I have just installed my floor in my living room. I used black ash, and I wonder how to finish it. Before applying a finish, I would like to stain it as I did in my bedroom. In my bedroom, the floor is made of knotty pine, and I used aniline dye under three coats of varnish. I like the result, but when I made a test on ash, I dont like it, the contrast is too low. I know aniline dye penetrates wood a lot. Is oil based stain will penetrate deep enough?
For the finish over the stain, I heard about the possibility to put oil instead of varnish. What kind of oil is used on floor?
Thank you!
Replies
Marky2,
You need to do a bit of experimenting with scraps of the ash. Don't try to match pine. Ash is completely different. In my opinion, it's much more beautiful than pine.
Here are 2 things I suggest that you can use separately or together to bring out the character in ash.
First, apply boiled linseed oil. Let it soak in for about 15 minutes and wipe dry. You may need to repeat after a day to get all the "color development" that linseed can give to ash.
Ash is a very light wood and its figure and grain do not contrast markedly from the background. I happen to like it this way and I finish it without any stain, any linseed at all and with water white lacquer. But to bring out the character, you really need to fill the pores with a silex pore filler that's stained a medium to dark brown.
You can get Behlens Pore-O-Pac filler already stained a color they call "walnut." It's perfect for filling ash. First you need to seal the wood so the filler does not stain the background. Zinsser's SealCoat is shellac in a 2 pound cut that is a perfect product as a sealer. I would dilute it with about half again as much denatured alcohol and brush it on.
Prepare some wood with linseed first, then apply shellac to scraps with and without linseed. After brushing, lightly scuff sand any raised grain and shellac lap marks with 320 grit on a sanding block.
Then apply the pore filler with an old "ratty" natural bristle brush or a scrub brush. Brush it in every direction, scrubbing the filler into the pores and grain. Let it dry for about 15-20 minutes. The surface of the layer of filler will haze over and get a "leathery" look. That's when you remove it.
Remove it with burlap rags or any other coarse textured rags you can get. Scrub it off across the grain, leaving filler in the pores. Get it off the surface completely. You may need to use a plastic scraper, always across the grain.
Rich
Edited 3/10/2007 10:17 am ET by Rich14
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