Of all the types of flooring available, wood with the perfect finish is still the most popular. And oak floorboards are gorgeous as well as fashionable. But pine wood flooring is another strong contender in the beauty stakes, a softwood that’s been used to make floorboards for centuries and a feature of many old homes across Britain.
Pine Log Rounds – from antiquewoodnews.com
Vintage Pine Floorboards
We’ve taken several long, detailed looks at oak flooring, furniture and doors. Now it’s time to explore the wonderful world of pine. If you have a pine floor that needs attention, or you’ve been tasked with getting one in apple-pie order for someone else, here’s everything you need to know.
Types of pine
Pine, also sometimes called redwood, is cheaper and more common than traditional hardwoods, ranging from almost white through various yellow shades to a deep, rich red. For a softwood, it’s often remarkably resilient and long-lasting, especially in the context of well-looked-after pine floors.
Pinus is the species we see most in UK and EU plantations. It’s useful for all sorts of utility work, a common wood for beams, flooring and structural purposes. But that’s just the start of it. There are a whole load of different types of pine trees found in the wild, so many in fact that the Wood Database website’s impressively long list is far too detailed to repeat here.
If you’re interested in the similarities and differences between soft pines and hard pines, and those within each group, you can’t beat the Wood Database pine page, an excellent resource.
Horses for courses – The pine flooring aesthetic
There’s a variety of flooring ideas and opinions concerning keeping wooden floors looking good. Some concerns involve floor maintenance, as some floors require little in the way of maintenance, while others require plenty of elbow grease and attention. And the choice is often a matter of aesthetics.
One of the best things about wood flooring is that it changes, going through all sorts of fascinating stages over time, depending on its type and location, with an equally wide range of end results. And every stage of the ageing process has its own beauty.
You might love the hundred-year-old (or much older) patina your old pine boards have acquired through generations of wear. It might be stained and dirty, uneven and bent, sometimes more or less black. But to you it’s perfect – a living piece of history marking decades or even centuries of human use. And that’s fine. If it has lasted this long in one piece, it might well last a great deal longer without falling apart on you.
Eastern White Pine Cabin Interior
Your floor might be reasonably worn, partway between new and aged. You might adore the effect – the real shabby chic ideal – or you may prefer to get rid of the muck and repair any damage, giving it a whole new lease of life as well as a smooth, contemporary look.
A brand-new pine floor, on the other hand, can look pretty raw. The paler it is, the newer and less settled-in it looks. You might want to use a wood dye to create a subtler, less in-your-face effect, calming the brightness down a bit, and if it hasn’t already been protected, you’ll want to add a finishing oil or good-quality varnish.
How pine changes over time
The colour is one thing. The condition of old pine floors is another. Old boards can cup or arch over time, each board curling up at the edges, which means when you try to sand them you tend to get a thin sanded strip down the middle of each board at the high point, which widens on each pass of the sander as the boards are slowly levelled by the sanding process.
When you sand old pine boards back to the wood, they can look very pale, even colourless. But don’t worry. The minute you apply a clear wood finishing product like an oil or varnish, that warm, attractive natural golden colour will come flooding through.
Testing the colour of your floorboards before finishing them
This change in colour is so dramatic that it’s usually best to test how it’ll look finished before choosing an oil or varnish. Luckily it’s easy. All you do is rub the surface with a damp – not wet – cloth and you get the exact same effect as oiling or varnishing – the colour suddenly shines through. Once you know what’s what, you can choose your finish: either something to enhance the natural colour or a colourless product.
What if you want to get rid of that bright orange/gold colour?
Orange or golden pine isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s the effect you can get from a standard clear oil or varnish – as time passes it can turn a deeper orange/gold, even a nasty brown. If your pine floor has gone a funny colour, you can always sand the old finish off and replace it with a product that won’t change colour as it ages.
If you’re looking to retain the natural appearance of freshly sanded boards, pine or oak, Osmo Polyx Oil Raw and Fiddes Hard Wax Oil Natural are both great products for defusing and countering the gold/orange colour you sometimes get.
- Osmo Polyx Oil Raw (3044) is made with natural oils and waxes, gives excellent protection and durability and is specifically formulated to retain the ‘natural’ look of wood. It counteracts the damp-looking darkening effect and grain enhancement you typically get with standard clear oils or varnishes.
