Stain pine floor

looksee

I know this has been touched on a load of times but I can't find the exact answer.

I have some perfectly good pine floorboards which are in very good condition but have been varnished with clear (presumably spirit based varnish) It would be ok except I can't deal with the yellow colour and would like to change it to almost anything else.

I was hoping to continue the laminate from the next room into the bedroom but in current circumstances both materials and people are hard to get. The varnish may be a temporary solution or I may live with it, but I am not sure how to go about it. I really don't want to get a sander in but is it possible to work over the existing varnish to create a different colour?

Idioteque

If you're planning to laminate over them at some point, messing around with removing the varnish seems like a lot of work to me.

You might get get some insight on the woodworking forum too. I'm not aware of a way to put colour over varnish without removing it first.

Laminate is a relatively easy DIY job if you were up for it.

looksee

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of I think I will try and get hold of the laminate when I can and get it put down when things calm down a bit. I would be able for the diy of the laminate laying, but not for the physical crawling around the floor!

dok_golf

Yes you can paint over the varnish, but you will still have to give it a good sand by hand to give it a key. Put on a coat of Fleetwood Bloxx It or Coverstain, sand this to give a key, then whatever topcoat and colour you want x 2, sanding between coats. If the topcoat colour is particulalrly dark, you can get the coverstain/bloxx it tinted to grey to help opacity

looksee

I would not mind giving it a rub over for a key, I just couldn't face into getting all the varnish off. Can you use a waterbase varnish over the Coverstain or Bloxx?

Bruno Mannheim

if you bloxx it the only option is to paint it
you wont be able to get that stained finish anymore

1 days pain of sanding for a lifetime of what you want, thats what I would do and have done and ya its a slog for a day but worth it

Triboro

Yes you need to dull down existing varnish with a light sanding.
I use woodoc satin varnish with a light colour stain concentrate mixed through for the recoat.