What to Do With Stained Wood Floor

Badly stained wood floor

The wood flooring of the back room in our 70 year old house looked pretty bad. I knew the stains were hidden under the even worse wall-to-wall carpet and had been there since we moved in many long years ago. Which was why I put new carpet in the first time I redid the room.

I had refinished the floors in other rooms and a hallway with an orbital sander with excellent results. When we yanked up the carpet in the upstairs bed room, I was shocked to discover that the floor was merely laid down unfinished lumber instead of actual flooring. It turned out quite well when I used the orbital sander. But the planks had no stains. 

The back room offered several challenges. Once upon a time, it must have rained in an open window because the boards near that window were stained and slightly warped. Amazingly, that area sanded up nicely. But if I sanded those big black spots any more, I'd sand myself right into the basement.

Unwilling to put in a new floor, I decided to white wash. After reading a gazillion blogs, I went for using Kilz primer because I already had that on hand and was going for cheap. Here's how I did it:

Mix 1 part paint to 1 part water. Stir well and often

Using a paint brush and going with the grain, I painted along the width of the room, following the boards white washing three to four boards at a time. When I finished painting one length of the room, I dragged a clean, dry rag over the thinned paint. (Boy, did that old floor suck up the stuff!) In some areas, I smeared on a bit of undiluted paint to create the unevenness that I was looking for in hoped of disguising the stains. 

White wash half and half 

The first attempt looked pretty messy but I plugged on.

After allowing the white wash to cure for several days, I lightly sanded it with fine sand paper. Then I applied four coats of neutral polyurethane clear coat, allowing it to dry between the coats. When using any such product, it is best to follow the instructions on the label. I lightly sanded between clear coats. 

The paint and the clear coat were both water based. Acrylic products do not fume like oil based paints and finishes. While some experts prefer oil based products for their durability, oil based products will stink up your home for some time. Even with acrylic, you should ventilate the room by opening the windows and running a fan. 

You can see from the picture below  that the look is slightly uneven but that works for me.

White washed wood floor