it again for some missed spots still there. Ten stars for the guy who suggested that! I will take a picture of where I am now and try to post it.

 

Yep, its like magic.

 

After treating with the acid, and applying stainable wood filler to the cracks, (I am still sanding that stuff off, It likes to clog up the discs really quick) I still have an area where although the wood is a lot lighter in color, it is still apparent that there was water there that turned things black. I have the oil based Poly to try, but I am thinking that it might be smarter to hit it with some stain first and see what it does to the wood, then apply the Poly. Does that make any sense?

 

So there is no stain there whatsoever?

 

After sanding, and acid treatment, I have to say no there is no manufactured stain present. Just the black stain from the water sitting there last year. there may be some of the original varnish mixed in as you move outward from the worst to the undamaged flooring areas. Make sense?

 

Yes, I'm following now. Yes, you may need to apply stain to the area to match the surrounding wood. Keep in mind, though, that oil based poly does add a little amber so it will darken the color a bit for you.

 

If you can post a pic or two we could better advise what needs to be done. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html

 

iF YOU CAN SEE THIS, i GOT IT.

 

Looks like it needs an awful lot of sanding before you stain or poly it.

 

What does it look like if you wipe it with a wet mineral spirits rag? before the thinner evaporates.
Depending on how it looks when wet with thinner it might just need poly. I agree it's not ready for stain.

 

Most of the area you see has been sanded heavily. there are a lot of areas where stainable wood filler I used smeared onto the wood. (the white reflection due to the camera flash) I have been sanding that off as best as I can. I have not tried the mineral spirit rag yet, and I may get some stain to try in a small area to see what it does as well.

 

I hit it with mineral spirits first, which did nothing but highlight the water stained black areas left after the Oxalic Acid treatment.

Then I applied the MinWax Oil based stain to a small area. It became extremely apparent that the stain was not going to match the rest of the floor, (way to dark!) I am in the process of sanding the daylights out of the areas you see in the photo, I already know I will not be able to get all of the black out of it without going down to the subfloor on one small spot, so I can live with that. Once I get everything else back to a natural surface, I will see what some varnish will do to match up.