STAINED FLOORS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 4, 5 July 1927, Page 13

STAINED FLOORS

CHARMING COLOUR EFFECTS

The commonest and almost the worst oi floors are those which have received coat atter coat of varnish-stain and lest in that process the transparency which 1S the essential quality and beauty of a stain.

Of the various ways in which the old stain can be removed there is none better than a strong solution of soda in boiling water. This may be brushed on, left a few minutes, and wiped off as the old stain rises and dissolves, ilenty of rags are needed and a bowl into which the old stain may be squeezed, for it must not be allowed to dry back into the boards. The edge next to the skirting needs special care, because there, the stain is hardest ami thickest. If one treatment with hot water and soda is not sufficient, it must be continued until the grain of the wood shows clear, and the boards are of an even brownish tone. On no account should this be stained brown again, when it is perfectly dry it must be beeswaxed,.and the colour can be mellowed or deepened to the soft look of old oak by mixing a little raw amber with the wax and scrubbing it well into the wood.

If something different from brown is wanted the floor may be ebonised after the old stain has been removed. Ebonising can be done quite satisfactorily by means of aa aniline black aye, or ivory black in powder form, mixed with size and water and applied to the floor. Bepeat till the proper depth of black is achieved, and then polish in the usual way. If a clear stained floor is to replace one that has been painted, a paint remover is necessary, or a solution of oxalic acid in water. A better plan is to have the floor repainted. There is no need to remove the old paint before repainting, but it is necessary to scrub the floor very drastically with a strong solution of soda in hot water in order to remove every trace of wax and dirt. It should then be rubbed down with pumice-stone. This last process may be omitted, but a final wiping with clean water is necessary to get rid of any remaining hint of soda before repainting is begun. All painted floors need three coats at least, with ample time for drying between each. A hint of stickiness is a sign that the floor is not sufficiently hard for a fresh coat of paint. A final coat of varnish should bo given on a.bright day, and dust excluded, as far as possible, during the whole process. If the work is carried out on these lines the painted floor has remarkable durability, and it can safely be used without a carpet. Coloured stains will give charming and delicate effects to a floor. A water stain is, the easiest to apply. The colours are bought in powder form, and size is -added to the water in the proportion of about lib of size to half a gallon of water. Exact quantities do not matter, however, so long as the colour is fixed and does not come off when the stain is dry. Boiling water is used for mixing, and the stain, still quite hot, should bo laid on with a big soft brush, and sometimes before it is dry the work is wiped over with soft cloths to giv<> a smooth, even quality been finished in this way no one can When bare boards are to bo deepened in the- natural colour the simplest and the best way to give tone, quality, and finish is a treatment of linseed oil. The oil must be slightly warmed to facilitate its spreading, and applied ),o the floor with a Bhort-bristled, flue, hard brush. An old clothes-brush answers tho purpose well. It is important to remcnibor that the oiling must bo done along the grain, and never across it, and that tho smallest amount of oil consistent with easy working is best. Clearly tho treatment cannot be hurried; it needs elbow-grease—hard and steady rubbing, The oil must penetrate, and when the job is finished no trace should come off on the surface. Sometimes a weight wrapped in flannel is a help and speeds up tho work. Until ii deal floor has been finished in this wav no one can realiso tho quality of grain and texture latent in this common wood.