- Fiddes Hard Wax Oil Natural also keeps wood looking as natural and unaltered in colour as possible and dries to a clear, satin-matt finish. It’s perfect for light-coloured woods like pine, spruce and oak.
Osmo Polyx Oil
Pine wood floor refinishing – Varnish or oil?
What’s best, an oil or a varnish? The protective qualities are much the same. But oil and varnish come with different types of maintenance, and to a great extent your choice depends on the amount of wear and tear the floor receives.
- Using a wooden floor varnish tends to provide better durability and less maintenance, but you’ll need to re-sand the entire floor back to bare wood when the varnish eventually gets damaged and worn. How long this takes depends on the type and quality of the varnish and how much wear your floor is subjected to. It could be every year if you have pets, visitors and kids running in and out all the time. It could be five years or more if your home life is a lot quieter or you’ve covered the floor with rugs.
- Using a wooden floor oil, on the other hand, requires maintenance, usually every couple of years, but it won’t flake, crack or peel off. It looks better than varnish as it begins to wear and is very easy to patch repair if it becomes worn in specific areas, unlike varnish. When an oiled floor starts to look like it’s past its best, simply clean with a suitable floor cleaner to remove any marks, scuffs or stains, then reapply a thin coat of oil, and “Voilà!” it’s just like new again. Even bad scuffs, stains, marks and light scratches can be fixed by lightly sanding the area and reapplying a fresh coat of oil.
A tough varnish, by the way, won’t make the flooring itself hard. If you drop something heavy on the floor, the wood will still dent even though the varnish stays intact.
We have put together this handy video helping you to understand the key difference between a varnish and oil, as well as application techniques.
Need help with your pine floorboards?
For more information about interior floor finishes and treatments, contact our team of resident experts who are always on hand to help with project advice and product recommendations.
We love to see before, during and after photos of any wood finishing project. If you would like to share your project pictures with us, you can either send us some photos or share on our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram pages.
217 comments
Hi, Samantha.
My wife and I recently purchased an apartment in Berlin which has two different types of flooring. The living room and master bedroom have fishbone parquet, whereas the other rooms had simple floorboards. The previous owners had painted the floorboards white (which we didn’t like at all) and oiled the fishbone (which we loved).
Before we moved in, we had the floorboards sanded and varnished, telling the company that we wanted the new look to “match” the fishbone in colour as closely as possible. However, after they finished, the new floorboards (which the company tells us are scotch pine) are a bit lighter and redder than the deeper brown of the fishbone.
I’m wondering how the scotch pine will age over time. Whether we can expect that they will brown/darken with age and, if so, how long we would expect that to take. We are currently shopping for furniture and the future tone of the floors will affect our decision on the pieces we buy.
Any insight into this would be much appreciated. And thanks in advance!
Reply to Nicholas:
Good Afternoon Nicholas,
Colour matching different woods, with different layouts/designs can be difficult, but not impossible. Pine can look beautifully pale when sanded and then once you apply a finishing product, particularly a clear one it will highlight the natural tones in the wood, with pine this can be red, yellow or Pink or somewhere in between, and this is probably what is showing through on your floor. It will change over time slightly but not I suspect to the deeper brown that you are hoping for.
I know this is not the perhaps the answer that you hope for and if you have any questions at all please do let me know.
Kind Regards Samantha.
Hi, we’ve recently pulled up some carpets in our house (built around 1910) and are planning on getting the boards sanded. There is also some patching to be done where an old fireplace has been removed and filled with concrete. Some of the wood is original, some is around 50/60 years old. I’d like a whitewash effect as I’m not a fan of orange pine, what products would you recommend? Thanks in advance ?
Reply to Cara:
Hello Cara,
Thank you for getting in touch with your enquiry. My advice would be to get a range of sample sachets first, Osmo Polyx Oil Tints (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/osmo-colour-foundation) 3040 White, Osmo Polyx Oil Raw (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/osmo-polyx-oil-raw-3044) and Osmo Wood Wax Finish Transparent (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/osmo-wood-wax-finish-transparent) are all good starting points and we also have a very helpful blog on Beautiful White Finishes for Dreamy Interiors (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/blogs/advice/beautiful-interior-white-wood-finishes-for-dreamy-interiors) which is well worth a read.
White of Pine can be difficult and in some cases will highlight the orange rather than disguise it and this is why your test areas are so important. See how you get on with the above and get back to me via our contact us (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/pages/contact) page if you have any further questions.
