Staining floorboards

[jimmys]

Does anyone have some info on staining hardwood timber floorbaords. The process, when it should be done, etc.
We have just put down brand new Vic ash floorboards and had them polished in a single pac poly clear and they have come up quite pale. We know that they will darken with age but we would like them darker to match the older boards in the other rooms of the house.
Any ideas?:confused:

[Pulse]

Jimmy, You probably need to use what is called a "sandwich" stain. Mix some stain into the next layer of poly then overcoat with two more clear coats. I used it on a smal area to match a few boards and it worked well. I used CFP with cabots interior stain. The only other option is to sand it all off and stain the timber conventionally.

Cheers
Pulse

[Extracare]

The "sandwich" stain will work if you just want to age the floor. It gives an antique look to the floor.

You can also use Wattyl's Pro series of stains (available at Bunnings).

Mix it with your Poly (try to use same brand of Poly as before) and go with 3-5% stain to poly.

Use an amount of stain in your 2nd coat based on the result you get with your first. (it's all guesstimation).

It will also look best and wear better if you then apply a final coat of clear Poly. That way you wont wear through the stain on high traffic areas.