Pickling Stain Hardwood Floors

Start by sponging the application surface with clean water.

Pickling stain hardwood floors.

Let your pickled wood finish dry overnight. Occasionally homeowners choose to lighten their floors in preparation for special finishes such as antiquing or pickling. Pickling and similar techniques is designed to make light colored wood like ash or pine have a washed out driftwood effect. You ll need to sand away the old finish and the old stain.

Evenly apply a light oil stain and wipe off the excess with a cloth. Now pickling is achieved by either using wood bleach first and then applying a light stain or just jumping straight to the staining step. This time around they look much better and last longer as the technology for the stains and polyurethanes have improved. Care refinishing engineered wood floors is an expensive and dusty process but proper care of your floors will reduce the need for refinishing.

Using a clean dry rag work the pickling solution into the wood by rubbing against the grain. Pickling lightens the color of the wood while also accentuating the grain. Pickled floors date back to the 1800s when the process included soaking the wood in a vinegar brine to achieve the bleached look. Pickling is the best choice for white staining oak.

Allow the water to dry then lightly sand the surface with a 150 grit paper to smooth the raised grain. Antiquing distresses the cracks crevices and edges of the wood. Sometimes your hardwood floors become discolored with age or accidental stains. High quality engineered wood floors have a top layer that is 4 to 6 mm thick and can be stained and finished up to five times prolonging the life of the floor to 60 to 80 years.

Then using a fresh rag wipe with the grain to remove the excess and expose the grain. These floors are sometimes referred to a pickled floors but whitewashed floors sounds more sophisticated. Pickling highlights the pores and crevices of wood by adding a stain that contrasts with the bleached finish. Whitewashing an ideal treatment for pine floors brightens wood while allowing the grain to show through an ideal option if you don t want to camoflauge your hardwood s intricate design.

When pickling oak wood again apply the stain with a brush but it s important to wipe the stain against the grain. Bleaching hardwood floors is a chemical process to lighten the color of the wood. The processes can change somewhat depending on who is doing the pickling but the end result is a white stained wood floor. If you re eager to alter the color of your hardwood floors but prefer a more classic timeless hue consider a gentle alteration using two techniques.

The process is actually a rip off that comes from an old european practice of pasting wood with a caustic lime to prevent decay and insect infiltration the 16 th century version of pressure treated lumber. Step 5 apply clear coat photo by wendell t. Because of the large pores and the natural grain pattern of oak this technique is essential for working the stain down into the pores of the wood.