Kind Regards Samantha.
I am a little confused over the difference between maritime and pitch pine floorboards. Is there a difference?
Reply to Shelley:
Hello Shelly,
Thank you for getting in touch these are just two of the possible pines that you are able to get. And they range in colour, but it would be fair to say that nearly all Pine is a pale soft wood that can be used for a wide variety of projects including flooring.
If you would like further advice or some guidance on how to protect your flooring then feel free to get in touch via our contact us (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/pages/contact) page.
Kind Regards Samantha.
Hello,
We live in a 110 year old farmhouse. Ten years ago I stripped the original pine floors, hand sanded them, and finished with tung oil. Also patched a lot of holes as they were heavily damaged. To say the least they have a ton of “character.” And they are beautiful.
No we are selling this house and building. I have done a lot of research, and am very tempted to get tung oiled Eastern White Pine flooring from a reputable company all through the main floor, including bathrooms, but everyone says I will regret it due to the softness. In fact, everyone thinks I would be insane to get pine. We have two big dogs. I love the pine samples I have received, and also love a floor with character. Don’t like flooring that looks perfect and embalmed. On the other hand I don’t want a floor with more wear with in one area than another. It gets harder over time, yes, but when??? I do love the idea of solid wood, and the idea of a floor that gets better with age vs. one that looks its best the day you lay it.
I’m also intrigued by the Osmo product that prevents the orange-ing effect. What are your thoughts on this product vs. tung oil? I would love to get the wire-brushed matte look in a distressed pine. Any thoughts on the should-I or shouldn’t I with new construction?
Thank you so much
Reply to Stephanie:
Good Morning Stephanie,
It would be fair to say that Pine is a soft wood and there is the possibility with larger dogs that it will mark and dent over time, even with the most durable of finishes. That said Pine it is regularly used for flooring and so is able to with stand everyday use. And will over time get that aged rustic look to it, how long will this take, its impossible to say. All wood is different even two pines can react in a different way, and of course it very much depends on how much the floor is used.
Preventing the Pine from going orange can be difficult as the orange comes from the natural tone of the wood and is highlighted when a product is applied. For the most natural look and the least chance of orange you could have a look at the Fiddes Hard Wax Oil Natural (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/fiddes-hard-wax-oil-oak-lightening) this is a clear oil that contains a minute amount of white pigment to counter act the darkening effect that highlights the orange or yellow.
Its a great product for protecting the wood, whilst still leaving it looking and feeling very natural. If you take a look and feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Always try a test area first.
Kind regards Samantha.
Hello,
Before moving into our Victorian terraced house we had the pine floorboards sanded and they were meant to be finished with Osmo Polyx Oil in Amber. The person we hired didn’t complete the job and we believe one watered down coat of clear varnish was put on the floorboards. Of course we are speculating because we have had no contact with the person who was supposed to finish the job. The floors are pretty raw but with a very slight sheen. We really want the Osmo Polyx oil but we are afraid that we are going to have to sand the house again to remove this very thin layer of varnish. I have done some patch testing and the Osmo Polyx Oil just sits on the surface in some areas and soaks into the wood in others. We have also patch tested some varnish remover which was very effective in removing the varnish with just one coat. Do you suggest using the varnish remover for the rest of the floorboards? Or does this effect the finish of the Osmo Polyx Oil? It seems like a lot of hard work but we really want to avoid having to sand again. Or is sanding the easiest option?
Thank you in advance,
Erin
Reply to Erin Tsakalis:
Good Afternoon Erin,
I will not lie, sanding is going to be the best option and will give the best preparation and finish to the wood for application of the Osmo Polyx Oil (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/osmo-polyx-oil) If there is only one coat of the varnish then this should not be too much work.
Using a stripper is a viable option and one that you can use to effectively strip the varnish and as the floors were varnished before you may well get away with an even finish. As you have tried a test area with the remover, I would then recommend a test area of the oil here also. You can wipe the surface with Methylated Spirits first to remove any residual grease or dirt and then try the oil to see if there is any impact from the area being stripped.
I would not expect there to be an issue with the stripper as long as it is all cleaned away affectingly and you are left with a totally bare clean wood.
I am happy to help if you have any questions and we do have some very helpful videos on You Tube that will help with your project >>> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-tgwbsUxm73aVnAjLGHRA?view_as=subscriber
Always carry out a test area first.
Kind regards Samantha.